Dear friends,
An op-ed about resolutions offers a more inspiring approach to the New Year ritual:
What if, instead of planning our exercise regimens, we focused our intentions on all that is undesirable in human activity — wars, bigotry, brutality, the despoiling of the earth — and sought to address it. What if instead of making a milquetoast resolution, we made airtight commitments?
In “Leaves of Grass,” Walt Whitman writes: “This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone who asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy.” He continues, “re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem.’’
So, there. If you’re looking for a worthwhile resolution, Whitman is not a bad place to start.
The spirit of this approach is the same one that animates this newsletter.
For those of you who have been standing up for the animals and the earth, here’s some of what your resolve recently accomplished:
challenged the agency’s decision in 2020 to remove most gray wolves from Endangered Species Act protection.
Here’s a picture from the family archives:
Lena, wearing their favorite t-shirt, from the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN
In Colorado, officials have now released 10 gray wolves into the state's wilderness. The wolves had been wiped out in the 1940s by an official policy. The state now seeks “to recover and maintain a viable, self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado.” There are plans to introduce several dozen more wolves onto state land.
Extensive and ongoing research shows that neonic coatings are both unnecessary and harmful to bees and other pollinators, human health, food security, and water and soil health.
Here’s a fresh opportunity to stand up for the earth and its vulnerable inhabitants:
There are 18 young people in California who have brought a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, the latest climate-related case filed on behalf of children. They claim that the EPA has
violated [their] constitutional rights by allowing carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels to warm the climate. It notes the agency's 2009 finding that carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is a public health threat, and children are the most vulnerable.
Support the California children taking the EPA to court. Contribute to Our Children’s Trust, the public interest law firm representing them.
This morning, an article about members of Congress bonding over the shared experience of having children with disabilities caught my eye. Senator Maggie Hasan, whose adult son has cerebral palsy, has forged relationships with members across the aisle.
This is a seed worth nurturing. Hassan has been working to pass an amendment to the Social Security Act to expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) under Medicaid, and for other purposes. Hassan takes the long view:
“Change and inclusion takes time and consistent effort, but then when we make it, we make it together.”
Last week, I mentioned another bill, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, that would lift the strict asset limits ($2,000 per individual or $3,000 per couple) for people with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.
Like the rest of us, folks with disabilities have talents and skills that are valuable. They want to work and contribute to their communities. They want to save for the future.
The difference is that people with disabilities need access to home care to do many of the things that the rest of us do.
This is not a partisan issue. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 42 million Americans live with disabilities. They and their families are directly affected by the lack of coverage for home care and the asset limits placed on folks receiving SSI.
Tell your members of Congress to pass the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act and the Better Care Better Jobs bill.
Here’s a repeat action to help pass the NYS Home Care Savings & Reinvestment Act.
Right now, the state is giving billions of Medicaid home care dollars to private insurance companies, called Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans. The implications are terrible for care workers and those who require care, since Managed Long Term Care companies are profiting while withholding necessary care.
This legislation will stop the state from diverting Medicaid funds to MLTCs. The insurance companies are going to fight to keep their giant profits, so we have to let legislators know that this is our issue and we’re making an airtight commitment.
Tell your state legislators that you want Medicaid funds to provide direct services to people with disabilities and older adults so that people receive the care they need. This supports family caregivers, too!
with love,
L