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MISSOURI MONDAY-DISABLED TO THE RESCUE! Imagine the struggle a paralyzed person has to go through, just to get out of bed. My son Roman Reed is paralyzed, a quadriplegic. And maybe he can't close his fingers, and maybe his legs don't work. But nothing on earth will stop him from voting tomorrow. And if he lived in Missouri, he would be bringing every wheelchair-driving friend who could fit into his van. I propose that today, November 6, 2006, be called MISSOURI MONDAY, dedicated to citizens with disabilities all across America, but particularly in the "Show Me" state of Missouri, where disability advocate Claire McCaskill is fighting the most uphill battle in America. Against her is a campaign with a mountain of money to spend, a budget described as "limitless", someone who is flooding the state's airwaves with expensive cunning ads. President Bush wants to defeat Claire McCaskill so badly he has come himself to Missouri five times in the campaign-he did not have time to visit much before then, but during election season he comes so often he seems to considering a change in address! The last I heard, the opposition had $4,200,000-4.2 million cash on hand-and McCaskill's campaign had about 1/32 that much. (Literally, only about $225,000!) They can afford to send limousines to pick up voters and transport them to the polls. And on Claire's side? If a person is judged by the company she keeps, look at McCaskill's campaign workers. Almost entirely volunteers, McCaskill's people work for free because they care about Claire, enduring sleepless nights, earaches from too many hours on the phone, and stomachs aching with junk food shoved down hurriedly. Their feet are blistered from walking door to door, and it is an act of will just to put one foot in front of the other. But they know who Claire McCaskill is, and why her election matters, to Missouri, and to America. Her candidacy itself is excellent beyond question. She is strong on health care, and on issues of poverty, unemployment, insurance, and wheelchair access. She knows that many Missourians require better care right now. She is also not afraid to look ahead, toward the future of cure. She has supported stem cell research from the very beginning-unlike her opponent, "Mr. Timidity" Jim Talent, who ducked and dodged and hid from revealing his position publicly-- while behind the scenes he voted against it again and again. In a straight-up fight between her and her Republican opponent, there would be no contest. But that mountain of campaign cash-all those ads! Surely that is an insurmountable advantage? But Claire McCaskill has 900,000 friends whom money cannot buy: Missouri citizens with disabilities. If they make it to the polls, a huge upset is in the making. They know Claire McCaskill supports the legitimate concerns of the disabled community. As the father of a paralyzed son, I urge every Missourian with a disability to regard the voting booths as your personal source of political power. My son Roman drives a wheelchair. He cannot close his fingers, or move his legs. But he will vote tomorrow. And so, I hope, will every one of Missouri's 900,000 voters with a disability. I suggest we give America an early Christmas present, and elect a Senator from the great state of Missouri, who is not afraid to take a stand. As Roman puts it, "take a stand with us-take a stand-so one day, everybody can." And as literature's most famous citizen with a disability, Tiny Tim in Dickens' Christmas Carol, once observed: "God bless us, every one!" P.S. If you want to know where Claire McCaskill stands on disability issues, here she is. Claire McCaskill: A Champion for the Disabled Community Throughout the campaign I've stressed the importance of access to health care, education and well-paying jobs in order to increase the quality of life for all Missourians. I would like to address those issues as they particularly apply to my friends in the disability community. I have a record of supporting disability rights. As a State Representative in the mid 1980's, I supported the creation and funding of consumer-directed personal assistance services and Centers for Independent Living. Both of these of these programs keep people with disabilities out of institutions so they live independently and productively in their communities. Health Care: I support the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act (MiCASSA). I believe that the MiCASSA program offers a flexible, beneficial and fair choice to individuals with disabilities. Flexibility is extremely important, and a rigid system will create inequalities and injustices. For that reason, I support empowering people to make decisions that are best for them and their individual needs. The Bush Administration's "block grant" proposal to cap federal Medicaid spending is yet another sad example of this administration's aggressive campaign to weaken the Medicaid program. I am strongly opposed to cutting Medicaid. The Republican healthcare plan can be summed up in two words: cut Medicaid. Their plan has failed. America is approaching a healthcare crisis, and my opponent supports punitive cuts that have kicked nearly 90,000 Missourians off of Medicaid. In truth, there are many ways to make sure that Medicaid remains solvent and is allowed to do the greatest good for the largest number of people. I oppose the Medicaid block grants because they will not improve the quality of healthcare in America. Education: The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) one-size-fits-all laws are damaging our schools, and hurting our Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) students. Since the time of its implementation, the core principles that led to the IDEA legislation have been whittled away. Now, there is little doubt that students with disabilities are not receiving the support they deserve from our public schools. I do not think that a voucher program will provide long-term improvement, but I believe that the U.S. needs to rethink its education policies. Our current one-size-fits-all framework is unacceptable, and students across the country, with and without disabilities, are not receiving the quality education they deserve. I support full implementation of the federal government's promise to pay 40% of the funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. As an auditor and a former prosecutor, I believe in holding government accountable to the people and believe that by doing so, we can preserve the important bond of trust between citizens and government. I do not believe the government should burden state governments with unfunded mandates. Sadly, we have not held the federal government accountable for its failure to fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Access to Jobs: I will support legislation that restores civil rights protections for disabled individuals. The Americans with Disabilities Act ushered in a new age of equality for disabled individuals. However, irresponsible legislation and unwatchful custodians of our rights in Washington have and will erode the ground we have already covered. I will strongly support legislation to restore lost rights, and I will vehemently oppose any weakening in civil rights or liberties. I will be a champion of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Washington. I also support the Ticket to Work provisions, such as the Medicaid buy-in for workers with disabilities, that remove disincentives to work. The loss of health care is a barrier to work. People with disabilities should be able to return to work and keep the health care and personal attendant services they need to go to work. The recent elimination of the buy-in program in Missouri was morally wrong. As a U.S. Senator, I will vote to fund public health care programs that support independence and will not support legislation that cuts people off of the health care and equipment they need. Housing: I will oppose turning Section 8 vouchers into block grants, and I will support increased funding for HUD. I believe that flexibility and choice are crucial elements to housing for individuals with disabilities. I will defend the HUD voucher programs to make sure that our disabled folks get the housing they need. I believe that housing vouchers are moderately successful, but I am more interested in a long-term solution to the shortage of available housing for disabled people. We need to do something about affordable housing before it gets to the point that a person has to wait in a long line while living on the streets. To start, we need more permanent affordable housing so that a greater number of people can afford to stay off the streets. Transportation: Accessible, affordable public transportation is important for everybody. Both economically and environmentally, I believe that a good public transportation system offers many benefits to Missouri's communities. Rural areas have a lack of public transit, and I don't think that's going to change unless people in Washington who really understand the problem begin to do something about it. I know that there are other issues that impact the lives of people with disabilities. I look forward to working with you to fight for legislation that integrates people with disabilities into the social and economic mainstream of our country." . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn