HowiesScratchPad

American citizens having an identity crisis.

2012-02-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Wed, 02/01/2012 - 9:28am

An government elected by misinformed voters chose to seek approval from wealthy business people over the citizens who elected them and this is the tax code they offered them for that approval. Romney is not an evil guy for following the tax code that exists. He would be a stupid guy if he didn't We are evil stupid citizens for allowing it to exist. We are evil stupid citizens who continue to elect political prostitutes who slowly destroy us as a nation buy giving the fruits of our labor planted and nurtured with our blood sweat and tears to wealthy money handlers that produce nothing but fees and tax sheltered profits for them selves while shipping our futures to foreign lands for citizens we can not evan communicate with to enjoy. Romney is not the bad guy here. We are.

quote for reflection

2012-01-28T10:03:00.001-08:00

The first was from John F. Kennedy:
“Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed. And no Republic can survive.”

quality health care for all generations

2012-01-28T08:47:00.001-08:00

Americans have waited long enough for health care to be fixed. Everyone – individuals, businesses, health professionals and government – has a stake in improving access to affordable, quality health care for all generations. Now it’s up to our elected leaders to get the job done. It’s time to fix this broken system.
Re-printed compliments of Imara Woman Magazine, Columbia, S.C.

Get a Geriatric Authority in Malden Ma

2012-01-24T12:05:00.001-08:00

A recent article from the U.S. News: Money blog discusses the growing recognition of the aging-in-place movement, along with all the roadblocks it’s enduring as most cities and metropolitan areas aren’t designed with seniors in mind.
Although it’s been common for seniors to move to warmer regions when they retire, trailing home values that are some $7 trillion below their peak, according to U.S. News, may be a factor in why interstate migration has “just about ground to a halt.”

“Why accept a depressing reality when it can be turned into a positive marketing and lifestyle mantra? So it is with aging in place. Seniors are told that they can save money by staying in their homes, while also retaining priceless relationships with nearby family and friends. They can age in familiar surroundings, and thus may be able to avoid moving to a nursing home or assisted living facility. If finances are challenging, there is always a reverse mortgage that can provide needed funds and permit seniors to stay in their homes.”

The article goes on to explore ideas that promote aging in place involving land use, transportation, and housing, and what some states are doing to support the movement.
Read the U.S. News: Money blog post, “Great Ideas for Senior-Friendly Communities,” here.

Transistion in Malden Ma

2012-01-23T11:37:00.001-08:00

The biggest issue on the current adgenda is the MBTA plan to cut services and raises to fares throughout the system. The plan proposed for Malden will undermine the "Vision for Malden" transportation plan which was Citizen taxpayer priority. Now is the time for all to show up at the public hearings being held snd express your thoughts. Mass Senior Action is holding a workshop on what should be done to make Seniors in the fore front on
ths issue. INTERESTED Meeting at Malden Senior Center January 25 1;30PM

CITY COUNCIL MALDEN MASSACHUSETTS

2012-01-21T13:46:00.001-08:00

The Malden City Council is the legislative branch of Malden government and consists of eleven elected members, one elected from each of the eight wards (Ward Councillors) and three elected city-wide (Councillors-at-Large). All terms of office are two years. Each year the Council selects one of its members to serve as Council President. The Council President presides over the weekly Council meetings, decides committee assignments and assures that information and Council discussion is received and takes place in a fair and democratic way. The Council establishes its own rules, which are governed by the Roberts Rules of Order.

City Council meetings are held every Tuesday in the Herbert L. Jackson Council Chamber at Malden Government Center. Every week is committee night where specific topics are discussed in the committee where the item is assigned.

The Council meets the first Tuesday after Labor Day and continues through the adoption of the City budget, June 30^th. The Council will recess for the summer but can be called back into session by the Council President.

The Council makes laws (ordinances), approves the City budget, answers citizen questions and addresses citizens' concerns.

What Does It Mean to Be a Good Leader?

2012-01-21T13:15:00.001-08:00

January 2012
No brand, no matter how good the products, services, or messaging it represents, can ultimately succeed in the absence of good management leadership.
Two primary schools of thought about leaders seem to prevail. One is that leaders are born, not made; that they are anointed from on high, or somehow are genetically programmed to go to the head of the line to lead the rest of us.
The other school of thought says that through instruction and mentoring, leadership skills can be taught, if not to everyone, at least to many people.
The bottom line is that those who find themselves in leadership positions, regardless of whether or not leadership was bestowed on them as a natural birthright or they came upon it as an acquired skill—or simply by accident—must manifest certain leadership skills if they hope to succeed.
And the most essential leadership skill I can think of is the importance of creating healthy environments in which the people a leader is responsible for leading can feel safe, creative, productive, and appreciated.
The fact is that no one exists in a vacuum. We are all acted on by—and react to—the environments in which we live, play, and work. These environments may either be conducive to our living, playing, and working our best—or not.
It follows, therefore, that one of the responsibilities of a good leader is to ensure that the people he or she leads are responding to the best possible environments that the leader can create.

Some Thoughts for Getting There

Put organizational goals in perspective. Hyper-focusing on organization goals most often results in that old fallback position that the end justifies the means. This leadership model almost always leads to a management structure and corporate culture that erroneously perceives workers as dispensable tools for achieving business objectives instead of the indispensable employees they truly are for helping achieve overall organizational objectives.
Leadership is a contact sport. Good leaders don't hole themselves up in ivory towers. Neither do they lead by being in front of their people. Good leaders lead by working beside their people, letting them know the valuable role each plays in achieving the company's mission and that "we're all working together as a team to achieve our common goals."
Don't confuse charisma with leadership. There are many charismatic personalities who have an innate ability to draw people to them but have nowhere to lead them. You can fool people only so long with a pretty face or glib talk. Instead, start by asking: "Where am I capable of taking this organization? How do I propose getting there? Is that place the right destination for this organization? If so, am I creating the kind of workplace environment that will get us there?"
Don't confuse power with leadership. Just because you can tell people what to do doesn't mean you're leading them. It could mean that they are doing what you tell them to do out of fear of reprisal, which is a push-pull mechanism that may work in the short term but over the long haul inevitably leads to a dispirited, lifeless, and often disgruntled and unproductive workforce.
Thank you is the most undervalued expression in the English language. Many leaders view kindness as a weakness, even in themselves. They think that thanking others for what they have done is somehow beneath them.
On the contrary, thank you is an essential expression of gratitude when it comes to acknowledging someone for what they've done. It bespeaks respect for the person as well as the value you place on what they've accomplished. A sincere, heart-felt thank you is a small investment that can return huge dividends for those who lead—as well as those who are being led.

Parking and Transportation

2012-01-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

Why their is a need for parking and transportation to assure full
utiliization of the Senior Center a/k/a John &Christina Markey Malden
Senior Community Center
and the use for Federal Funds allotted for the pupose!!!

.Nearly every community has a senior center, but most people do not
think much about it until they realize one day that they are old
enough to attend. The benefits associated with senior centers are
significant in the lives of older people and those who care about
them.
Social Needs
We never outgrow the need for a social life. This desire doesn't fade
as we grow older. In fact, some elderly people become lonely after the
passing of a spouse, less frequent visits from family and the physical
limitations that may prevent getting out on a regular basis. Senior
centers provide a diverse group of peers to spend time with.
Entertaining Activities
Senior centers regularly schedule activities geared toward their
clientele. From bingo night to potluck dinners to live entertainment,
the senior center is often a favorite place for senior citizens to
find entertainment. These activities keep them active, which promotes
their mental and physical well-being.
Promoting Independence
Senior centers givie older people a renewed sense of independence.
With a full schedule of social activities and friends to meet at the
center, the elderly feel like they are doing their own thing. When
seniors rely on their families for all of their transportation and
human contact, it can make them feel dependent and unhappy. Many
senior centers provide free transportation for seniors to and from
their homes so that they can come and go as they please, furthering
the feeling of independence and freedom.
Health Screening
Senior centers regularly schedule health screenings and make flu shots
and other treatment available. This convenient option encourages
seniors to get checked for health problems without making additional
appointments with doctors, and they get to do it in a place they want
to go anyway. These screenings and treatments benefit seniors by
providing early detection of health problems and increasing their
chances for longevity.
--
Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior

real estate investment trusts

2012-01-13T08:55:00.001-08:00

There’s been a growing spotlight on medical-related real estate in the past couple of years, especially considering the activity of real estate investment trusts (REITs) who took the healthcare industry by storm with mega million- and even billion-dollar deals. While most of those deals were for skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities, medical office ...

Senior Transportation and Mobiliy Act

2012-01-12T08:27:00.001-08:00

S. 1942) contains a series of improvements that would:

Give states added flexibility to utilize their federal funds.
Expand program transparency through new reporting standards.
Enhance the planning and coordination process.
Provide technical assistance and seed grants to innovative community programs.
Establish a mobility management program for older adults and people with disabilities.

