On Tuesday, we notified our membership of two town hall meetings that were scheduled next week hosted by Representative David Schweikert. We have a membership of over 35,000 retirees in Arizona, and they’re not happy about Schweikert’s plan to privatize Medicare. Today, we received notice from Mr. Schweikert’s office that he had canceled both town halls due to “a scheduling conflict” while also making the time to attend a fundraiser in the same week. Yes, that's right, he has time to raise money but no time to listen to constituents. Apparently we need to spend $100 to have a chance to speak with him next week.
We are disappointed that Mr. Schweikert could not make the time to meet in a public setting with constituents, but we are not surprised.
People want to lower the federal budget deficit, but in this case the House GOP leadership led their flock way too far to the edge of the cliff. These House GOP members went too far – and grassroots activists blew the whistle on them. They didn’t want us to notice what they did, but we were watching them, educated our neighbors, and took action.
What’s happening in AZ is happening all around the country – it is a common-sense reaction to an extreme plan. Folks are having a hard enough time getting by as it is, and then along comes Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, and the GOP leadership, with a plan that would actually make things much, much worse. Rep. Schweikert voted “YES” on this plan, and now it is time for him to hear from his constituents.
The Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans is a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing over 35,000 retirees in Arizona. For more information: www.ArizonaRetiredAmericans.org Follow us on Facebook & Twitter: AZRetiredAms