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Newsletter of the Green Party of Ohio
Vol. II, No. 31 -- October 19, 2002
(This newsletter distributed to 2,893)
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FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
***************************************************
1) JOIN THE GREEN
PARTY: OHIO MEMBERSHIP AT 663
2) DODEN: GREEN WAVE SPRINGFIELD AND BEAVERCREEK
3) HELP GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES IN OHIO
4) FREE SCHOOL BREAKFAST
PROGRAMS
5) JANITORIAL STRIKE HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH DEBATE
6)
HEALTH INSURANCE IS A FAMILY MATTER
7) HEALTH OF YOUNGER AMERICANS DETERIORATING
8) UNIVERSAL CARE BALLOT INITIATIVE IN OREGON
9) NUMBER OF UNINSURED
INCREASED LAST YEAR
10) CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH FOCUS OF REPORT
11) HOW
FREE ARE WE?
12) MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS***************************************************
Join the Green Party of Ohio:
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/register.html
List of current Green Party members:
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/. ***************************************************
1) JOIN THE GREEN PARTY: OHIO MEMBERSHIP AT 663
***************************************************
663 Ohio citizens have registered as members of the
Green Party of Ohio (GPO).
Add your name to the list at:
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/. Join
the Green Party of Ohio today by completing the
form at:
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/register.html
OR
Print a registration form and mail it in:
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/membership.pdf
or
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/membership.doc ***************************************************
2) DODEN: GREEN WAVE SPRINGFIELD AND BEAVERCREEK
***************************************************
Sat., Oct. 26: Green Wave Springfield This
is it! The big push for Frank Doden, Green can-
didate for US House in the
7th District, in Springfield.
Twenty (20) people are needed to distribute
100 flyers
each! Rain or shine! Folks will be meeting at Perkins
on South
Limestone (just off I-70 at Hwy. 72) at 10 AM.
If you would like to go out
campaigning on your own time,
please contact Logan Martinez at 937-275-5972.
Sun. Oct. 27: Green Wave Beavercreek
Some Greens are going
to be campaigning in Beavercreek
on Sunday also. Meeting location is Jo Jo's
Donuts
(Fairborn) at 1878 Maple St. at 12 Noon just off the
Five Points
junction where Dayton Yellow Springs Rd.
and E. Maple meet. If you are coming
in by I-675 you
get off at Dayton Yellow Springs Rd. and go west to-
wards
Fairborn past the Big K. At the second light
turn right. Jo Jo's is the third
business on the right
across from Speedway. For
more information, contact:
Frank Doden: dodenfordemocracy@hotmail.com
OR
Logan Martinez: loganmartinez@hotmail.com Also
see:
http://www.dodenfordemocracy.com
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3) HELP GREEN
PARTY CANDIDATES IN OHIO
***************************************************
Our Green Party candidates in Ohio this year need
your support of money and
time. Frank Doden
is the Green Party candidate for U.S.
Congress in the 7th District. Send contributions
to
support Frank's campaign to FRANK DODEN FOR CONGRESS,
Richard Donnelly,
Treasurer, 422 N. Walnut St., Yellow
Springs, OH 45387, or visit Frank's Web
site at
http://www.dodenfordemocracy.com
to make an online
contribution. Alan
Amstutz is the Green Party candidate for Ohio
House of Representatives, District
22 (Clintonville,
Beechwald, Dublin & NW Columbus). Send contributions
to support Alan's campaign to VOTE AMSTUTZ, Greg Richey,
Treasurer, 2363 N.