Research shows communities across the nation are ill-prepared to provide adequate transportation choices for the growing population of older adults. Yet, transportation is key to seniors' health and well-being. Consider these facts:

More than one in five individuals aged 65 and older no longer drives due to health or other reasons.
Over half who don’t drive as a result of health issues—3.6 million—stay home because of lack of transportation options.
Compared to other older drivers, non-drivers make 15% fewer trips to the doctor, 59% fewer shopping trips and visits to restaurants, and 65% fewer trips for social, family, and religious activities.
Seniors without transportation options are at increased risk of isolation and institutionalization.

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee is expected to take up federal transportation legislation soon, possibly as early as Dec. 15. It's critical that S. 1942 gains the bipartisan support of Committee members in order to have a chance of being included in the Committee’s reauthorization legislation.

home sharing programs

2012-01-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

Home Sharing Programs Work to Postpone Long-Term Care for Seniors

eecker | January 11, 2012 | Comments (0)

In an effort to help older Americans stay in their homes rather than move into long term care facilities, home sharing programs are continuing to help seniors age in place rather than enter long term care facilities such as assisted living communities or continuing care facilities—provided they do not need regular medical care.
While home sharing is available to homeowners of all ages through many programs that facilitate it across the U.S., providers say it is popular among seniors and continues to provide an option for them to say at home.
“We definitely have seen an uptick in interest from the home providers from when the surge began in 2008, which makes sense,” says Rebecca Sheppard, director of home sharing at Baltimore-based St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center. “Demographically, our homeowners have often been in the 50-plus category. Largely our program appeals to 50-plus single females living alone.”
Through homesharing programs like the one Sheppard runs, seniors and other homeowners can be matched up with others in their area who are looking for an affordable place to live in exchange for duties that they can provide around the house—yard work, errands, cleaning and other tasks, as long as no medical care is needed. The homeowner often charges a modest rent, which he or she may or may not claim as a source of income.
The home sharing organizations will conduct background checks and will screen applicants and determine when there is a “match” between a homeowner and a home-seeker. They then advise the homeowner to seek the advise of an accounted or lawyer on the details of the arrangement when it comes to rental income and the exchange of money.
Home sharing arrangements can last months or years, depending on the needs of the senior homeowner.
“The whole goal is to help seniors remain in their homes as long as possible,” says Ryan Cowmeadow at the Housing Bureau for Seniors at the University of Michigan Health System, which runs a home sharing program that currently has 50 home sharing agreements in place. “The need is greater now for homeowners, with the change in the economy.”
The longest standing home sharing arrangement in Cowmeadow’s program is 14 years—and counting—but it depends on what the homeowners’ needs are.
“They may only have a year left in their home, but this can help improve their quality of life for that time,” he says.
Written by Elizabeth Ecker

Top 10 Scams Targeting Seniors

2012-01-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

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Enhance Economic Security

Resources

For Professionals

For Older Adults and Caregivers

For Advocates

In Partnership With:

Savvy Saving SeniorsOur toolkit gives older adults tips and techniques to better budget their money.

Financial scams targeting seniors have become so prevalent that they’re now considered “the crime of the 21st century.”

Why? Because seniors are thought to have a significant amount of money sitting in their accounts.
Financial scams also often go unreported or can be difficult to prosecute, so they’re considered a “low-risk” crime. However, they're devastating to many older adults and can leave them in a very vulnerable position with little time to recoup their losses.
It’s not just wealthy seniors who are targeted. Low-income older adults are also at risk of financial abuse.
And it's not always strangers who perpetrate these crimes. Over 90% of all reported elder abuse is committed by an older person’s own family members, most often their adult children, followed by grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and others.
Review our list below, so you can identify a potential scam.

1. Health Care/Medicare/Health Insurance Fraud

Every U.S. citizen or permanent resident over age 65 qualifies for Medicare, so there is rarely any need for a scam artist to research what private health insurance company older people have in order to scam them out of some money.
In these types of scams, perpetrators may pose as a Medicare representative to get older people to give them their personal information, or they will provide bogus services for elderly people at makeshift mobile clinics, then use the personal information they provide to bill Medicare and pocket the money.

2. Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

Most commonly, counterfeit drug scams operate on the Internet, where seniors increasingly go to find better prices on specialized medications.
This scam is growing in popularity—since 2000, the FDA has investigated an average of 20 such cases per year, up from five a year in the 1990s.
The danger is that besides paying money for something that will not help a person’s medical condition, victims may purchase unsafe substances that can inflict even more harm. This scam can be as hard on the body as it is on the wallet.

3. Funeral & Cemetery Scams

The FBI warns about two types of funeral and cemetery fraud perpetrated on seniors.
In one approach, scammers read obituaries and call or attend the funeral service of a complete stranger to take advantage of the grieving widow or widower. Claiming the deceased had an outstanding debt with them, scammers will try to extort money from relatives to settle the fake debts.
Another tactic of disreputable funeral homes is to capitalize on family members’ unfamiliarity with the considerable cost of funeral services to add unnecessary charges to the bill.
In one common scam of this type, funeral directors will insist that a casket, usually one of the most expensive parts of funeral services, is necessary even when performing a direct cremation, which can be accomplished with a cardboard casket rather than an expensive display or burial casket.

4. Fraudulent Anti-Aging Products

In a society bombarded with images of the young and beautiful, it’s not surprising that some older people feel the need to conceal their age in order to participate more fully in social circles and the workplace. After all, 60 is the new 40, right?
It is in this spirit that many older Americans seek out new treatments and medications to maintain a youthful appearance, putting them at risk of scammers.
Whether it’s fake Botox like the one in Arizona that netted its distributors (who were convicted and jailed in 2006) $1.5 million in barely a year, or completely bogus homeopathic remedies that do absolutely nothing, there is money in the anti-aging business.
Botox scams are particularly unsettling, as renegade labs creating versions of the real thing may still be working with the root ingredient, botulism neurotoxin, which is one of the most toxic substances known to science. A bad batch can have health consequences far beyond wrinkles or drooping neck muscles.

5. Telemarketing

Perhaps the most common scheme is when scammers use fake telemarketing calls to prey on older people, who as a group make twice as many purchases over the phone than the national average.
While the image of the lonely senior citizen with nobody to talk to may have something to do with this, it is far more likely that older people are more familiar with shopping over the phone, and therefore might not be fully aware of the risk.
With no face-to-face interaction, and no paper trail, these scams are incredibly hard to trace. Also, once a successful deal has been made, the buyer’s name is then shared with similar schemers looking for easy targets, sometimes defrauding the same person repeatedly.
Examples of telemarketing fraud include:

“The Pigeon Drop”

The con artist tells the individual that he/she has found a large sum of money and is willing to split it if the person will make a “good faith” payment by withdrawing funds from his/her bank account. Often, a second con artist is involved, posing as a lawyer, banker, or some other trustworthy stranger.

“The Fake Accident Ploy”

The con artist gets the victim to wire or send money on the pretext that the person’s child or another relative is in the hospital and needs the money.

“Charity Scams”

Money is solicited for fake charities. This often occurs after natural disasters.

6. Internet Fraud

While using the Internet is a great skill at any age, the slower speed of adoption among some older people makes them easier targets for automated Internet scams that are ubiquitous on the web and email programs.
Pop-up browser windows simulating virus-scanning software will fool victims into either downloading a fake anti-virus program (at a substantial cost) or an actual virus that will open up whatever information is on the user’s computer to scammers.
Their unfamiliarity with the less visible aspects of browsing the web (firewalls and built-in virus protection, for example) make seniors especially susceptible to such traps.
One example includes:

Email/Phishing Scams

A senior receives email messages that appear to be from a legitimate company or institution, asking them to “update” or “verify” their personal information. A senior receives emails that appear to be from the IRS about a tax refund.

7. Investment Schemes

Because many seniors find themselves planning for retirement and managing their savings once they finish working, a number of investment schemes have been targeted at seniors looking to safeguard their cash for their later years.
From pyramid schemes like Bernie Madoff’s (which counted a number of senior citizens among its victims) to fables of a Nigerian prince looking for a partner to claim inheritance money to complex financial products that many economists don’t even understand, investment schemes have long been a successful way to take advantage of older people.

8. Homeowner/Reverse Mortgage Scams

Scammers like to take advantage of the fact that many people above a certain age own their homes, a valuable asset that increases the potential dollar value of a certain scam.
A particularly elaborate property tax scam in San Diego saw fraudsters sending personalized letters to different properties apparently on behalf of the County Assessor’s Office. The letter, made to look official but displaying only public information, would identify the property’s assessed value and offer the homeowner, for a fee of course, to arrange for a reassessment of the property’s value and therefore the tax burden associated with it.
Closely related, the reverse mortgage scam has mushroomed in recent years. With legitimate reverse mortgages increasing in frequency more than 1,300% between 1999 and 2008, scammers are taking advantage of this new popularity.
As opposed to official refinancing schemes, however, unsecured reverse mortgages can lead property owners to lose their homes when the perpetrators offer money or a free house somewhere else in exchange for the title to the property.

