The Roving Activist’s Blog

Check this out! Look who signed on on to the Community Choice Act yesterday:

Sen Roberts, Pat [KS] - 5/13/2008

He is only the second senator to sign on in 2008. Way to go Kansas folks!!!

Check out the latest list of co-sponsors of the Community Choice Act!

Rep Allen, Thomas H. [ME-1] - 4/30/2008
Rep Carney, Christopher P. [PA-10] - 5/1/2008
Rep Carson, Andre [IN-7] - 5/1/2008
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 5/1/2008
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - 5/6/2008
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 4/23/2008
Rep Fossella, Vito [NY-13] - 5/6/2008
Rep Gonzalez, Charles A. [TX-20] - 4/24/2008
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 5/13/2008
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] - 4/30/2008
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] - 5/6/2008
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] - 4/30/2008
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - 5/1/2008
Rep Porter, Jon C. [NV-3] - 5/1/2008
Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] - 4/17/2008
Rep Sestak, Joe [PA-7] - 5/1/2008
Rep Tiahrt, Todd [KS-4] - 5/1/2008
Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [NY-12] - 5/1/2008

Keep’em coming, folks! Keep ‘em coming!

Wednesday is the traditional day during the week that ADAPT scours the Hill. By this, I mean that we visit all 535 members of Congress and the senate and give them information on the Community Choice Act.

This time, it was a bit different. We made a list of each chapter that actually made appointments with their legislators. I made appointments for Rochester with Reps. Walsh, Kuhl, and Reynolds, and Senators Clinton and Schumer. All but Reynolds have signed on to CCA. We did not make an appointment with Rep. Slaughter (another CCA co-sponsor), as she had just visited us at our office in Rochester on the previous Monday.

Anyway, those who had appointments got special packets with detailed information about the Community Choice Act. Rather than gather in groups by color (green, red, etc.), we gathered by state. Rochester alone had 57 people, not counting those folks from New York City, Albany, and Syracuse, so of course, New York State had a huge crowd!

I did not get to go to the visits, as I had to stay behind for the dress rehersal of the I Am ADAPT show. I heard from Terrie that the meetings went well. What I do know is that since those visits, the number of CCA co-sponsors in the House has gone up from 88 to 103! Three members of Congress signed on the day that we visited (April 30th), while eight signed on the very next day (May 1st), and three signed up on May 6th. Five of those co-sponsors were from New York. They are:

Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 5/1/2008

Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - 5/6/2008

Rep Fossella, Vito [NY-13] - 5/6/2008

Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] - 4/30/2008

Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [NY-12] - 5/1/2008

As you can see, Rep. Meeks signed on the day that ADAPT came calling, and Reps. Clark and Velazquez signed on the next day! Keep up the good work, everyone!

Pardon the tardiness of the post. I’m still recovering from DC!

Though it was a bit nippy outside, Tuesday dawned bright and sunny. ADAPT headed over to the National Governors’ Association (NGA) to hold a press conference of the best and worst states for community-based services. We went to the NGA because the governors have the power to really push for the passing of the Community Choice Act. Randy Alexander, from Memphis, TN, spoke about the MCIL Underground Railroad, a program that has been in place for over a decade, that helps people from Tenessee move to other states (mainly Colorado) so that they can live in the community. They have to do this because home helth care is almost unheard ofthere. We also heard from Latonya Reeves, the first Underground Railroader, who moved from Memphis, TN, to Denver, CO, seventeen years ago. She spoke of what it was like to move, and leave her family behind, but she also spoke of the freedom that she now has in Colorado. She stated that Colorado is not perfect, but she is better off there than in a nursing facility back home. Nadina LaSpina, from NYC also spoke about a woman whom she helped to move from Alabama to New York. Nadia, the woman who Nadina helped, also spoke. Another woman from Arkansas spoke on her long incarceration in a psychiatric institution, and her fight to finally be free.

Here is the list of the best and the worst states:

The states are listed alphabetically, not ranked numerically;

TEN BEST STATES
Alaska
Colorado
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Hampshire
Oregon
Rhode Island
Vermont

HONORABLE MENTION
Kansas
New York
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming

TEN WORST STATES
Arkansas
Georgia
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Dakota
Tennessee
Texas

DISHONORABLE MENTION
Alabama
District of Columbia
New Jersey
Ohio
Pennsylvania

We then went across the street to dine on ADAPT steak in the park. For those who don’t know what ADAPT steak is, its McDonald’s hamburgers, usually cold by the time we get them, but they fuel us for long days of actions, so I’m not complaining.

