|
JSPAN Presents: "Fixing Medicare Part D" on October 26th
|
 Last week, the average Medicare Part D beneficiary fell into the coverage gap, or "doughnut hole" of the prescription drug benefit. Nearly 7 million Americans will suddenly face the full share of their costs this year. A plethora of national advocacy organizations are calling for improvements in the Medicare Modernization Act which brought us Part D.
On October 26 JSPAN will present a special program designed to enlighten us on the problems inherent in the present system and to help us find solutions. You have two opportunities to attend:
- 11 AM at The Philadelphian (2401 Pennsylvania Ave, Philadelphia)
- 8 PM at Congregation Adath Jeshurun (7763 Old York Road, Elkins Park)
Our speaker will be Thomas Snedden, the director of the Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly, more commonly known as the PACE program. He has served in this position since 1985. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Snedden held a variety of program posts in the Pennsylvania Governor's Office, Office of Administration.
The PACE program, enacted in 1984, is a state-funded prescription drug benefit for qualified older Pennsylvanians funded exclusively from state Lottery Fund proceeds. In 1996, a supplementary drug benefit was enacted and is known as the PACE Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET). PACE/PACENET is the largest state program of its kind: serving 230,000 enrollees, reimbursing 9.4 million claims annually, at an aggregate annual benefit cost of $365 million.
|
|
Public Expression of Religion Act Showdown Moves to the Senate |
 This Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2679, also known as the Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA), a bill that would force plaintiffs who win lawsuits on Establishment Clause violations to bear the cost of legal fees. Despite the vocal opposition of Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) and Chet Edwards (D-TX), the PERA passed 244-173. During his speech on the House floor, Congressman Frank rejected the notion that this bill was meant to empower individuals to bring violations of the Establishment Clause to the courts.
Mr. Hostettler, the architect behind PERA, claims that this act would stop "backroom deals" whereupon individuals intimidate local and county governments with the threat of lawsuits. Contrary to this outrageous claim, of which Mr. Hostettler did not provide one example, the PERA would do quite the contrary: discourage plaintiffs from filing lawsuits for even the most egregious violations of the Establishment Clause because of having to bear the burden of legal fees.
Despite Mr. Hostettler's point that injunctive relief would still be available to plaintiffs and that a violation could be righted, the PERA will disenfranchise individuals from going to the judicial system when they have been wronged.
As Mr. Frank noted on the floor, "Now, I know people on the other side have had a phrase that they like in
tort law called ``loser pays.'' That may be controversial, but this one is a
lulu. This is winner pays. Bring a lawsuit based on a blatant violation of the
Establishment Clause, not limited to the examples here. It is what the
language says. Bring a lawsuit against a State or a city or a county or the
Federal Government that favors a particular religion, that says we are going
to teach this particular religion's tenets in the school and win the lawsuit
and get no money."
This week, the Jewish Social Policy Action Network joined with the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Council of Jewish Women, and the Anti-Defamation League in requesting Senator Specter to oppose this legislation. Please view JSPAN's letter to Senator Specter urging him to oppose this ludicrous piece of legislation.
JSPAN encourages its members to contact their senators to oppose this piece of legislation from going any further.
|
|
Chirls & Frankel Receive JSPAN Social Justice Award |
 On Tuesday, September 19, JSPAN presented Larry Frankel, Legislative Director for the Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union, and Andrew Chirls, Immediate Past Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, with its second annual Social Justice Award.
Larry Frankel has been with the ACLU since 1992 and in his time with the organization has lobbied, written, and spoken out on issues like the death penalty, reproductive freedom, and gay & lesbian rights. Recently he was involved in opposing an effort in the state legislature to ban gay marriage. Andrew has been in practice at Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen since 1982 and in addition to experience in age and gender discrimination claims, he successfully tried, for the plaintiff, the first case presented to a Pennsylvania jury for discrimination based on AIDS/HIV status.
From state representatives to former councilmen to attorneys working for civil rights - all came out in honor of Larry & Andrew's achievements. JSPAN is proud to have given its second annual Social Justice Award to these two outstanding individuals for their work in advancing Tikkun Olam.
|
|
Rally to End Gun Violence Draws Thousands |
Earlier this week, over 2,000 people gathered in Harrisburg to call for legislation to help end gun violence. The day, declared a "Committee of the Whole," where all votes by state legislators were considered non-binding straw votes, saw Mayor John Street joined by seven other mayors, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Among the proposals brought before the legislature was a bill
that would limit handgun sales to one a month. A rise in gun crime in the Delaware Valley area has prompted local politicians and anti-gun violence organizations to advocate limiting the sale of handguns, which are used in the overwhelming number of violent crimes in the region. Through straw purchasers, individuals who have no criminal record and can buy an unlimited number of guns, handguns are sold illegally to criminals and youths. When one of these guns is used in a violent crime, straw purchasers need only say it was stolen and are absolved from all legal liability.
While the legislature voted down any proposal that would limit firearm sales, not all the news was negative. The legislature overwhelmingly supported Speaker John Perzel's proposal to partially fund up to 10,000 new local police officers on the streets.
|
|
Urgent Action Needed to Protect Habeas Corpus |
 In these closing days of the Congressional session, there is an effort to repeal the writ of habeas corpus. This would strip American citizens of a fundamental right to seek release from false imprisonment and protection arbitrary state action.