9. Sweepstakes & Lottery Scams

This simple scam is one that many are familiar with, and it capitalizes on the notion that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Here, scammers inform their mark that they have won a lottery or sweepstakes of some kind and need to make some sort of payment to unlock the supposed prize. Often, seniors will be sent a check that they can deposit in their bank account, knowing that while it shows up in their account immediately, it will take a few days before the (fake) check is rejected.
During that time, the criminals will quickly collect money for supposed fees or taxes on the prize, which they pocket while the victim has the “prize money” removed from his or her account as soon as the check bounces.

10. The Grandparent Scam

The Grandparent Scam is so simple and so devious because it uses one of older adults’ most reliable assets, their hearts.
Scammers will place a call to an older person and when the mark picks up, they will say something along the lines of: “Hi Grandma, do you know who this is?” When the unsuspecting grandparent guesses the name of the grandchild the scammer most sounds like, the scammer has established a fake identity without having done a lick of background research.
Once “in,” the fake grandchild will usually ask for money to solve some unexpected financial problem (overdue rent, payment for car repairs, etc.), to be paid via Western Union or MoneyGram, which don’t always require identification to collect.
At the same time, the scam artist will beg the grandparent “please don’t tell my parents, they would kill me.”
While the sums from such a scam are likely to be in the hundreds, the very fact that no research is needed makes this a scam that can be perpetrated over and over at very little cost to the scammer.

Senior Housing Construction Financing Starting to Increase

2012-01-11T11:59:00.001-08:00

Senior Housing Construction Financing Starting to Increase

John Yedinak | January 10, 2012 | Comments (0)

The availability for new senior housing construction is starting to increase according to Peter Kane, Managing Director of the Private Bank.
During an interview with the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry, Kane said after years of cleaning up their balance sheets and working through regulatory changes, investors are demanding improved returns from the financial sector.
“The solution is for lenders to start lending. As lenders emerge from the financial crisis of the past several years, they are looking for ways to increase their interest margin by making loans instead of holding Treasuries,” he said.
Kane added that Private Bank is seeing an increase in requests for assisted living construction projects since the barrier to entry is lower than skilled nursing.
“The lack of new supply over the last few years has been due to lenders not wanting to take on construction, fill and operating risk in the same transaction,” he said. “If there were opportunities to finance underperforming properties that were acquired by more experienced operators, those transactions were more likely to get done as the construction and the bulk of the fill risk were already behind the project.”

Asian American Civic Association (AACA) is a non-profit organization

2012-01-11T07:58:00.001-08:00

About the Asian American Civic Association:
Founded in 1962, Asian American Civic Association (AACA) is a non-profit organization based in Boston Chinatown providing a wide range of services to immigrants and other economically disadvantaged people, including English classes, social services, job training, early childhood education, a bilingual newspaper, and youth initiative for teens. For more information, please visit www.aaca-boston.org.

VOTER FIGURES

2012-01-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

Older Voters are most likely than younger ones to cast their balotts. Of those 65 or older, 92% said they plan to vote,compared with 85% of people 45 to 54 and 70% of people 18 to34
Congressioal elections typically draw less than 50% of registered voters.

LEGAL IMMIGRANTS’ HEALTH CARE

2012-01-09T09:58:00.001-08:00

COURT RULES ON LEGAL IMMIGRANTS’ HEALTH CARE A 2009 vote by the Legislature to save money by prohibiting thousands of legal immigrants from signing up for Commonwealth Care, the state’s subsidized health care program, was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Judicial Court. The Patrick Administration estimates reinstating these benefits will cost the state some $150 million per year.

diminished home value ELDERS

2012-01-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

Due to diminished home value and increased cost burden, the era of homeownership as a

hallmark of retirement security is no more. Lost home equity is a trademark of the recession, affecting many older Americans. In today’s economic climate, regardless of mortgage status,

seniors experience burdensome housing costs as a result of diminished incomes, utility expenses, property taxes, the need for home maintenance or all of these. Among the most vulnerable are

older adults at risk for delinquency or foreclosure. In sum, the recession disturbed both the wealth of older homeowners and their ability to afford basic needs

Housing living on the edge

2012-01-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

We believe that housing is at the core of building and maintaining economic security for elders.

Today more than 13 million older adults are living on the edge – with incomes less than $22,000

per year.

1 Research shows that increasing housing costs are one of the three primary contributors

of rising economic insecurity among older adults.

2 As such, ensuring that today’s seniors and future generations are able to age in place requires affordable, accessible and fair housing options. My testimony will shed light on the silent housing crisis that plagues our aging communities and undermines the economic security of low- and middle-income older Americans.

Off-Street Parking Program in Downtown Malden

2012-01-08T12:09:00.001-08:00

The Malden Redevelopment Authority administers the off-street parking program in the downtown area on behalf of the City. The parking program, which is managed by LAZ Parking Ltd., provides more than 2,600 monthly parkers and some 2,000 short-term users on a daily basis.
In addition to selling monthly and daily parking, the office also sells validation coupon books to Malden businesses interested in subsidizing their customer parking in and around the downtown area. The Parking Office, located at 54 Dartmouth St., can be reached at 781-324-2090.

Christenson Introduces New Team To the Press

2012-01-08T06:41:00.001-08:00

Malden's newly inaugurated mayor invited local press for a “meet-and-greet” session with his executive team Thursday morning, saying he “couldn't be happier with the team established here.”
New roles in the mayor's office include former school committee member and now strategy and business development officer Kevin Duffy, director of online services and communication technology Ron Cochran and two constituent services clerks who Christenson said would be the face of his office: part-time clerk Yan Yu and Ted Louis-Jacques.

Citizens United

2012-01-07T16:40:00.001-08:00

To mark the second anniversary of the Citizens United decision, we are calling on citizens, activists, organizations and lawmakers to Occupy the Courts on Friday, January 20, 2012. Americans are gathering at over 80 federal courts, including the Supreme Court, to proclaim these truths: 1) Rights recognized under the Constitution belong to human beings only, and not to artificial legal entities such as corporations, Super PACs, or labor unions; and 2) Political campaign spending is not a form of speech protected under the First Amendment

Rental Property For Forclosed Properties

2012-01-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

It can be scary when your landlord loses his or her building to foreclosure, but don't panic. This does not mean that you have to start packing up your belongings and getting ready to move.

Only a judge can evict you. You have the right to stay in your apartment until that happens and to raise defenses and claims in court against the new owner. If you lose the eviction case, you can also request up to six months (or up to 12 months if some one in your household is 60 years of age or older or has a disability) from a judge before you have to move.
Someone may offer you "cash for keys"; asking you to move out very quickly in exchange for money. That person may try to convince you that you have no choice, but that isn't true. You don't have to take the deal. But if you do you may be giving up your legal rights and moving much sooner than necessary.
Even if the bank sells the building with the provision that it be delivered free of tenants, that is not your problem, and does not affect your right to stay in your home and defend against eviction until a judge tells you that you must leave.
Being in a foreclosed building does not, by itself, entitle you to withhold rent. If a bank takes over and doesn't want to accept your rent, keep a record of your offer to pay.
Even if a bank takes over the building, they are still legally responsible for maintaining it. If you're having problems with repairs or services that the owner is supposed to provide (like utilities), you should contact the bank or its broker or attorney, preferably in writing, and let them know what is needed.
The new owners of the building are legally required to post their names and addresses in the building. You can also find the owner through a "Property Search "at the Registry of Deeds or at www.suffolkdeeds.com.
If you are being evicted in court, it is a good idea to seek legal assistance as soon as possible. For those who are low-income and eligible for free legal services, there are agencies that may be able to help.
If utilities that the owner was supposed to provide (like water, or common area lights, or heat or hot water) have been shut off or are threatened with shut off, let the bank or the real estate broker know. You may be able to keep service on by paying a projected bill, and can deduct these payments from any rent due.
If you have a rental subsidy, let the subsidy agency know about the change in ownership, so that they stop paying the old owner. You should have additional eviction rights because of your subsidy.
In the event that you have to move out, there are agencies that can offer you housing counseling and assistance.
Contact
Massachusetts Housing Consumer Education Centers
800-224-5124
www.masshousinginfo.org
additional information is available at T he City of Boston Rental Housing Resource Center website http://www.cityofboston.gov/rentalhousing/

Malden Reads 2012

2012-01-07T08:07:00.001-08:00

The recipe for a book group needs: 1) a place to meet; 2) a time/date to meet; 3) publicity about the meeting for prospective attendees; and 4) someone to facilitate the discussion. If you have any of these ingredients to go into the Malden Reads book discussion stewpot, we can help match them up and get you going! Email us at maldenreads@gmail.com and let us know what you'd like to do.

this year's Book Group Coordinator for Malden Reads and can be reached at jvanh2001@yahoo.com.

MALDEN MAYORS OFFICE

2012-01-07T08:02:00.001-08:00

New roles in the mayor's office include former school committee member and now strategy and business development officer Kevin Duffy, director of online services and communication technology Ron Cochran and two constituent services clerks who Christenson said would be the face of his office: part-time clerk Yan Yu and Ted Louis-Jacques.

Carol Ann Desierio will act as Christenson's executive assistant, Karen Hayes as his community outreach manager and Kathleen Manning Hall – his former campaign manager – will serve as his chief administrative officer.