We then broke up into two groups and did a double hit on the headquarters of the RNC and the office of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican candidate for President. McCain has not signed on to the Community Choice Act. ADAPTers who were in the hallway just outside McCain’s office were arrested fairly quickly. There was a group inside McCain’s office than hung in there until after 7:00 pm, when they, too, were arrested. The rest of the group came over to join us at the RNC.

I was in the group at the RNC. We encircled the entire building, including the parking garage and alleyway, and someof us actually got inside the building. I was outside since I got into the HHS yesterday, I wanted to give my fellow Day Leader to opportunity to go inside, or get arrested if he chose to. As a Day Leader, I was on the negotiation team, and to say that the negotiations went sour isn’t saying it strongly enough. It actually got down to five words, and the substitution of “attempt to set up a meeting with McCain’s campaign rep”, to “attempt to set up a meeting with Senator McCain”. The legal counsel for the RNC claimed that they did not have the power to set up a meeting with McCain. I felt that that was utter you-know-what, and we said so, in so many words. We would not accept that, so the negotiations were off, and we continued chanting and singing loud and strong until about 11:00 at night, when we were forcibly removed from the building and the doors. believe me, the Democrats took full advantage of the RNC’s and McCain’s folly, and plastered it all over their websites and Roll Call magazine, which goes to every senator and member of Congress. While we were out there at the RNC, we got visits from Reps. Janice Schakowsky, Patrick Kennedy, and Gwen Moore, who actually sang and chanted with us for more than an hour before she told us who she was! Incidently, all of these folks are co-sponsors of CCA.

So, although we made no headway with the RNC or McCain, we did expose this conflict with them, and let them show us their true colors. FREE OUR PEOPLE!!!

The Community Choice Act has another co-sponsor!

Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] - 4/22/2008

I want to send shout-outs to New Castle, PA ADAPT for what they had to go through to get this guy on. Here is their story, in thier words:

April 18, 2008

Today Members of New Castle PA ADAPT took action to get a commitment from Congressman Jason Altmire (Representative PA 4th District) to sign on as a co-sponsor to Community Choice. Pennsylvania now has 13 of 19 Representatives signed on. Six more to go.

Twenty members of New Castle ADAPT stormed into Altmire’s field office located in New Castle, PA, and demanded that he sign on. His Caseworker in New Castle, James Ferruchi met us with hostility and disrespect. Four members made their way into his office and blocked both exits. At one point Altmire’s caseworker threatened to piss on Vivian LaCamara if she did not move out of the doorway. Her answer was ” I have been in a Nursing Home and I have been pissed on abused and neglected so go ahead”

He quickly backed off when he saw the commitment displayed by the ADAPTERS. It only took two hours and Altmire caved like a marshmellow in an ADAPT fire. We left his office with this e-mail and a signed Faxed letter on letterhead of his commitment to support Community Choice:

From: Komendant, Erik
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 1:19 PM
To: Brown, Charles
Cc: Werner, Sharon ; Butler, Mike ; Ferruchie, James; Mullen, Tess
Subject: Community Choice Act

Charles -

Can you add Congressman Altmire to the Community Choice Act (H.R. 1621)?

- Erik
—
Erik Komendant
Legislative Director
Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-04)

RA’s Note: As you can see, four days later, he was signed on!

You folks are the Bomb!!!!!

Monday, April 21, 2008 was a special day for us at CDR/Rochester ADAPT! We received a visit from Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), who recently signed on to the Community Choice Act. Though she only stayed a few minutes, Bruce and I got to welcome her, and her staffer, Bobbi Wilson. We explained about the parts of the building that we were passing through on our way to the large conference room. About 50 Rochester ADAPT members and CDR staff loudly appauded as we stepped into the room. She spoke to us, and said how happy she was to be with us in our beautiful building, and how proud she was to be a co-sponsor of the Community Choice Act. She took pictures with us, and we presented her with an orange Community Choice Act NOW! T-shirt, which she held up to her front, and had her picture taken. She chatted with several of us afterwards, and took her time leaving, even though she had a plane to catch right after our visit. Since due to time constraints, she was unable to take the tour of the building, Congresswoman Slaughter wants to visit us again. That will be great!