4th St., Columbus OH 43202. Visit
his Web site at http://voteamstutz.org. ***************************************************
4) FREE SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAMS
***************************************************
A number of school districts in several states, in-
cluding Maryland, Minnesota
and Massachusetts, have
begun pilot breakfast programs that offer free break-
fast to all students regardless of income. The "free
universal breakfast"
program is seen as a way to re-
duce administrative costs and stigma, as well
as im-
prove nutrition and academic achievement. Teachers
and administrators
are very pleased with the early
results. For
more information:
http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0209/health.html ***************************************************
5) JANITORIAL STRIKE HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH DEBATE
***************************************************
A labor dispute between janitors and cleaning com-
panies in Boston highlights
the larger debate over
who should offer health care insurance for the work-
ing poor. Members of Boston Local 254 of the Service
Employees International
Union are striking to gain
health care coverage for part-time workers. Under
the current contract, which expired in September,
only full-time janitors
receive employer-funded health
care coverage and are able to purchase coverage
for
family members. Part-time workers, who comprise 75%
of the union's
work force, do not qualify for employer-
sponsored coverage. While many large
employers insure
their full-time work force, employers dependent on low-
paid or part-time workers often let publicly funded pro-
grams cover their
employees. Publicly funded care for
the around Boston-area 8,000 janitors
and their families
without health insurance costs the state and federal
governments and area hospitals $12.3 million a year.
A majority of janitors
want, but cannot find, full-
time jobs. Cleaning companies contend that many
part-
time janitors want to keep their job hours because
they have other
full-time jobs with benefits. Under
the new contract proposal, the cleaning
companies are
offering an increase in pay for full-time and part-time
workers and a subsidy to full-time workers who buy
family coverage, but no
expansion of health care
coverage to part-time workers. ***************************************************
6) HEALTH INSURANCE IS A FAMILY MATTER
***************************************************
If even one member of a family does not have health
insurance, it can adversely
affect the entire house-
hold, according to a study released Sept. 18 by the
Institute of Medicine. The study, based on 2001 Cen-
sus Bureau information,
found that 58 million people
living in the U.S. either do not have health
insurance
or live in a family in which someone is uninsured.
Twenty percent
of all families have at least one
uninsured member. The
full report is available at:
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309085187/html/ ***************************************************
7) HEALTH OF YOUNGER AMERICANS DETERIORATING
***************************************************
A recently completed analysis of labor statistics by
two RAND researchers
shows that the health of young
Americans is deteriorating as the elderly are
becoming
healthier. This deterioration in health and increase
in disability
among the young is due to the rise in
weight and obesity, particularly over
the past 10 years.
The researchers go on to show that the rise in weight
can be attributed at least in part to economic factors:
the rise in incomes,
the increased availability of
inexpensive food, and the increasingly sedentary
nature of work. See
the Rand analysis at:
http://www.nber.org/papers/w8247 More
on the health risks of obesity:
http://www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB4549/ ***************************************************
8) UNIVERSAL CARE BALLOT INITIATIVE IN OREGON
***************************************************
The AP/Washington Times on Oct. 9 examined an Oregon
ballot measure that would
establish the first univer-
sal health care system in the nation. Measure
23,
which will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, would provide
health insurance
to the estimated 423,000 state resi-
dents without coverage. The state would
fund the
measure, which would cost an estimated $19 billion per
year,
with $7 billion from a new 11.5% payroll tax on
businesses, $4.9 billion from
an 8% increase in the
personal income tax and about $7 billion from shifting
state and federal health care dollars. Under the mea-
sure, beneficiaries
would not pay premiums, copayments,
deductibles or out-of-pocket expenses,
and the measure
would provide coverage for physical and mental health
services, as well as long-term care and alternative
treatments. In addition,
the state could not exclude
residents with preexisting medical conditions
from
coverage. An independent, not-for-profit corporation
administered
by a 15-member board would operate the
universal health care system and would
negotiate con-
tracts with providers. The measure faces strong
opposition
from businesses, insurance groups and
health care organizations. ***************************************************
9) NUMBER OF UNINSURED INCREASED LAST YEAR
***************************************************
The number of uninsured people living in the US
increased 1.4 million in 2001,
to 41.2 million, or
14.6% of the total population, compared to 39.8
million,
or 14.2%, in 2000, according to figures
released Sept. 30 by the Census Bureau.