2012-01-03T07:18:00.001-08:00

City Senior Centers serve as the focal point for services to seniors in the community while always striving to meet the physical, emotional and social needs of the seniors through programming and services that promote wellness, foster a sense of independence and self-worth, enhance the quality of life for all and promote a positive image of aging.

Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program

2011-12-30T12:12:00.001-08:00

Between 2006 and 2010, the demand for food from food banks grew by 23 percent in Massachusetts.

Federal aid that propped up food bank resources during the height of the recession has receded, but the demand has not, according to officials from the Greater Boston Food Bank, which feeds 545,000 people a year. Places like the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, Rosie’s Place, the Pine Street Inn, and local food pantries in dozens of communities rely on the Greater Boston Food Bank for a bulk of their supplies.

Money from the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program helps buy locally-grown produce - eggs, milk and other fresh staples. But with food prices on the rise – dairy is up 8 percent, and the average price of peanut butter has skyrocketed 30 percent, D’Amato said, “that $11.5 million doesn’t get you $11.5 million anymore.”

The Greater Boston Food Bank serves approximately 550 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in eastern Massachusetts.

Pedestrian Safety

2011-12-21T08:34:00.000-08:00

•
Although adults age 65 and older comprised less than 13 percent of the population in 2008, they were involved in 15 percent of vehicle fatalities and 19 percent of pedestrian fatalities. An older vehicle occupant is 18 percent more likely to die in a crash than someone under age 65. A more staggering statistic reveals that an older pedestrian is 61 percent more likely to die when hit by a motor vehicle than a younger one. The unique vulnerability of pedestrians and bicyclists on the road has inspired some state legislatures to pass laws designating pedestrians and bicyclists as “vulnerable users.” In the past five years, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont have considered “vulnerable users” laws

Access to health care “a basic human right

2011-12-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

Signs everywhere that hospital systems, specialty medical societies, patient safety programs, health insurers, employers, labor unions and various states are already taking steps to improve the quality and lower the cost of health care. There is still plenty of room for savings in a complex system where 20 percent to 30 percent of all health spending — or more than $1 trillion a year — may be “waste” that does nothing to help patients.

cola 2012

2011-12-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

3.6% cola Effective 1 DEC, starts being paid on your next check due 1 Jan 2012, probably paid on 30Dec due to holidays

Take 3.6% times the check you just got 1 Dec..

That will be the amount your next check increases..

Example 100% VA comp is $2673 times 3.6% = $96 2673 + 96 = 2769
Or $2769 next check
$2769..This the amount you will receive monthly for 2012, until next COLA is announced

1 Dec 2012 for 2013. If no COLA will be the same as 2012
They always are a month behind..earn it this month, they pay you 1st of next month
This applies to Soc sec, Mil Retiree, and VA comp

More than 49 million Americans, or 16% of the population, were living in poverty in 2010

2011-11-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

Rising poverty is a national tragedy and a brewing humanitarian crisis in America...

Which brings us to another edition of Taken to Task.
11/15/2011
The poverty figures released this week came after the U.S. Census Bureau adjusted the way in which it calculates poverty using the new Supplemental Poverty Measure. Instead of just tripling a family's minimum annual food budget, as previously, this new measure looks at how much families spend on food, shelter, clothing and utilities. You know, life's basic necessities.

Most groups saw their poverty rates increase using the new calculations, including married couples, whites, Asians, immigrants, homeowners with mortgages, those with private health insurance and the elderly. Poverty rates among those over 65 rose to 15.9% from the previously reported 9%. Poverty rates did, however, drop for Americans under the age of 18, African Americans, renters and people living in rural areas.

stronger-than-anticipated revenue from capital gains taxes to build a surplus

2011-11-05T13:50:00.001-07:00

Massachusetts has benefited from stronger-than-anticipated revenue from capital gains taxes to build a surplus of just more than 1 percent of its general fund budget. It used nearly three-quarters of the $460 million surplus to replenish the state's reserve fund, while directing other surplus money to cities and towns recovering from deadly tornadoes in June, state courts and to provide modest raises to social service workers.

http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/

2011-10-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Every Veteran should apply for VA health care..if you are eligible VA will get you an ID card
Which will get your discounts at many businesses including Home Depot, Lowes, and many
Other places especially around memorial Day and/or Veteran’s day

A 10 % discount on a new Fridge, lawn mower, BBQ grill etc can be worth it
If not near a VA Med Cen, Clinic, office etc, a local county vet service officer can help you fill out form or do it on-line

http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/

http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/eligibility/DetermineEligibility.asp

People are totally ready to get behind (Obama

2011-10-04T16:54:00.001-07:00

After Obama's election, many Democrats said they falsely assumed that winning the White House would help them pass an agenda that would assist middle-class families. Instead, they were dismayed when Obama ditched a proposed "public option" for a government insurance plan from the health care overhaul and cringed when he cut a deal with Republicans to extend Bush-era tax cuts.

During the summer, the left argued that Obama gave up too much in spending cuts during the debt-ceiling fight and couldn't force Republicans to accept higher taxes on the wealthy in return.

"People are totally ready to get behind (Obama), but I think what they're not ready to give anybody is the benefit of the doubt that if we win an election and we all go home, things are going to change," said Andy Stern, the former president of the Service Employees International Union. "That was probably the theory of the Obama election and taking over the House by the Democrats and the Senate as well. I think it was a failed strategy."

So liberal organizations have tried to build a movement, holding hundreds of house meetings across the country and staging protests at town hall meetings held by Republican lawmakers — a tactic that tea party activists used to build opposition to Obama's health care plan.

Conference speakers said Obama's jobs bill could act as a turning point, a sign that the president is taking a more aggressive push to revive the economy and standing firm against deep cuts to Medicare and Social Security. The president has barnstormed the country, rallying support for the $447 billion plan for tax cuts and public works spending to stimulate the economy.

While the plan is unlikely to pass Congress in its entirety, the White House believes Obama's populist approach will build support among the public. And liberals think they've already moved the president.

"Why is the White House talking different? The White House is talking different because we are walking different," said Van Jones, a former Obama policy adviser who helped organize the conference.

Liberals took close note of Obama's discussion of deficit reduction measures and were pleased that he did not seek a gradual increase in the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67. Last summer, Obama had agreed to the age increase in negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner before the talks fell apart. Many Democrats objected to the age increases, arguing it would undercut their criticisms of a Republican plan that would overhaul Medicare.

On Social Security, Democrats have railed against plans by Republican presidential hopefuls to partially privatize the retirement system, letting younger workers divert part of their payroll taxes into a personal account to be invested outside of Social Security.

Obama does not face a primary challenge, and Republicans have little chance of picking up support from hard-core Democrats next year. But Obama needs liberals to knock on doors, staff phone banks and register voters — must-do jobs for any candidate's base. Dissatisfied liberals could also stay home on Election Day or refuse to donate money to Obama's campaign.

There are signs of an enthusiasm gap. A recent survey by Gallup found that 45 percent of Democrats said they were more enthusiastic about the 2012 presidential election than they had been in past elections, while 44 percent said they were less enthusiastic. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans, meanwhile, said they were more enthusiastic about 2012 than in past elections, and 30 percent were less enthusiastic.

Gallup said the enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans was the largest it has measured since 2000.

Many hope the American Dream movement can generate enthusiasm for Obama next year.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., told attendees at one session that many of her supporters appeared "beaten down" by the status of the economy and Obama's standing among voters but said liberals needed to bring energy to next year's election.

"We have to set people's hair on fire about what America would look like if Republicans get their way," she said.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Additional Links:

Markey, Delegation: Massachusetts Earns $56 Million to Aid Homeless

2011-07-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Jan 19, 2011:

BOSTON – Representative Edward J. Markey (d-Malden), along with Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, and Representatives John Olver, Jim McGovern, Niki Tsongas, and Richard Neal, today announced that Massachusetts will receive $56,550,634 to provide housing and services to the homeless throughout the state.

The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program, will provide transitional, rental, and permanent housing as well as a host of services to help homeless individuals and families move towards self-sufficiency and permanent housing.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cuts on the table

2011-07-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

Obama offered to put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cuts on the table in exchange for a tax hike of roughly $100 billion per year over 10 years. Meanwhile, government spending would be cut by roughly three times that amount. It's no small irony that the party's dogmatic opposition to tax increases is costing the GOP its best opportunity to roll back social programs it has long targeted.

Visit to the Malden Senior Commuity Center

2011-07-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey, Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard, and Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard t. Leone Jr. addressed the crowd at the Malden Senior Center, according to a statement by Leone's office.

"Our seniors are the most deserving population and we have an obligation to help combat those crimes that specifically target them," said Leone in a statement. According to his office, instances of elder abuse has risen 15 percent in the last two years.

Markey committed his support to programs that members of the "greatest generation" now depend on, he said.

"After working to build this nation, we owe it to them to fight for the programs on which they rely -- Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security," the Malden Democrat said in a statement.

