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nu ne California Communities United Institute Newsletter
www.CalComUI.org
Activism With A Heart Justice |
April, 2012
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Who Represents You?
Would you like the names and contact information of your elected officials? To find that information please click:
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Join California Communities United Institute
To join California Communities United Insitute, click
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Paradise Lost |  I suspect that many African Americans thought they had "died and gone to heaven," in November 2008, when the first Black man was elected President. However, some of them may now feel they are now in a Paradise lost.
Probably many African Americans thought they finally had a President who would take vigorous action to address the many problems faced by their community. However, he has actually done much more to help LGBTI people than to help Black Americans.
To read the rest of this article, click here.
Boyce Hinman
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We Are Destroying Our Future |  What California, and many states, are doing to their education systems is destroying the future of California and the nation. In this article I focus particularly on college education. According to the World Bank, this nation produces more in goods and services than any other nation. Although things have been difficult lately, that fact has given people in this country a higher standard of living than in almost any other country. Probably more than any other country, our nation has produced a long string of inventors and innovators that make us healthier, wealthier, and more comfortable than the people of most nations. That has been made possible by our longstanding commitment to high quality, affordable education. But in California, and many other states, we seem to be abandoning that commitment. That could destroy our future. To read the rest of this article, click here. Boyce Hinman ________ |
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ADAP Programs Are Struggling | 
Currently the cost of medications for HIV positive people is about $13,000 per year.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), roughly 1.2 Americans are infected with HIV.
Again, according to the CDC, in 2010, an estimated 47,129 people were diagnosed with HIV infection in the 46 states with confidential name-based HIV infection reporting.
Since 1987, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) has been a primary mechanism to help HIV positive people, with limited income, pay the huge costs of their medications. This program is supported, in part, with federal dollars and partly from state funds.
However, currently, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, ADAP serves far fewer people than are in need of the program. Only a little over 100,000 receive help from ADAP in paying for their drugs. And, because of the high unemployment rate, the number of people needing assistance has been going up significantly. And this has put the ADAP programs in several states at risk.
The states are having difficulty finding the money to pay for their share of the program.
To read the rest of this article, click here.
Boyce Hinman
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The Battle Over Health Care Reform |
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US Supreme Court Justices |
Late last month the US Supreme Court held highly charged hearings to determine whether Congress and the President had the authority, under our constitution, to require everyone to purchase health insurance.
Those who oppose the federal health care reform bill (the Affordable Care Act) claim neither Congress nor the President have the authority, under the US constitution, to do this.
The funny thing is that almost all people have been required to buy health insurance since 1965. It is called Medicare.
For most employees, employers are required by law to withhold 1.45% of the employees' salaries. The employer must add another 1.45% and send the combined amount to the federal government to fund Medicare. Employers can suffer significant penalties if they fail to do this.
To read the rest of this story, click here.
Boyce Hinman
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Health Care Rights For Transgender People |  The National Center For Transgender Equality has released a very interesting report on the rights of transgender people as they navigate the health care system. You may see a copy of it by clicking here. We have also placed a copy of the report on the LGBT Issues page of our web site at: http://www.calcomui.org/lgbtiissues.html The following is a summary of some of the key points in the report. To read the rest of this article, click here. Boyce Hinman ________ |
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House Budget Bill Hurts Women | |
 In late March the US House of Representatives passed a budget authored By Paul Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin.
The vote was very one sided. No Democrats voted for the bill and all but 10 Republicans voted for it.
Paul Ryan is a Tea Party Republican. He is also Chair of the US House of Representatives Budget Committee. That gives him the power to damage a lot of progressive programs. But the budget bill he authored does particular damage to women.
Programs critically important to tens of millions of middle- and low-income women would all fall under the ax if his budget bill were approved by the Senate.
At this point that seems unlikely, because the Democrats control the US Senate. But their majority there is razor thin.
Here are some of the features of the Ryan bill that would hurt women.
To read the rest of this article, click here.
Boyce Hinman
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