Blog
December 08, 2017
Seniors Plan for 2018
Dallas retirees began some serious election planning at our December 6 meeting.
Early in January, we’ll begin a statewide push for “vote by mail” for all Texans over 65 years old. At the same time, we will begin helping senior voters one precinct at a time. Here’s how it will work:
Precinct by precinct
Each of our members in all seven Texas chapters lives in a precinct. The Dallas chapter will help each of them develop retiree voting strength in their own precinct by targeting a certain date for a social event in their area. A pancake breakfast is one good idea. Mary and Kenneth Stretcher volunteered to host the first party in their precinct.
Information about every precinct is available, including voters’ ages, voting history, addresses, and phone numbers. Seniors in the Stretcher’s precinct might not be glad to get a phone call from a faraway candidate, but they might be glad to get one from their neighbors. They also might be glad to drop over for pancakes and coffee.
While we’re at the social event, we’ll be able to share literature and contact information that will help guide senior voters throughout the election year. They will be able to intelligently vote their own interests in 2018. The events will help strengthen the Texas Alliance for future battles as well.
Fight Continues on Tax Giveaway Plan
Kenneth and Mary Stretcher, like most Alliance retirees, have been calling Congress with the National ARA free hotline number:
1-866-828-4162
But their Congressman is Marc Veasey, who is already firmly on our side. The Stretchers, along with Rick Schoolcraft, volunteered to help telephone people in Congressional District 23, where the congressperson really needs to hear from constituents. San Antonio activists were also calling into CD23, as the district starts there and stretches to Del Rio and El Paso. We’re doing everything we can to stop the disastrous tax giveaways and budget cuts.
Meantime, just to make everything worse, the CWA Newsletter reports that the Speaker of the House is already bragging that he intends to cut Medicare and Social Security in 2018 to help pay for the billionaire’s tax giveaway.
Democracy Is Our Way
The Dallas Chapter elected officers on December 6. They are getting ready to help elect statewide officers at our Texas convention at 1 PM on January 19, 2018, in Austin. At the end of our planning meeting, we took up a cash collection for future efforts.
Keep up the fight!
–Gene Lantz, President
Texas Alliance for Retired Americans
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