Bank Branch closing in Massachusetts

2011-07-05T04:59:00.000-07:00

Advocates for the poor also worry that lower-income neighborhoods will feel the brunt of branch closings, forc ing more residents to turn to payday lenders, check cashing services, and other institutions that typically charge higher fees.

“Residents of those neighborhoods will be paying much more to cash their checks, to get loans, and to do their business,’’ said Jesse Van Tol, a spokesman for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a Washington advocacy group. “It’s a trend that threatens to create a dual banking system in America: one for the wealthy and one for everybody else.’’

Bell Rock Memorial Park

2011-06-29T07:12:00.001-07:00

Bell Rock Memorial Park
Park since 1905, this site commemorates Malden's veterans atop Bell Rock upon which Malden's first settlers erected a church bell hung in a frame for 30 years to call colonial worshippers. First Meeting House stood on west side of rock 1649-1658 and Second Meeting House stood here 1660-1730. Park includes "The Flag Defenders" monument by Bela Pratt in tribute to soldiers and sailors of the Civil War. Also found are tablets memorializing Malden veterans of Revolutionary, Spanish American and First World Wars. An arch dedicated to Veterans of World War II has been restored and additional panels are being added to memorialize some 8,100 residents from across the City who served their country during this War.. The new World War II memorial will be unveiled and dedicated on June 26, 2010. Site laid out by noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York's Central Park and Boston's Emerald Necklace chain of parks. Bell Rock Memorial Park was named to the National Register of Historic Places in February, 2001.

Medicare and Social Security benefits

2011-06-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

American seniors have earned their Medicare and Social Security benefits by working hard for decades. But those benefits are at risk: Congress is considering harmful cuts to both Medicare and Social Security. Instead of cutting the benefits seniors have earned, Congress should cut wasteful spending, close tax loopholes and hold down health care costs.

contoling Health Costs

2011-06-26T07:03:00.001-07:00

, “if controlling the cost of health care fails, what is Plan B?”

I would suggest that Plan B should be to examine how other advanced democracies have managed to provide health care coverage to all, while spending less of their gross domestic product on health care than we do in the United States.

No one should say that controlling health costs may be futile when so many countries have already done so through various combinations of competitive forces and government regulatory action. And while the United States leaves millions of people uninsured, these countries provide coverage for all.

Craig Ramsay

Columbus, Ohio, June 19

The writer is a professor of politics and government at Ohio Wesleyan University.

SINCE COMING UP SHORTLY MANDATORY FOR SENIORS

2011-06-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

How to Get a Social Security Debit Card
Print this article

In the past, the Federal government mailed checks to recipients of
Social Security benefits, Social Security Supplemental income and
other types of Federal checks to the home address of the recipient.
Advances in the banking industry recently allowed those who received
checks to have the funds directly deposited in their accounts. The
Social Security has now introduced a debit card available to those
that don't have a bank account.
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
1

Decide if you are eligible. The program is for those individuals who
receive government benefit checks from the Social Security
Administration but who don't have a bank account. Those that have bank
accounts have the option to elect direct deposit of their monthly
check into their bank accounts.

2

Determine if you are willing to accept the limitations of the program.
The debit card program is a special account set up for you to hold
your Social Security benefits. This account has a debit card issued to
the owner of the account that allows the owner to make withdrawals at
ATM machines and use the card at point of sale locations to purchase
all kinds of items. There are fees associated with the use of the
card. The owner can withdraw funds free once per month. Any further
withdrawals will be billed per transaction. The card may give you
quicker access to your money but will also cost you to use it more
than once a month.

3

Call the local Social Security office to request your card if you can
live with the limitations. Ask to sign up for the Benefit Security
Card program. They can process the request to have a card issued in
your name and sent to you. After the issuance of the card, direct
deposit will transfer your funds to the card's account at the bank
overseeing this program.

.

Read more: How to Get a Social Security Debit Card | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_2273568_get-social-security-debit-card.html#ixzz1QJzLRXi9--
Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior

DEDUCTION FOR SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE

2011-06-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

WHERE DOES THE SAVINGS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After you have discovered what each of the deductions stands for you can start to understand how they were deducted and why.FICA is one possible code for Social Security. It is really meant to encompass Social Security and Medicare, but most payrolls put it as the abbreviation for just the Social Security part.Both Medicare and Social Security together make up a 7.65 percent deduction in Gross pay. S.S. is 6.2 percent and Medicare is 1.45 percent.

Read more: How to Understand Payroll Deductions | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4558005_understand-payroll-deductions.html#ixzz1QJxcOsqM

COLA TREND UPWARD MAY 2011

2011-06-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

older adults have suffered financially by the lack of a COLA for the last two years. Prices for goods and services may not have gone up during that time, but out-of-pocket health care costs on which older adults spend much of their income continue to soar.

COLA TREND UPWARD MAY 2011

2011-06-24T11:57:00.001-07:00

According to the Military Officers Association of America, the national inflation rate continued trending upward in May. This makes it nine straight months that the Consumer Price Index has ticked upward. This is important for military retirees, and those drawing VA benefits and Social Security, because the CPI is the indicator used to determine the annual cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) and adjustments to VA Disability and Compensation,Vets Pension, and other VA rates for the following year.

Read more: http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/06/retiree-cola-watch-june-update/#ixzz1QDmUEm8V
MilitaryAdvantage.Military.com

National Grid Site

2011-06-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

Urban renewal plans are a tool afforded to municipalities by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development. The plan, if approved by the state, would give the city (through the Malden Redevelopment Authority) greater control over the site and future development there. The plans require the property involved be blighted, substandard or otherwise underutilized

socia lsecurity

2011-06-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

If people would go back to the progressive income-taxation that made this country great--i.e., your tax rate rises with your wealth rate--instead of the REGRESSIVE taxation we have now--i.e, the richer you are, the less you pay in income taxes. And since the poor, rightly, pay NO income taxes--guess who foots the bill for America? Right--the Middle Class.

I'm tired of paying rich people's way. Can we PLEASE go back to the way that it used to be, before Ronnie Dearest took over in 1980 and started slashing tax rates on the rich? And Ronnie Reagan was a MISER with the rich, compared to what George W. Bush did. He gave it ALL AWAY. But then he wasn't really a President. He did nothing for this country, nothing at all. Except kill a lot of our young people, and a lot of innocent Iraqis.

Medicare Cost Control

2011-06-13T05:18:00.001-07:00

And here’s what you need to know: Medicare actually saves money — a lot of money — compared with relying on private insurance companies. And this in turn means that pushing people out of Medicare, in addition to depriving many Americans of needed care, would almost surely end up increasing total health care costs.

Computer access @ Malden Community Senior Center

2011-06-07T08:00:00.001-07:00

By Guest Blogger Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President, The White House

At the start of his Administration, President Obama identified transparency, participation and collaboration as the principles of an open government, requiring that government information and data be accessible to all citizens. To ensure that persons with disabilities have equal access, government agencies must buy and use accessible technology.

MASS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE RECEIPTS

2011-06-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

So far this fiscal year, which ends June 30, Massachusetts has collected $676 million more than predicted.

MASS HEALTH CARE LAW

2011-06-05T14:12:00.001-07:00

The poll results show that residents with incomes below $30,000 — the bracket that would probably make them eligible for state-subsidized care — were the most likely to say the law is helping to control the cost of their care.

The law expanded eligibility for subsidized coverage to thousands more residents, and state figures a year after the law went into effect showed that more than 200,000 residents were added to state-run coverage.

The poll results also showed that the highest income group, those whose income exceeds $75,000, were more likely than the lowest income group to say the law is hurting their health costs.

Kay Lazar can be reached at klazar@globe.com.

Medicaid

2011-06-02T04:36:00.000-07:00

Medicaid is financed jointly by the federal government and the states. When a state wants to modify its Medicaid program, it must amend its state Medicaid plan. The changes are subject to federal review and approval.

We Have Moved:MSAC

2011-05-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Villers
Executive Director

We Have Moved:

Massssachusetts Senior Action Council

150 Mt. Vernon Street - 2nd Fl
Dorchester, MA 02125
Main No. 617-284-1234

Direct No. 617-284-1250
www.masssenioraction.org

Older Americans Month 2011

2011-05-10T05:32:00.000-07:00

Older Americans Month is an occasion to show appreciation and support for our seniors as they continue to enrich and strengthen our communities.

This year's theme—Older Americans: Connecting the Community—pays homage to the many ways in which older adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of our communities, and highlights how technology is helping older Americans live longer, healthier, and more engaged lives.

The U.S. Administration on Aging is sponsoring two exciting activities in observance of Older Americans Month 2011, a video challenge and a video game tournament. We welcome and encourage the participation of seniors and community members across the country.

For more information about Older Americans Month, visit the U.S. Administration on Aging.

Delegation: Don't cut community services

2011-05-09T11:16:00.001-07:00

Building a Better State

Local and Statewide Leaders and Advocates Look at How We're Investing in Our Budget Priorities

May 4, 2011.