The new data
are based on interviews with 78,000 households and
were obtained
under the Census Bureau's annual Current
Population Survey. Respondents were
asked if they had
health insurance at any point during 2001. According
to the figures, the most substantial drop in insurance
occurred among a growing
number of small-business
workers lacking access to health benefits. The propor-
tion of people who received health coverage through
their jobs fell from 63.6%
in 2000 to 62.6% in 2001,
a difference almost entirely attributable to a decline
in employer-sponsored health coverage at businesses
with 25 employers or fewer.
Overall, the report states
that the increase in the number of uninsured, which
had
fallen during the previous two years, was caused by a
combination
of rapidly rising health care costs and a
weak economy. Racial
and ethnic minorities continued to have the
lowest rates of insurance nationwide.
One-third of
Latinos were uninsured, and 40% of non-US. citizens
lacked
health benefits, compared to 10% of people born
in the US. Considered by age,
the percentage of uninsured
people increased among those ages 25 to 64 but
not among
very young workers, who typically have lower rates of
coverage.
The report found the number of children with
insurance was virtually unchanged
at about 8.5 million,
while the number of uninsured adults increased from
31.2
million in 2000 to 32.7 million in 2001. The
report attributed the decline in health coverage
to several factors, including
a jump in unemployment,
inflated health-related costs and an increasing number
of states for which the cost of public insurance pro-
grams, such as Medicaid
and CHIP, is causing budget
deficits. ***************************************************
10) CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH FOCUS OF REPORT
***************************************************
The September issue of The American Journal of Psy-
chiatry includes a study
on mental health care among
children in the US. The study finds that many
mental
health care needs of children are unmet. Researchers
evaluated
three national databases, including the
National Health Interview Survey,
the National Survey
of American Families, and the Community Tracking Survey.
These surveys were taken from 1996-1998. Nearly 80% of
the children and adolescents
who were defined as needing
mental health services did not receive services.
This
is an estimated 7.5 million children who are in need
of mental health
services. Researchers also found that
the rate of unmet mental health care
was greater among
Latino than white children, and among uninsured child-
ren than insured children. To
read the abstract of the article, "Unmet Need for
Mental Health Care
Among U.S. Children: Variation by
Ethnicity and Insurance Status," go
to:
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/159/9/1548 ***************************************************
11) HOW FREE ARE WE?
***************************************************
ACLU’s "How Free Are We?" Quiz
http://www.aclu.org/Quizzes/QuizIntro.cfm?ID=4 ***************************************************
12) MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
***************************************************
Ideology of 'World Dominance' Behind Plans to Invade Iraq
http://www.greenpartyus.org/press/pr_09_27_02.html In
the 2002 Election, The Issue is Unchecked Power
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1009-09.htm More
Anti-War Activists Snagged by "No Fly" List
http://www.progressive.org/webex/wxmc101602.html Western
Consumer Demand Fuels Resource Wars in Poor Nations
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1019-01.htm Number
of People Living in Poverty Increases in U.S.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/25/national/25POVE.html German
Greens Start to Reap Poll Rewards
http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,799086,00.html AIDS
Activists Mobilize against Coca-Cola
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1017-02.htm ***************************************************
The views expressed in this newsletter are those
of the author or organization
noted and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Party
of
Ohio.
***************************************************
To join the
Green Party of Ohio, complete the form at
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/register.html.
To see the membership list of the GPO, see
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/.
***************************************************
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***************************************************
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weekly (with some
exceptions) to keep you informed about events,
activities,
and news of interest to the Green Party
of Ohio -- http://www.ohiogreens.org. We
invite you to review our party Web site
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the form at:
http://www.ohiogreens.org/newsletter/register.html. Copyright
© 2002, Green Party of Ohio.
All rights reserved.
Paid for by the
Green Party of Ohio PAC (OH1066)
Gina Ficociello, Treasurer
1427 Northstar
Rd., Columbus OH 43212
Contributions to the Green Party of Ohio are not
deductible for federal tax purposes. This newsletter
is not authorized by
any candidate or candidate
authorized committee. ***************************************************
Green Party of Ohio
PO Box 851, Kent OH 44240
Email: secretary@ohiogreens.org
Web: http://www.ohiogreens.org
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