Democratic Perspective

The Infrastructure Of Aging. Steve Williamson welcomes back Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare to discuss the $400 billion for elderly care included in President Biden’s infrastructure bill.

Though it’s not what many consider infrastructure, Richtman stresses the importance of the proposal as an additional 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day. At some point, most of those people will require some form of care. It’s more efficient and humane to care for them in their own homes. But, Richtman says, “There simply are not enough homecare workers in this country to meet the demand now, let alone in the future.”

Richtman explains that one of the reasons for the shortage is that salaries are so pitiful (the average salary is just $17,000 a year). He adds, “One of the things I find that is so amazing is that we are relying on unpaid caregivers in this country. Mostly women. They often have to leave the work force.” According to Richtman, this compounds the problem, noting that when they leave the workforce, they’re not paying into Social Security. As a result, they’re sacrificing their own Social Security benefits in the future. He says the proposed bill would create a caregivers’ formula that would be applied to the Social Security structure so their benefits would not be reduced.

Richtman notes the proposal is about 20 percent of the president’s infrastructure bill. “I think it’s important to give Biden credit for trying to prioritize elderly homecare in this package,” he says. “We’re going to have more seniors requiring care with fewer young people around to provide it.”

The post Richtman Interview – Podcast June 7, 2021 first appeared on Democratic Perspective.

The Impact Of Biden’s Spending Plan On Medicare And Social Security. Democratic Perspective co-host Steve Williamson welcomes back frequent guest Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, to discuss the proposed $3.5 trillion spending plan for human infrastructure.

“The impact on Medicare is huge,” says Richtman. “If this actually happens...it would be the first major expansion of Medicare benefits in nearly 20 years. Now we have an opportunity to add hearing, dental and vision to the program. These are such important components of healthcare that have been neglected over the years.”

Richtman also hopes the bill will include a provision that mandates the federal government negotiate drug prices – an idea supported by 70 -80 percent of voters across party lines. He explains that would save Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries $450 billion over 10 years. But Richtman says that is certain to be opposed by Big Pharma. “The argument that pharmaceutical companies use is that this is socialism. But I thought that negotiating for the best price for anything...to me that’s capitalism.”

Their other argument is that negotiating prices would limit Big Pharma’s ability to do research. But Richtman counters that a lot of the research money that goes into developing drugs comes from the federal government. “I have seen analysis of how much pharmaceutical companies spend on lobbying...tens of millions of dollars. They’re putting money into stock buybacks. They’re putting it into enormous salaries for chief executives...and ads. It’s a phony argument. It’s designed to scare people.”

Richtman notes that the budget proposals do not specifically deal with Social Security. But he says he’s confident that we have a President who has made a commitment to improve Social Security.

The post Richtman Interview – Podcast July 26, 2021 first appeared on Democratic Perspective.

The Importance Of Stewardship. Democratic Perspective co-host Hava welcomes Donna Michaels to discuss her first six months in office as a Yavapai County supervisor. She begins by noting that stewardship is the key to a healthy community. To that end, she is focused on creating a ten-year plan with input from the public – “A document that guides us for the next ten years.”

“I urge everyone to go online to take the survey,” she says. “Hopefully, by 2022, we’ll have a document that reflects who we want to be.”

Michaels lists some of the issues facing the county are homelessness on forest lands, affordable and attainable housing, and destruction caused by off-road vehicles (ATVs). “What we’re seeing is an unprecedented destruction of our forest lands,” says Michaels. “I had no idea the kind of damage that is occurring around the clock by these vehicles. Had I not seen it, I would not have believed it.” To address the issue, she intends to look at how other communities are addressing ATV use and abuse. “I’m hopeful we’ll benchmark best practices,” she says. “There is nothing we can’t do together.”

The post Michaels Interview – Podcast August 9, 2021 first appeared on Democratic Perspective.

Prioritizing People Over Corporations. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Lauren Kuby to Democratic Perspective. Kuby is a Tempe City Councilmember who is running for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission along with current incumbent Sandra Kennedy. If elected, the two will join incumbent Anna Tovar to create the first Democratic majority on the powerful five-member board that controls the state’s utilities and corporations.

In addition to her duties as a Tempe Councilmember, Kuby is a sustainability scientist at ASU and a nationally recognized champion for affordable, clean energy from renewable sources. If elected to the commission, she will seek to help oversee the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. And, given the extreme weather events and water shortages caused by climate change, the stakes for the 2022 election could not be higher.

In next year’s general elections. Kuby’s and Kennedy’s opponents will likely be Republicans whose campaigns are financed by the very utilities they hope to regulate. So, it’s important for all voters, especially Democrats, to look down the entire ballot and vote for a more sustainable future.

The post Kuby Interview – Podcast October 25, 2021 first appeared on Democratic Perspective.

The Ecological Disasters Created By The Border Wall. Laiken Jordahl, borderlands campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, joins Steve Williamson to discuss the devastating ecological impact of the border wall.

Jordahl notes that about 450 miles of new border wall have been built that have ripped necessary wildlife habitat in two. There are only about a dozen more miles of wall to be built in Arizona. “If that’s completed,” he says, “it will end Jaguar recovery in Arizona. The habitat segmentation is disastrous for all wildlife, leading to inbreeding and cutting off wildlife from food and limited water sources.” We’re already seeing the consequences, according to Jordahl. He explains that a Mule Deer was recently found dead next to the wall, likely because it could no longer find a path to water. “These animals have not evolved to understand border walls,” he says. “Many others will meet a similar fate.”

He also notes that the wall has a devastating impact on border communities and indigenous people whose lands have been cut in two. “These people, just like the wildlife, are deeply interconnected,” says Jordahl. “We have to understand that these walls don’t prevent anyone from crossing. The wall does nothing to keep us safe. We have to find sections of the wall to come down to restore Jaguar habitat and migratory corridors. We need to consult with tribal leaders and compensate for sacred lands and sacred sites that have been destroyed. It has been a difficult four years for those of us who live down here.”