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Health
Care Reform:
More than 46 million people in United States have no health insurance
and millions more are inadequately insured.
Atlanta stands to bear
a particular burden since the Grady Hospital crisis, which
will
disproportionately
affect the poor.
ABLE’s health care platform centers around 3 proposals:
1)
promote the financial solvency of Grady Hospital by requiring all
counties served by Grady Hospital to contribute
their share of tax
money, establish an equitable formula for the reimbursement of Medicaid
costs, and adequately
fund EMS
and trauma care for uninsured.
2)
expand Peachcare to include all kids—i.e. universal healthcare for
Georgia’s children, and
3)
establish maximum retail prices for prescription drugs, in line with the
Federal Supply Schedule,
which would
reduce the excessive out of pocket
expense for those who rely on prescription drugs
Quality Public Education:
As indicated by
Clayton county schools’ loss of accreditation, public education in
Georgia is in need
of
serious attention.
Irresponsible leadership and
widespread inequities threaten to jeopardize our
children’s
futures and squander their potential.
ABLE’s
education taskforce will take on this problem by getting
commitments from elected officials to act in favor of
quality
education for all children.
For example,
Georgia currently has a limited voucher program for children with
special needs. ABLE
will get commitments
from legislators to oppose the
expansion of vouchers in Georgia in any form.
We will also
push for commitments from the DeKalb Board of Education to attend BOE
training, fund art
and music teachers
in every elementary school,
support pre-K programs, change fund raising policy of
elementary schools
and expand vocational
training in high schools.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform:
In
the absence of a national immigration law that makes sense, Georgia has
recently passed a great deal of anti-immigrant
legislation. These laws
have ignored the dignity we recognize in every human being,
betrayed the
Gospel acclamation of
abundance and love of neighbor, and created a
daily life of fear and
hopelessness for immigrants.
ABLE has engaged in the struggle for civil rights of immigrants on
several fronts:
1)
create a community of faith presence in the courts, in order to hold the
judges accountable and stop their practice of
deporting
indiscriminately
2)
meet with sheriffs, police chiefs and commissioners of counties involved
with 287g agreements in
order to
stop racial
profiling
3)
get CNN to cover the mistreatment of immigrants and the positive
contribution they make to Georgia
4)
confront the agencies and businesses, like Medicaid offices, residence
companies and workplaces,
that take
advantage
of immigrants.
ABLE is a
multi-racial, interfaith regional coalition of congregations, unions and
grassroots organizations that develops
and empowers ordinary
people to become leaders who effect change in their communities for the
common good of all. |