Nine House members from Massachusetts are among 84 Democrats who sent a letter to the top members of the House Appropriations Committee saying that cuts to Community Service Block Grants would harm vulnerable citizens when the services are most needed. Edward J. Markey, a Malden Democrat, provided the letter's first signature...."Severe cuts to CSBGs - the source of funding for community action programs - would hinder, rather than help, our nation's economic recovery while devastating critical support services for the poor, disabled, children and the elderly," the letter read. [Full Article: Boston Globe]

states survey Medicaid recipients

2011-05-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

States must consult Medicaid recipients because, the rule says, their experience is “the most important indicator of whether access is sufficient.” Federal officials suggested that to see how much difficulty they had in scheduling doctor’s appointments.states survey Medicaid recipients

In addition, the rule says, states should compare Medicaid payment rates with the amounts paid by Medicare or commercial insurers, with providers’ costs or with their customary charges. Another important factor, it said, is the number and percentage of doctors who accept new Medicaid patients.
Posted by Malden Senior at 4:39 AM

Rep. Steven Kulik, as quoted in the State House News Service

2011-04-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

, said his constituents are not calling for tax cuts:

"I think it's a little unusual that in the two weeks since the House Ways and Means Committee released the budget, the taxpayers I've been hearing from have not been calling or emailing me to say lower our income tax rate. They haven't been calling to say cut revenue. They've been calling to say please increase spending on services that matter to me. Whether that's on clothing allowance to poor children, local aid."

Senator Clark Malden Office Hours

2011-04-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

Posted by Katherine Clark |
Where: 6 Pleasant St Ste 210, Malden, MA 02148
Date: Weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Time: 9:00am–1:00pm
Next on: Thursday, April 28, 2011

State Senator Katherine Clark's Malden district office is staffed on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-1:00. Please feel free to drop by or call 617-722-2016 for an appointment.

Features: Families, Open to All, Seniors, Volunteer
Website: http://www.katherineclark.org

State Budget Cuts

2011-04-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

State budget-watchers say this year’s cuts will be painful. They expect the House to cut local aid and other vital programs even more deeply than Governor Patrick proposed. Children’s programs, mental health, libraries, city budgets, and a long list of human services will take hard hits on top of the hits they have taken over the last few years.

Why is this happening? After all, state tax revenues are gradually recovering from the worst of Wall Street’s crash. The state balance sheet should be looking better. But as we start to climb out of our state budget hole, Washington is pushing us back down. Federal stimulus funds, which saved vital services and jobs last year, have dried up. And now, Congress and the White House are slashing more of the programs that most of us use and which are absolutely critical for some of our citizens

Read more: Newton Dialogues: Fund our communities, cut military spending - Newton, Massachusetts - Newton TAB http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/archive/x528722978/Newton-Dialogues-Fund-our-communities-cut-military-spending#ixzz1KXu8TzOT

Medicaid

2011-04-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

In recent years Washington has taken an obsolete program, which covers health care for low-income Americans, and made it worse through restrictive rule-making that defies common sense. It is biased toward caring for people in nursing homes rather than in their own homes and neighborhoods. It lacks the flexibility to help patients who require some nursing services, but not round-the-clock care.

What Is a Veteran?

2011-04-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

A 'Veteran' -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or
reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check
made payable to 'The United States of America,' for an amount of 'up to, and
including his life.' That is honor, and there are way too many people in
this country today, who no longer understand that fact.

Ten Top Taxpayer Tyrants

2011-04-18T08:45:00.001-07:00

— Citizens for Limited Taxation — have released a list of the Ten Top Taxpayer Tyrants. These are the elected officials who inspired our state’s nickname Taxachusetts and why Beacon Hill has been renamed Bacon Hill.

Who are these legislators that habitually reach for your wallet? Reps. Ellen Story, Angelo Scaccia, Byron Rushing, Gloria Fox, Frank Smizik, Elizabeth Malia, KathiAnne Reinstein and Benjamin Swan, and Sens. Steven Tolman and Patricia Jehlen are the top 10 offenders. Runners-up include Reps. Lou Kafka, Theodore Speliotis, Jay Kaufman, Cory Atkins, and John Keenan and Sen. Fred Berry.

aPPEALING TICKET VIOLATIONS

2011-04-13T16:25:00.001-07:00

Also, our recently-enacted Municipal Relief Act is now in full-effect. Residents who were issued ticket violations were able to appeal to our Municipal Hearing Officer thus avoiding both parties being tied up in court...

Cuts to Budget

2011-04-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

here's one thing we can be pretty sure of: the pain will fall mainly on poor and middle-class Americans, whilebillions in tax breaks, loopholes, and handouts for corporations will remain untouched.

Those same billions could keep food in the mouths of hungry women and children, fund critical medical research, and do theactual work of reducing our deficit.

But nothing will change until we tell that story. Congressional Republicans won't listen to the man and woman in thestreet until we take to the streets—thousands of taxpayers and voters in their states and home districts calling outthe billion-dollar corporations that pay little or nothing in taxes.

The GOP blueprint shift to medicaire

2011-04-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

The GOP blueprint, unveiled last week by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., would slash federal spending by $5 trillion or more over the coming decade and repeal Obama's signature health care law. It would leave Social Security untouched but shift more of the risk from rising medical costs from the government to Medicare beneficiaries. It also calls for sharp cuts to Medicaid health care for the poor and disabled and to food aid for the poor.

Borrowed Social Security

2011-04-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

Of the nearly $14.2 trillion in debt, roughly $5 trillion is money the government has borrowed from other accounts, mostly from Social Security revenues, according to federal figures. Several major policies from the past decade when Republicans controlled the White House and Congress — tax cuts, a Medicare prescription-drug benefit and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — account for more than $3.2 trillion.

The 2010 US Census counted 40 million seniors in the US,

2011-03-28T11:51:00.001-07:00

comprising 13% of the total population. Traditional media continues to dominate seniors’ media habits, but the internet is quickly increasing reach, expected to hit 56.0% penetration by 2015.

The 2010 US Census counted 40 million seniors in the US, comprising 13% of the total population. According to the data, baby boomers—the largest single generation in the US—will enter the senior set at a rate of one every 8 seconds for the next 18 years.

SENIORS OPINION HEALTH CARE LAW

2011-03-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Organizing Seniors: Moving the Dial

Reaching seniors with the truth about the health care law can be a challenge, but recent polls are showing a shift in opinion. Go to them and be prepared to answer specific questions.

Seeing benefits in the Affordable Care Act has been a challenge for seniors across the country. During the debate to pass the health care law, seniors heard a lot of misinformation from opponents of the law. Although combating these messages is challenging, public opinion among seniors is beginning to change. Last week, Kaiser Family Foundation released their latest tracking poll, which revealed increased support among seniors for the health law. This past month, unfavorable views of the law decreased by 7 percentage points and favorable views increased 8 percentage points. See the full report here: http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/8166.cfm.

This change is only the beginning. With an array of different policies in the law, it can become difficult to generalize about Medicare as a whole when speaking the people over 65. However, there have been real tangible benefits already in effect for seniors, such as Medicare doughnut hole rebate checks and free preventive services in Medicare. Advocates have found that stopping by local senior centers, senior living communities, and social clubs is the best way to reach seniors and spread the message about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

Circuit Breaker Credit Department of Revenue

2011-03-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

The state Department of Revenue is warning about unscrupulous tax preparers that officials say have been promising poor Boston seniors a piece of a tax rebate program that has brought $60 million to the Bay State — even if they aren’t eligible.

Last week, the state launched an aggressive review of its so-called “Circuit Breaker” tax credit program that is aimed at homeowners. About 78,000 seniors have received the benefit. But dozens and possibly hundreds of elderly taxpayers who are not eligible for the program have paid $50 application fees, only to find out later they have to return the payments and might even face penalties, according to state officials and social service workers.

“Obviously, somebody here is bamboozling seniors,” DOR spokesman Robert Bliss told the Herald. “They are hearing about something that is too good to be true, but believe it to be true nonetheless.

“We want to make sure it hasn’t spread to other places,” Bliss said. “It might seem like an overabundance of caution, but we are dealing with taxpayer money here, so we think it’s warranted.”

This year, the program has sparked huge interest in Boston’s poorest neighborhoods, but some applicants have been public housing residents, who as non-homeowners are not eligible for the credit.

The tax credit — called the “Circuit Breaker” because it is triggered by an overload of property taxes relative to income — is aimed at elderly Bay State homeowners with limited incomes whose tax bills keep climbing. Low-income homeowners 65 and older, who can prove real estate taxes eat up at least 10 percent of their annual income, can receive as much as $970 a year from the state.

Mary Murray, 69, a renter in the South End, said that she paid a tax preparer $50 to receive a credit of $378, but later got a demand notice from the state tax collection agency.

“I’m paying the money back, because I don’t want any part of this,” Murray said.

“It’s a wonderful tax credit,” said John Drew, chief executive of Action for Boston Community Development — the Boston nonprofit that blew the whistle on the exploitation scheme. He said his agency fills out the applications for free.

“We’ve been told that tax preparers are going to Boston Housing Authority properties, where no one is eligible for the tax credit, and telling them that President Obama has stimulus checks for them,” Drew said.