Over all, I enjoyed her visit. She remembered me from us taking over her office in Washington, DC. She told everyone that she loved my sense of humor, and that I was her buddy. She spent lots of time with me, and I got several handshakes and a couple of hugs. She also talked with me after our meeting. From being in ADAPT, I have learned a lot about politicians, and I feel that she actually does like me, even when I was loudmouthing her in her office back in January, before she signed on to CCA. When Gene and I met with her in her Rochester office back in March, she noted that I was a bit subdued, and told her staff that I was a real firecracker, and that I was a great and passionate activist. I believe that she genuinely respects the whole Rochester crew. I am looking forward to her next visit!

Since the pictures were quite large in size, I’ll give you the links to some of them.

The Group

Anita and Louise Outside CDR

Anita Shaking Louise’s Hand

I am proud to announce that Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) will visit the Center for Disability Rights, where I work as a Systems Advocate, on Monday, April 21, 2008, at 4:00 pm. Rep. Slaughter recently signed on to the Community Choice Act.

Bruce and I will give her a tour of the building, then, we will gather in the large conference room, where Rochester ADAPT will present her with an orange Community Choice Act Now! T-shirt, and take some pictures and videos. I will post these on Monday evening.

We are really exited and honored by her visit!

Another member of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has signed on to the Community Choice Act!

Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] - 4/10/2008

I remember her being present and speaking at the hearing back in January.

WooHoo!!!! A few days after our meeting, Louise made good on her promise to sign on to the Community Choice Act. See?

Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] - 4/1/2008

That brings the total to 11 NY representatives who have signed on!

This afternoon, Gene and I had a meeting with Rep. Louise Slaughter in her Rochester office. For the better part of a year, ADAPT has been trying to get her to become a co-sponsor of the Community Choice Act. She had sign on the CCA’s previous incarnation, the Bill Formerly Known as MiCASSA, but she balked at signing on to CCA stating that the bill cost too much. We provided her with the new study by the University of California at San Francisco, but her staff never found time to read it, or bring her up to speed. When ADAPT met with her in January, right after the hearing on CCA before the House Energy and Commerce Committe, she gave us the same tired old speech about the bill costing too much, and us being in a war, and under a deficit.

On Friday, March 14th, Bruce was sitting next to Rep. Slaughter on a flight back to Rochester, and took the opportunity to speak with her about meeting in Rochester to discuss the Community Choice Act. She told Bruce that she was very busy, travelling back and forth to Albany, meeting with Gov. Paterson, and “playing Grandma”, but suggested that Bruce call her staffperson, Bobbi, and see if she could squeeze some time into her schedule. Bruce immediately called me, and asked that I do the deed, which I did. Bobbi wasn’t there, but I left her a message, then, called her again on Monday. Bobbi was able to squeeze in time for the 25th (today), but she made the meeting for Bruce alone. I didn’t like that, but felt that we needed to get that meeting.

As it turned out, Bruce was in Albany today, so Gene and I went in his stead. We brought copies of the study from U of C. Gene took the lead in this meeting and started out by discussing the new study, and some of the highlights. Rep. Slaughter asked about the waivers, and we explained that the waivers are capped at the number of people that they serve. I also told her that CCA would actually cost less than the waivers, which are optional. Gene also said that the states would get 10% more in federal matching funds under CCA.

Towards the end of the meeting, Rep. Slaughter said three words that ADAPT has been waiting for a year to hear — “We’ll Sign on”. She spoke about the horrors of the medicare prescription program, and how, Under Bush, people with disabilities are really being devastated by program cuts. After some more conversation, and a reiteration that she would be signing on, we left.

I am very happy that Louise Slaughter will sign on to CCA. I’m curious about why she signed on after all this time, but I won’t speculate about that. I’ll be even happier when I go to Thomas, and see her name on the list. of course, even if she called Rep. Danny Davis’s office as soon as we left, it won’t appear on the website for several days. Rest assured, I will let you know the moment her name is on the CCA co-sponsor list!