I apologize to my regular readers for not posting yesterday, I was distracted by the necessity of arranging a meeting to discuss radical action in hopes of getting the Ryan White Act re-authorized. If no action is taken by the congress or senate in the next six weeks a hundred thousand men and women living with HIV and Aids will be left with no way to pay for medi-cations or services that they need to survive.
I'm not proselytizing, I'm giving you the facts.
What do I suggest you do? I'm not an activist in the style of the early ACTUP or ACT Now activists but that may be the only course we have now that we only have six weeks. The heroes that went before their time and gave their health for ours gave a good model for action. The new activists are large organizations that worry about compromise and representing every segment of the positive community. To Hell with that! The AIDS lobbyists are at work trying to craft bills that can pass through the legislature. It is time to take to the streets again.
I am not promoting another useless march on Washington. I'm suggesting that you! gather together with your friends and get it together enough to make your representatives know you exist. Every locale has A congressman and each state has two senators that have offices throughout the state. Why aren't we out front of each of those offices making our voices heard?
We have grown complacent on Social Security and Medicare.
Well, listen to me, you may not have a state sponsored prescription program after February if you don't speak up now!
What do our representatives need to hear?
1. a three year reauthorization is needed now
2. an increase in funding to meet the growing numbers is needed
3. we are republicans, democrats and independents but we vote or will if angered
4. don't expect the health care strategy to help us until it is in place and proven to work, we will not be the guinea pigs again.
That said, what am I going to do?
That said, what am I going to do?
Early next week I have called a meeting of men and women with a large base of support in the community. I hope to put together a strategy that will reach enough of our local representatives, it's a large city with a number of representatives, to spur the action in at least one committee that has control of the RW Act.
A moment's diversion. Senator Kennedy has often been the Senator behind getting this type of bill passed. With the senator being ill and possibly on his death bed we are left with more questions than answers on support in the senate. Anyone with connections, no matter how distant , to Senator Dodd of Connecticut work them to get his attention. He is being over worked at the moment but we can't allow that to be the excuse for allowing the RW Act to slip through the cracks without being authorized once again.
There are continuing resolution that could allow the act to continue but we need something more definite and reassuring. There is no need for us to live with the stress of having this pulled out from under us. Do your part, no matter how large or small. It is a matter of life.