For people who actually qualify, he said, “We want more people to apply for it, because we want to get more income into households that really need it.”

176 Massachusetts state retirees collect $100K pensions

2011-03-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

The number of state retirees collecting pensions of at least $100,000 has climbed more than 20 percent in the past year, jumping from 145 to 176, with the top pensioner receiving more than $240,000.

State Police retirees represent the largest group of six-figure earners, with 50, followed by faculty and administrators from the University of Massachusetts Amherst at 42, and employees of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, at 19.

Eight years ago, only 33 state employees made more than $100,000, but as state salaries have increased through the decades, so have pensions, which are calculated in part based on employees’ income in their three highest-paid years of work.

“There is an urgent need for comprehensive pension reform,’’ said Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “Soaring pension and health care benefits are cannibalizing municipal services.’’

T.

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Malden Census Figures

2011-03-27T18:47:00.001-07:00

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Malden population grows 5.5 percent
E-mail | Print Posted by Matt Byrne March 24, 2011 10:04 AM
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Sending your articleYour article has been sent. By Matt Byrne, Town Correspondent

Nearly 7,000 fewer white people live in Malden than a decade ago, while the number of minorities in the city has increased, new census data shows.

According to the data, released Tuesday by the US Census Bureau, there are 6,927 fewer white people in the city than10 years ago. In the same period, 10,589 additional people who identify as minorities are now residents.

Overall population grew 5.52 percent, to 59,450 total residents, the data shows, about 3,100 more than in 2000.

People who identified themselves as white dominated in 2000, at 40,618, but 2010 figures show a decline to 33,691.

Blacks in Malden went from 4,592 in 2000 to 8,796; Asians from 7,882 to 11,971; and Hispanics grew from 2,696 to 4,992, the data shows.

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HOMELESS VETERANS MASSACHUSETTS

2011-03-11T06:53:00.000-08:00

New VA and HUD report finds 136,000 veterans spent a night in a homeless shelter during 2009.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and VA have published the most authoritative analysis on the extent and nature of homelessness among our country’s veterans. “Veteran Homeless: A Supplemental Report to the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment to Congress” details the study’s findings, released in February, in a first-ever collaborative report of its kind between two government agencies. The most noteworthy finding: nearly 76,000 veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009, and around 136,000 veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year.

The report also notes that veterans are 50 percent more likely to fall into homelessness, compared to the rest of the population. This ratio is even greater among impoverished and minority veterans.

Additionally, veterans contrast the overall homeless population in the demographics that comprise it. About 96 percent of homeless veterans are single adults and about 4 percent are veterans with families; the general homeless population claims 66 percent of its members as single, non-attached persons. The study also found that 10 percent of veterans in poverty became homeless at some point during the year, compared to just over 5 percent of adults living in poverty.

Outside of conducting studies, the two agencies provide direct support to homeless veterans. Through the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, HUD provides rental assistance for homeless veterans, while VA offers case management and clinical services. Since 2008, a total investment of $225 million has gone toward providing housing and supportive service for approximately 30,000 veterans who would otherwise be homeless.

HOMELESS VETERANS MASSACHUSETTS

2011-03-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

According to HUD and the VA, nearly 76,000 veterans nationwide lacked shelter on a given night in 2009 with about 136,000 spending at least one night in a shelter during the year. Of those veterans without a home, 57 percent lived in a shelter or a transitional housing program, while 43 percent lived on the street.

Nationally, 12 percent of all people experiencing homelessness were identified as a veteran. In Massachusetts, veterans account for 6.8 percent of the population.

MUNICIPAL HEALTH COSTS

2011-02-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

jayboat wrote:
How about having Municipal employees pay more than five dollars as their co-pay? Who else get health insurance with no deductibles? Make municipal employees join the GIC and pay the same co-pays and deductible as state employees. That will save the taxpayer millions of dollars.

New VA Caregiver Support Line

2011-02-22T14:16:00.001-08:00

Week of February 14, 2011

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has opened a new, toll-free telephone line for the caregivers of veterans of all eras. The National Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274 will assist caregivers, Veterans and others seeking caregiver information. The telephone line will be available Monday through Friday. 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., eastern time; and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., eastern time. Licensed VA social workers and health technicians will staff the support line. For more information on caring for veterans, visit the VA's Caregiver webpage.

Veteran's Benefits Directory - To learn more about your state's veteran benefits, visit the Military.com State Veteran's Benefits Directory

South Boston Patriot Homes

2011-02-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

Last year, there were 356 veterans waiting for Boston Housing Authority units and 256 on the Section 8 voucher list, according to BHA, which gives preference to homeless veterans, then homeless people, then veterans.

Construction could start as early as next spring. A handful of the 24 units will be set aside for homeless vets who have behavioral health issues. But Brown deflected neighborhood fears that she wants to build a homeless shelter.

“It is all permanent apartments for veterans,” she said. “It’s not a homeless shelter.”
Is MSAC interested in supporting programs for Housing affordable low income Veterans? This is a controversial one at the old Police Station Site in So Boston
REFER TO HOUSING COMMITTEE !!!!

SOCIALL SECURITY CHECKS

2011-02-17T06:56:00.001-08:00

Paper checks retired. Retirees who apply for Social Security benefits on or after May 1, 2011, will no longer have the option of receiving a paper check in the mail. Seniors can have their entitlement payments directly deposited into a bank or credit union account or loaded onto a prepaid Direct Express Debit MasterCard. "This important change will provide significant savings to American taxpayers who will no longer incur the annual $120 million price tag associated with paper checks and will save Social Security $1 billion over the next 10 years," says Richard Gregg, Treasury Fiscal Assistant Secretary. Retirees already receiving paper checks will need to switch to direct deposit or the prepaid debit card by March 1, 2013.

MUNICIPAL HEALTH COSTS

2011-02-14T10:03:00.001-08:00

A group of Massachusetts mayors, fed up with what they say is legislative inaction on skyrocketing municipal health care costs, has launched a ballot initiative for 2012 aimed at giving cities and towns more flexibility in reducing expensive benefits for employees, retirees and elected officials. Health costs in Massachusetts have added more than $1 billion to municipal budgets from 2001 to 2008, and some cities now devote close to 20 percent of their budgets to health care.

REAL ESTATE TAXES

2011-02-10T05:01:00.000-08:00

6 Discounts You Can Get For Paying Cash
by Bobbi Dempsey
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
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With retailers feeling the effects of customers who can't get credit, shoppers with cash in their wallets have the ultimate bargaining chip when it comes to getting good deals. Cash discounts may not be as plentiful as in the past, but there are still some places where cash is king. Here are some things you can often get cheaper with cash.

More from Investopedia:

• 8 Easy Ways to Slash Your Holiday Budget

• Top 5 Budgeting Questions Answered

• 8 Steps to an Organized Financial Life

1. Gas
While many gas stations -- especially those in the large national chains -- offer one price no matter how you pay, some stations are still offering a deal for cash customers. Gate Petroleum, based in Florida, unveiled a program earlier this year that offers a discount of three cents per gallon to customers who pay with cash purchased fuel discount cards. In a recent survey by gas comparison site GasBuddy.com, 3% of the more than 15,000 respondents said more than half the stations in their area charged a lower price for cash, and the same percentage said nearly all of their local stations offered cash discounts.

[Click here to check savings products and rates in your area.]

2. Property Taxes
Many municipalities offer a discount (sometimes called a rebate price) to homeowners who pay their taxes by a certain date. In Florida's Miami-Dade County, for example, paying your taxes in November (within a few weeks after receiving the bill) will get you a discount of 4%. The discount decreased by 1% each month until March.

Need for part time legislature in Massachusetts?

2011-02-08T09:26:00.001-08:00

Some critics argue that now is the time to move toward a part-time Legislature to save money. The state spent $51 million on the Legislature last year. Massachusetts legislators are the sixth-highest paid in the country, with starting salaries at $61,439, according to the Pew Center on the States

Foreion aid.in the Budget

2011-01-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

Americans were asked what spending they’d cut. Hands down, they answered foreign aid.

We spend about $25 billion on foreign aid out of a $3.7 trillion budget. Defense accounts for 19 percent of the budget, but most Republicans do not want major cuts in defense spending. Nor do Americans want cuts in costly entitlement programs

ADULT FAMILY CARE PROGRAM

2010-07-10T08:25:00.001-07:00

CARING FOR A SICK OR DISABLED RELATIVE ON FRIEND?
The Adult Fan=mily Care Porgram pays family members and friends to provide are at home.
Receive up to $18,000 per year to provide care that prevents or delays Instituional care.
Sick or disabled individual must be 18 years or older and eliglbe for MaasHealth
CARING CHOICES
www.eldercare.org

CALL THE AGING INFORMATION CENTER AND ASK ABOUT ADULT FAMILY CARE
617-628-2601 EXT 3151

ADULT FAMILY CARE PROGRAM

2010-07-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Drop Box - Howard - Picasa Web Albums

2010-06-25T02:42:00.000-07:00

Drop Box - Howard - Picasa Web Albums

Novo Nordisk spent $540K lobbying US gov't in 1Q

2010-06-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

Market Commentary and Intraday News
Novo Nordisk spent $540K lobbying US gov't in 1Q
1 day ago

(AP:WASHINGTON) Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk spent $540,000 lobbying the U.S. government in the first quarter of 2010, addressing drug importation and several diabetes-related issues, among other topics.

