• John Kerry for President
• Final Days before Election Focus on Voter Turnout
• What You Can Do
• Voting Tips
• Social Security Benefits To Increase 2.7 Percent
• Quote of Note
• Web Site of the Week: www.votercall.org/ 

JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT
The 2004 Election is the most important in our lifetime. The person who is elected President will have a far-reaching impact on our lives and those of our children and grandchildren. This year, after careful consideration and extensive polling of members and leaders, the AFT is recommending John Kerry for president. Of the two candidates, only Sen. Kerry can give America a fresh start. And the overwhelming majority of Americans believe we need one. In the last four years, President George W. Bush:

• Spent monies intended to shore up the Social Security Trust Funds to enact massive tax cuts largely for the wealthiest Americans.

• Rammed a costly Medicare overhaul bill through Congress that does little to provide most seniors with affordable and accessible prescription drugs.

• Continued to champion tax cuts for the wealthy while millions of Americans are out of work. George W. Bush is the first president since Herbert Hoover to end his term with more jobs lost than created (over 1 million).

• Started a costly war based on inaccurate information and with no exit plan, which so far has resulted in more than 1,000 American deaths.

• Failed to provide adequate funds to make it possible to meet the "No Child Left Behind" standards.

Only Sen. Kerry offers to protect Social Security against privatization and allow prescription drugs to be reimported from Canada and other industrialized countries. Only Sen. Kerry supports Medicare’s right to negotiate drug prices. Only Sen. Kerry has a clearly defined program to strengthen employer-provided healthcare and cover large numbers of the uninsured. Only Sen. Kerry offers the hope of winning back allies the Bush administration has scorned to help win the war on terrorism and create a stable and self-governing Iraq.

For four years, President Bush has led a reckless administration, squandering historic opportunities to unite Americans and help secure our future. In the past four years, the President has spoken much of opportunity and ownership, unfortunately, too often code words for policies that give more to those who have the most. Americans at least as strongly seek justice and community. They’re what union members call solidarity.

FINAL DAYS BEFORE ELECTION FOCUS ON VOTER TURNOUT
As AFT affiliates and thousands of union volunteers headed into the final days of the presidential campaign, it's evident that voter turnout will be the most important factor in Tuesday's presidential election. Polls continue to show George Bush and John Kerry in a virtual dead heat both in national samples and in key battleground states. With the presidential race so close, the AFT continued its efforts to inform members and their families on election issues through phone banks, labor walks, work-site contact and literature distribution, with the final push focused on the union's get-out-the-vote campaign. AFT affiliates have placed more than 1,200 orders for AFT election-related fliers available through a special AFL-CIO Web site for activists, generating nearly 1 million pieces of literature for distribution to AFT members by Election Day. Meanwhile, AFT president Edward J. McElroy, secretary-treasurer Nat LaCour and executive vice president Antonia Cortese hit the road in the final week before the election to reinforce the message that the stakes for the AFT and labor in this election are extremely high. McElroy visited affiliates in Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, while LaCour has been in Florida and Cortese attended a rally in Toledo, Ohio.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
In these last days before the election, AFT is asking you to take one final action to help make history. Please take a moment right now to view the presidential candidates’ responses to our questionnaire posted on the AFT Web site www.aft.org/legislation and send key points to your friends to highlight the stakes that will be decided on November 2. Millions of dollars are being poured into ads over the next few days, but personal contact is far more persuasive than advertisements and written editorials. Contacting your friends and relatives is one of the most powerful steps you can take to help decide this election. Please use the information:

•  To e-mail your friends.

• As talking points for your phone calls.

• To print copies to share with people who are interested.

Whatever you do over the next few days, please make some time to reach out to friends, colleagues, relatives, former classmates, even former flames who may still be unclear about the choice they’ll make on November 2.

VOTING TIPS
Americans are expected to vote in record numbers on November 2. To ensure a hassle-free voting experience, play it safe and do the following:

• Bring a photo I.D.

• Just in case there are long waits, bring a friend, a chair, an umbrella, a hat, water, a snack and a good book. Be patient.
Don’t leave without voting. As we learned once again in 2000, every vote is precious.

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS TO INCREASE 2.7 PERCENT
Approximately 47 million older men and women, children and disabled people will receive a 2.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in their Social Security benefits in January 2005. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the average monthly benefit for a retired worker will increase $25 to $955. The average retired couple will see their Social Security payments rise from $1,532 to $1,574 per month Unfortunately, the increase in their Medicare premium will consume nearly half of the raise. Medicare premiums, which are deducted from Social Security checks, will rise to $78.20 per month, a 17.4 percent increase in 2005 or $11.60 per month. This means the average retiree will see a net gain of $13.40 per month from the COLA hike. But for millions of older Americans who receive less than the average benefit, the entire increase will be wiped out by the Medicare premium increase. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has predicted that premiums for the new Medicare drug benefit, which will be based on total outpatient drug spending under Medicare, will grow at a much faster pace than the Medicare Part B premium. As a result, many beneficiaries will see their Social Security checks shrink after 2006, when the benefit is set to begin. Next year will be the third-consecutive year in which small Social Security increases and rising Medicare premiums have left seniors with only a few dollars per month in additional income.

QUOTE OF NOTE
“For four years, George W. Bush has presided over an 'invitation only' administration. Pharmaceutical companies were invited to write the Medicare drug bill while seniors were excluded from participation. Wall Street brokers were invited to forge a 'privatization' plan for Social Security that will allow them to reap billions in commissions and fees while reducing benefits or raising the retirement age for future retirees. Halliburton was invited to rebuild Iraq under a 'no bid' arrangement, costing taxpayers additional billions of dollars. In fact, even the President's campaign rallies are 'by invitation only' so that average citizens cannot ask questions.”

George Kourpias, President
Alliance for Retired Americans

WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: www.votercall.org
Voter Call is a project of Res Publica, supported by the National Council of Churches, True Majority, Rock the Vote and National Voice (The November 2 Campaign). It allows anyone, anywhere to make quick encouraging phone calls to young, low-income and minority voters in swing states. Progressive, nonpartisan groups have registered over 2 million of these new voters this year. If they vote, it will make a major difference, and that's why there are so many suppression efforts aimed at them. More than 14,000 people so far have volunteered, but millions need to turn out to get the vote we need.

Contributors and sources: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times, Associated Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Campaign for America’s Future, Alliance for Retired Americans Friday Alert, Kaiser Health Policy Report. Frank Stella, editor; Renee Turner, design.