Unfortunately, some members of Congress are attempting to attach this legislation to a critical Department of Defense Authorization bill.
For more please information visit The Justice Report and make your voice heard.
|
|
Condoleezza Rice: On the Violence in Darfur |
 Earlier this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for an immediate cease-fire in the Darfur region of Sudan. While Secretary's Rice's words are the right ones, her remarks come very late in the game. We hope that rather than offer sound bites, the United States
takes significant action to end the genocide in Darfur.
We have come to a moment of great consequence in Darfur. The Government of Sudan has launched a new military offensive. The security situation is clearly deteriorating. Innocent people are suffering and dying. The humanitarian situation, already tenuous, is at risk of grave worsening. And the hope of peace is now in danger of collapsing altogether.
Today, I want to talk about what needs to be done right now to address the urgent situation in Darfur, but first, I would like to speak more broadly about our policy toward Sudan – because ultimately, the two cannot be separated. You see, the situation in Darfur is a humanitarian crisis, to be sure – but it is more than that. It is a fundamentally political problem, rooted in the historic challenge of governing Sudan. To create the opportunity for real and lasting peace in Darfur, we must help to resolve the broader political problems within Sudan. So it is here that I would like to begin this morning.
Of course you all know Sudan as a gigantic country – the largest in Africa, and about the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River. The country is literally a crossroads of civilizations. The Blue Nile and the White Nile meet in Khartoum, connecting tribes, and cultures, and customs, and religions from every corner of Africa with those of the Middle East.
Like so many other diverse nations, Sudan has never managed to create a just and effective state, which represents the interests of all people and the aspirations of all its citizens. The central government has never worked out a political agreement to share wealth and power fairly with the country’s provinces. Instead, successive governments in Khartoum have horded the nation’s wealth and power for themselves. Among the peoples of eastern, western, and southern Sudan, this injustice has created many legitimate grievances against the government. And as a result, Sudan has been independent for 50 years, and it has spent 40 of those years mired in violence.
[read more]
|
|
Oman Signs Free Trade Agreement with US, Bars Boycotts of Israel |
|
President Bush may have made headlines for signing a free-trade agreement with Oman earlier this week, but the elimination of duties was not the only significant news coming out of the deal. Among the provisions in the US-Oman Free Trade Agreement is a renuniciation of the Arab League Boycott on companies that do business with Israel or are partially-Israeli owned. According to the The National Trade Estimate:
The primary aspect of the boycott prohibits the importation of Israeli-origin goods and services into boycotting countries. This prohibition conflicts with the obligation of Arab League member states that are also members of the World Trade Organization to treat Israeli imports on a Most Favored Nation (MFN) basis. The secondary and tertiary aspects of the boycott discriminate against the U.S. and other foreign firms that wish to do business with both Israel and boycotting countries. These constrain U.S. exports in the region. The secondary aspect of the boycott prohibits individuals - as well as private and public sector firms and organizations - in Arab League countries from engaging in business with U.S. and other foreign films that contribute to Israel's military or economic development. Such firms are placed on a blacklist maintained by the Damascus-based Central Boycott Office (CBO), a specialized bureau of the Arab League. The tertiary aspect of the body prohibits business dealings with U.S. and other firms that do business with blacklisted comapnies.
While the boycott between the Arab League and Israel has weakened in the past few years, with countries like Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia abandoning the boycott, in theory the majority of the Arab League still supports it. Oman's divestment from the boycott is a positive sign towards normalization of Israel and the gulf state.
|
|
L'Shana Tova and Gut Yontiff from JSPAN |
|
Finally, JSPAN would like to wish all of our members and the readers of our newsletter L'Shana Tova and Gut Yontiff. May this year see you have good health and success in all your endeavors. May this year be even better than your last and imbued with fulfilling memories and experiences.
Last year we asked you to reflect on using the New Year to help repair a troubled world. We renew this call for reflection and action once again. With the approaching of Yom Kippur, we at JSPAN are reminded of our constant mission of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. As we pray to have our name entered into the Book of Life, let us be reminded of the words of Maimonedes: "all depends on whether a man's merits outweigh the demerits put to his account." Let us fill the world with good merits
this year.
|
|
Want to Join?
To become a voting JSPAN member, please go to www.JSPAN.org. On the right side of your screen you will be able to start a secure transaction and become a voting member.
Make all checks payable to:
JSPAN
2033 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
JSPAN Officers
Jeffrey Pasek
President
Kenneth Fox
Vice President
Kenneth Myers
Vice President
Joel Beaver
Treasurer
Stewart Weintraub
Secretary & General Counsel
Directors:
Susan Myers, Chair
Irwin Aronson
Connie Beresin
Deanne Comer
Hon. Ruth Damsker
Alisa Field
Helen Fox
Brian Gocial
Nancy Gordon
Brian Gralnick
Jerome Kaplan
Lazar Kleit
Eve Klothen
Barry Kramer
Ruth Laibson
Judah Labovitz
Theodore Mann
Sidney Margulies
Norm Newberg
Joshua Pasek
Ruth Perry
Ruth Schultz
Burt Siegel
Jared Solomon
Rabbi David Straus
Barry Ungar
Rabbi Avi Winokur
|
