National
OWL
1828 L Street NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036
http://www.owl-national.org/Welcome.html
OWL-CA
(916) 444-2526
Ruth Kletzing, Sacramento
Evie Kosower, San Diego
owlcalif@gmail.com
Capitol Chapter
(916) 444-2526
owlcap@gmail.com
Roberta Battle
Ohlone/East Bay OWL
POB 9536
Berkeley CA 94709
eastbayOWL@gmail.com
Eleanor Luce
Placer County OWL
Marion Faustman
San Diego
OWL
Evie Kosower
San
Francisco OWL Kathie
Piccagli
Santa Clara OWL
BJ Bryan
owlsantaclara@gmail.com
At-large, Riverside
Shirley Harlan
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What are we doing now?
OWL Fights for Social Security!
Alan Simpson Takes
on Older Women (and we fight back!)
See
Ashley Carson on MSNBC Countdown
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform:
the entire discussion
We are in the midst of a tempest over the commission
appointed by Obama to come up with recommendations to “heal
the deficit” which has been problematic for many of
us, as we knew they were “bipartisan” and that
Social Security and Medicare are on the table, even though
they are not the problem. In a nutshell, here is what happened:
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Alan Simpson, co-chair of the Commission,
with Erskine Bowles, makes intemperate remarks insulting
to “Gray Panthers and Pink Panthers” (I have
not been able to find video of this). He says we are overreacting
fringe groups.
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OWL Executive Director Ashley Carson writes
a great article on the Huffington Post refuting the comments,
including pointing out that there is no Pink Panthers group.
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2 months later, someone shows the article
to Simpson and he rushes out a really weird e-mail to Ashley.
She works with other groups to make public the egregious
remarks and to call for his removal from the commission.
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He writes an apology on letterhead. Too
little too late.
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The good news: a huge spotlight shines
nationally on Simpson and on the Commission. FOX, CNN, MSNBC
weigh in, along with newspapers ranging from the Wall Street
Journal to the New York Times. We have the oppotunity to
urge the Commission to focus on the true causes of the deficits,
the two Bush wars and the tax cuts for the wealthy.
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Tangentially, Gray Panthers and OWL get
threir messages out!
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We are hopeful the Commission will refocus
and that people will join us in the fight for Social Security.
We would also
love to hear from you! E-mail us at owlcalif@gmail.com
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On Aug. 13, 2010, Congresswoman Doris
Matsui and her wonderful staff held a great event to celebrate
Social Security's 75th anniversary, to plan how to save the
system from the everpresent vultures, and to eat birthday cake.
OWLs Bill Powers and Margie Metzler provided
information and inspiration for the 100 or so attendees, including
at least a dozen OWL members. Click
here for more, including the speeches and
pictures from the event.
OWL Participates in
19 America Speaks Events
3,500 Americans gathered together at
57 sites across the country to deliberate about our nation’s
fiscal future on Saturday, June 26, 2010. This event was largely
sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, whose founder
has long been a foe of Social Security. Many of us in OWL, Gray
Panthers, CARA, MoveOn and other organizations therefore felt
it was important to attend and ensure that the voices of seniors
would be heard. This was doubly important to us as we were assured
that members of the Deficit Commission, which appears to be
will to throw Social Security under the bus in the mistaken
belief that doing so would help reduce the deficit. Luckily
we did, because we had a real impact on the result. One of the
ideas for reducing the deficit we were urged to consider was
"fixing" Social Security in several ways; we rejected
these ideas completely. Here are some of the results, as reported
on their website.
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Among spending options,
reductions in defense spending received the greatest support.
85% of
participants expressed support for reducing defense spending
by at least 5%, which included 51% of
participants who expressed support for a 15% cut. 68% of participants
expressed support for reducing
All Other Non-Defense spending by at least 5%. 62% of participants
expressed support for reducing
health care spending by at least 5%. No options for reducing
Social Security benefits received a
majority of support. Rather, 60% of participants expressed
support for raising the cap on payroll taxes to
90%.
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Among revenue options,
54% of participants expressed support for raising income taxes
on those
earning more than $1 million by five percent and 52% of participants
expressed support for raising
personal tax rates for the top two income brackets by at least
10%. 54% of participants expressed
support for establishing a carbon tax and 50% of participants
supported the establishment of a
securities-transaction tax. No options for reducing deductions
and credits received majority support.
Participants were evenly divided about options presented to
reform the tax code.
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About OWL...
Founded in 1980, OWL is a nonprofit
membership organization, the first and only
national organization to focus solely on the concerns
of midlife and older women as they age. Broadly
speaking, its goals are to achieve economic and social
equity for older women, to improve their image and status,
and to provide for mutual support. Utilizing the expertise
and experience of members through a network of chapters,
OWL has become firmly established as a national voice
for older women—a segment of the population that
has long been unrepresented.
OWL was conceived by two California
women, Tish Sommers and Laurie Shields, whose earlier
work to eradicate the job inequities midlife women face
helped to create the displaced homemakers movement.
Their legacy continues in the work of OWL members of
all ages and both sexes. Through research, education
and advocacy activities, OWL chapters and at-large members
throughout the United States address the economic, social
and health problems women face as they become older.
OWL’s national, state, and local
agendas—set by members—focus on a number
of issues, such as: Quality and affordable health care
for all, Social Security, Pensions, Job and Housing
Discrimination, Family Caregivers, Budget Cuts, and
Remaining in control of one’s life to the end.
Education and advocacy take many forms, including consumer
reports and brochures, newsletters, letters to and testimony
before legislatures, media outreach, chapter meetings,
and conferences and leadership training. OWL’s
leaders mainly come from local chapters, whose members
work on the national agenda, on state and local concerns,
and on bringing women together for mutual support.
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OWL Agenda
Our work as grassroots advocates to
improve the status and quality of life of midlife and
older women, includes the following priorities:
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Support a publicly
financed universal health care system
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Expand and enhance
Medicare to uninsured populations
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Promote available
high quality long-term and chronic care
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Back a gender neutral
Social Security system
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Expand access to
pensions for women
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Enforce wage and
age discrimination laws
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Provide access to
affordable housing
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Ensure freedom from
violence and abuse
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Enhance the right
to control our lives until the end
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Support the continuation
of the Older Americans Act
PRIMARY GOALS OF Owl California
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CREATE a closer network
among the state’s chapters and at-large membership.
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SUPPORT current chapters
and assist and encourage formation of new chapters.
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EDUCATE on issues
of concern to midlife and older women as they affect
us in California.
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INCREASE members’
awareness of California legislation on issues from
our national agenda, and effectively advocate and
coordinate membership action at state and local levels.
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Past
Events
2010 Council
Meeting/Mother's Day, Sacramento
May 5 and 6, 2010
June 2010 Ballot
Propositions Recommendations, or click here
to download
Rally
for SB 810 (Leno), The Single Payer Bill, at the State Capitol,
January 11, 2010
Feb.
2010 Council Meeting, San Jose
OWL-CA
Annual Council Meeting, October 2009, Burlingame, CA
MOTHER’S DAY PROGRAM AT THE CAPITOL:
May 7, 2009, Assemblymember Feuer
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Please contact Margie Metzler at margiemetz@hotmail.com
if you have comments, requests, corrections etc. about our
website.
Copyright © 2008 OWL California. All rights reserved.
Web Design by Margie
Metzler
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