April 04, 2020

Cough-In Better Than Coffins

MEDIA ADVISORY

April 1, 2020

Contact: Judy Bryant, 214-729-0063 or Judy4tara@aol.com

Jan Lance, 512-627-6081 or mjanlance@gmail.com

Texas Retirees Launch “Cough-In” Campaign  in Response to Lieutenant Governor Patrick

 Virtual Week of Action is a Reaction to Offensive Comments

Austin, TX – Members of the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans (TARA) and several partner organizations, including the Texas AFL-CIO, are implementing a virtual week of action in response to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s statement that “grandparents would be willing to die to save the economy” for younger generations.

The week’s events, including member phone calls and letter writing, will culminate with an online Facebook Event “celebrating” the Lt. Governor’s 70th birthday on Saturday, April 4.

When Lt. Gov. Patrick told Fox News host Tucker Carlson on March 23 that lots of grandparents would be willing to die from the coronavirus to save their grandchildren from another Great Depression, Texas retirees were absolutely stunned. TARA urges everyone to tell the Lt. Gov. that this dangerously false dichotomy between health and the economy is intolerable.

“Lt. Gov. Patrick and other Texas officials have not accepted federal funds to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, thus denying health coverage to over 1.6 million Texans during the coronavirus crisis,” said Tony Padilla, President of TARA. “We demand that he resign and that the state of Texas accept these badly needed Medicaid funds now.”

What:             Week of Action, Virtual Cough-In Campaign to commemorate the Lt. Governor’s
upcoming 70th birthday

Who:              Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, Texas AFL-CIO, Texas AFT, Alliance AFT,
AFSCME Council 12 Retirees, TSEU (Texas State Employees Union) Retirees, Cover
Texas Now (coalition to expand Medicaid), LULAC Council 650, and State Tejano
Democrats
When:            Monday, March 30 – Saturday, April 4, 2020

 Where:          https://www.facebook.com/TexasRetirees/

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The Alliance for Retired Americans is a national organization that advocates for the rights and well-being
of 4.4 million retirees and their families. www.retiredamericans.org @activeretirees