Action Alert #91 – Town Hall Meetings and Demonstrations
(Sorry this is late for this week, but you can always use this information)
Congress is in recess for this week, until Monday Feb. 27th. Your Representative will be in town and will be holding public meetings. (If yours is not one of those in hiding) There are quite a few things to talk about, but you can try to get a word in edgewise if you plan ahead.
There are many serious issues this year: Social Security, Medicare, Women’s Health, the ACA, climate change, pollution, but please BE BOLD about letting people know about OUR ISSUES: the WEP which already makes huge cuts in earned Social Security benefits and the GPO which currently eliminates ALL earned retirement benefits for half a million women (and a smaller number of men).
We have something to yell about!
Below are some tools to help you make the point. You can find more on our website:
1. A fact sheet you can give to your legislator or use for ideas.
2. Call your Representative and find out when they will have town hall meetings. Save their DC and home district numbers on your phone. Find them at www.house.gov
3. Do the same with your Senators. www.senate.gov
4. Figure out your story. The “I” comments are most powerful. Think about these:
—-“I was never told I would not be getting the amount on the SS yearly statements.” (this seemed to affect members of the SS Sub-Committee)
—-“In our divorce, I had to give my husband half my pension, but I get none of his Social Security.”
—-“My husband was in the service, and we travelled a lot, so I never was able to contribute much to Social Security. Later, my City Clerk position paid no Social Security and only a small pension. Because of the government Pension Offset I lose BOTH spousal benefits, and because of the Windfall Elimination Provision I lose a lot of what I earned myself.”
—-“I retired awhile ago, and my teacher pension isn’t very big, but it is enough to make a big cut in the Social Security I earned working in other jobs when I was younger.”
5. Prepare what you are going to say, and plan what you will do.
Here we have linked “Indivisible’s” guide to planning your attendance at a town hall.
6. Here are two letter-size signs you can print out. Please share any new signs that you can think of. They can be stapled onto a wooden paint stirrer or just held up, depending on the rules of the demonstration you are attending.