March 30, 2020
“Cough In” to Dan Patrick!
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick shocked viewers on March 23rd when he told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that lots of grandparents would be willing to die from the coronavirus to save their grandchildren from another Great Depression. It sounded like a Coffin Campaign to a lot of Texas retirees.
The Texas Alliance of Retired Americans (TARA) is launching a Virtual Cough-In Campaign to commemorate the Lt. Governor’s upcoming 70th birthday on April 4. TARA is urging everyone to phone or e-mail the Lt. Governor about this dangerously false dichotomy between health and the economy. We would like for you and your organization to join us and let Dan Patrick know his comments are unacceptable.
Pick up your phone. Dial one of these two numbers:
The Texas Lt. Governor Message Line: (512) 463-5342
The Texas Lt. Governor Office Line: (512) 463-0001
You can also post a message for the Lt. Governor on his website.
Go to https://www.ltgov.state.tx.us
Please Join TARA and other organizations in this fight. Don’t let Dan Patrick get away with murder! We’re asking you to endorse this campaign and publicize it. Please e-mail our TARA Austin President Jan Lance at mjanlance@gmail.com to let us know that your organization has signed on.
Below are TARA’s suggested scripts timed for a message machine. These are tailored for grandparents and their grandchildren, retirees and those working essential jobs, and for all the parents at home with their children doing their part to keep a virulent microbe from overwhelming our health care and let Dan Patrick know that his stand is not acceptable! We will also tie this campaign to the failure of him and other Texas officials to accept the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act thus denying health coverage to over 1.6 million Texans during this time of crisis.
Feel free to tailor each script for grandparents and their grandchildren, retirees and those working essential jobs, and for all the parents at home with their children doing their part to keep a virulent microbe from overwhelming our health care system.
Since this is a Virtual Cough-In, begin your call with a cough or clear your throat and then read the script. If you have a chance to talk to a human, please be nice. The person on the other end of the line is probably a state employee working from home with children running around.
As a senior I am horrified that you would offer up my life for the sake of the stock market and the 1%. We are valuable, productive, and vital to our families and communities, and not the only ones at risk from Covid 19 as nearly 50% of those affected are in their 20s and 30s. If you choose not to represent, serve, and safeguard the health and well-being of all your constituents you should resign.
We need to use Medicaid expansion in Texas to fight the Coronavirus. This would allow us to cover another 1.6 million people and get another $114 billion to fund our hospitals over the next 10 years. Science tells us that to defeat the Coronavirus you have to monitor and treat the entire population. Medicaid expansion is a critical necessity for helping us to win this fight.
If the population of Texas over 65 takes your lead and dies for the Dow this is what happens: The loss of 3.7 million Texans would cost our state almost 8.5 billion dollars annually. That’s only based on a median income. That would certainly turn our Texas House and Senate Blue! April Fool! Nah! We would rather live and turn Texas Blue! Why don’t you resign?
Covid-19 affects people of all ages. Medical experts warn that ending stay at home restrictions any time soon will accelerate the spread of this deadly virus and put thousands, if not millions of Americans at risk, especially seniors and other vulnerable members of our population. It won’t be possible for hospitals to treat an overwhelming influx of patients as there simply aren’t enough beds, personnel, or supplies available.
https://www.facebook.com/taraaustintexas/
For more information please visit these Texas Alliance for Retired Americans pages:
https://www.facebook.com/TexasRetirees/
https://texas.retiredamericans.org/
We look forward to working with you and your members on this campaign. If possible we would appreciate an approximate number of calls made by your organization so we can assess the effectiveness of our efforts.
For more information: Judy Bryant 214-729-0063, Jan Lance 512-627-6081. Click this link to donate to TARA: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/organize-for-the-right-to-retire?source=direct_link&