The drugmaker also lobbied on patent reform, and to improve access to care and treatment of diabetes patients.

The company's first-quarter total represented a 71 percent jump from the first quarter of 2009 but a slight drop from the $550,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of last year.

Besides Congress, Novo Nordisk lobbied the Patent and Trademark Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Office of Management and Budget.

Among those registered to lobby for Novo Nordisk in the January-March period was Lauren Semeniuk, a former legislative director for Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., according to a report filed May 25 with the House of Representatives clerk's office.

GIM Post

2010-05-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

GIM HAS BEEN MEETING PERIODICALLY AND HAS BEEN IN A STOP AND START MODE.
We now have two set dates for action
The group has an appointment set up by Judy Bucci for Tuesday June 1st
to make a presentation of GIM and their goals and need of the support
of the council and members of the community before the Citizens
Engagement Committee. We would need a lead presenter and backup of the
group in attendance . The meeting would be at 5:30PM before the 7
o'clock full council meeting.
GIM mini conference date August 7,2010 to be held at the Malden Senior
Community Center time to be announced
Their will be a network chain linking of all of the diversified
population and will include service groups and non profits
representing a broad representation of all ethnic groups
We are advocating for Voting Rights and Civic Engagement the all
encompassing Malden population
In order to have maximum Inclusion we are urging all Service
organizations Non Profits to join us with all their membership in
making --
Our organization has determined that our local group should adopt the
Memorandum of
OUR NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION and that we will bring it to OUR Local
city officials and out into neighborhoods with urging participation.
We hope to "spread the word" and have our various organization getting the word.
Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes
accountability and provides information for citizens about what their
Government is doing. Information maintained by the City Government is
a needed l asset. The Administration will take appropriate action,
consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in
forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments
and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about
their operations and decisions online and readily available to the
public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public
feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.

Government should be participatory. Public engagement enhances the
Government's effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions.
Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit
from having access to that dispersed knowledge. Executive departments
and agencies should offer Americans increased opportunities to
participate in policy making and to provide their Government with the
benefits of their collective expertise and information. Executive
departments and agencies should also solicit public input on how we
can increase and improve opportunities for public participation in
Government.

Government should be collaborative. Collaboration actively engages
Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and
agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to
cooperate among themselves, across all levels of Government, and with
nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private
sector. Executive departments and agencies should solicit public
feedback to assess and improve their level of collaboration and to
identify new opportunities for cooperation
Beside the issue of transparency there is the matter of accountability
and restoring the confidence in our local government and their
attention to the need of ALL government agency to comply
From a dictionary
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several
meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as
responsibility,[1] answerable, blameworthiness, liability, and other
terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect
of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems
in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) worlds. In
leadership roles, accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption
of responsibility for actions, products, decisions, and policies
including the administration, governance, and implementation within
the scope of the role or employment position and encompassing the
obligation to report, explain and be answerable for resulting
consequences.
To all interested parties open for comment and suggestions
Howard McGowan
Malden Senior

Unnessary Hospial Re-Adimissions

2010-04-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

A Serious problem we've been hearing about lately is that hospitals are dicharging older patients without any followup or "transitional services.
One out of five Medicare beneficiaries is readmitted within 30 days of discharge and one out every three within 8-90 days--often because of poor communication between patients, care givers and health proveders.
We need a benefit in Medicare to help people safely transision to home or another setting to prevent costly and unecessary hospital readmissions.

Census 2010

2010-03-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

Some common problems when
filling out U.S. census forms,
which arrive by mail beginning
Monday:March 15, 2010
Ready for the 2010 census?
Forms start arriving today
.—HOUSEHOLD AND RESIDENCE:
These are determined by where
people live or sleep most of
the time as of April 1.
Household members should
include babies born on or
before April 1, 2010, as
well as non-U.S. citizens.
The rationale is that cities
and states should receive
federal money to support
everyone who uses their public
roads, schools and other programs.
College students who live away
from home and U.S. military
personnel who live in barracks
are tallied in those places.
If you have more than one home,
completely fill out the form
for your primary residence.
For the second home, mark "0''
for number of residents and
indicate you live elsewhere.
Doing that may help avoid
costly visits from a census taker.
For divorced parents who have
shared custody of a child,
indicate where a child usually
lives. If custody is split equally,
the child's residence is where he
or she is on April 1.

—RACE AND ETHNICITY: If no box
exists that describes yourself,
or with the level of specificity
you prefer, write it in the space
marked for "other race."
For example,
some Caribbean-Americans
plan to check the box for
"black, African Am., or Negro"
and then write in their ancestry.
Multiracial people might check
several race categories or write
in "multiracial," depending on
how they self-identify.
The labels do make a difference,
because census results will be

used to redraw congressional
districts with racial and ethnic
balance.

—INTERNET OPTION: There is none.
Census officials in 2008
determined that submitting
census data through the
Internet posed too large
a risk for security breaches.
The Census Bureau is testing
Web options for 2020, but for
now information must be
provided on official forms
and mailed or submitted
to a census taker.

—"LONG FORM": This year's census
is only 10 questions. Previously,
1 in 6 households — roughly
20 million — received a
detailed census questionnaire
called the "long form" that
asked about income, disability,
commuting, education level
and other characteristics.
After 2000, the long form was
eliminated and replaced by
the American Community Survey,
which is sent to about three
million households each year.
If you get an ACS form, the
Census Bureau asks you fill
out both surveys.

—MISSING FORMS: If you don't
receive a census form,
Census Bureau director
Robert Groves advises
that people wait until
April 12 to allow time
for it to arrive. After
April 12, people may
call the census help
line at 1-866-872-6868.
In rural parts of Alaska,
census information was
collected door-to-door
starting in January.
In addition,
about 12 million
addresses, mostly in rural
areas and Gulf Coast areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina,
began receiving hand-delivered
forms on March 1.

Health Care Overhaul

2010-03-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

House members voted 219-212
late Sunday to approve the
health care overhaul that
would extend coverage to 32
million uninsured Americans.
It also would significantly
expand Medicaid, the
federal-state health care
program for the poor; place
new federal regulations on
the insurance industry; and
allow parents to keep children
up to age 26 on their family
insurance plans.

Most Americans would have to
buy insurance or face penalties.
There would be subsidies to help
families with incomes of up to
$88,000 a year pay their premiums.

Health Care Reform Reconciliation

2010-03-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

For all the Republicans’ warnings, they have used reconciliation on some major, controversial legislative packages. These include tax-cut legislation under President George W. Bush and the overhaul in 1996 of the welfare system. In all, Republicans have used the approach 16 times, to 6 for Democrats.

Even with reconciliation, the path for Mr. Obama’s health care overhaul is problematic. It rests largely with two blocs of swing Democrats in the House — abortion opponents and fiscal conservatives.

Health Care Reform

2010-02-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

Published: February 25, 2010
If we’re lucky, Thursday’s summit will turn out to have been the last act in the great health reform debate, the prologue to passage of an imperfect but nonetheless history-making bill. If so, the debate will have ended as it began: with Democrats offering moderate plans that draw heavily on past Republican ideas, and Republicans responding with slander and misdirection.
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Nobody really expected anything different. But what was nonetheless revealing about the meeting was the fact that Republicans — who had weeks to prepare for this particular event, and have been campaigning against reform for a year — didn’t bother making a case that could withstand even minimal fact-checking.

It was obvious how things would go as soon as the first Republican speaker, Senator Lamar Alexander, delivered his remarks. He was presumably chosen because he’s folksy and likable and could make his party’s position sound reasonable. But right off the bat he delivered a whopper, asserting that under the Democratic plan, “for millions of Americans, premiums will go up.”

Wow. I guess you could say that he wasn’t technically lying, since the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the Senate Democrats’ plan does say that average payments for insurance would go up. But it also makes it clear that this would happen only because people would buy more and better coverage. The “price of a given amount of insurance coverage” would fall, not rise — and the actual cost to many Americans would fall sharply thanks to federal aid.

His fib on premiums was quickly followed by a fib on process. Democrats, having already passed a health bill with 60 votes in the Senate, now plan to use a simple majority vote to modify some of the numbers, a process known as reconciliation. Mr. Alexander declared that reconciliation has “never been used for something like this.” Well, I don’t know what “like this” means, but reconciliation has, in fact, been used for previous health reforms — and was used to push through both of the Bush tax cuts at a budget cost of $1.8 trillion, twice the bill for health reform.

What really struck me about the meeting, however, was the inability of Republicans to explain how they propose dealing with the issue that, rightly, is at the emotional center of much health care debate: the plight of Americans who suffer from pre-existing medical conditions. In other advanced countries, everyone gets essential care whatever their medical history. But in America, a bout of cancer, an inherited genetic disorder, or even, in some states, having been a victim of domestic violence can make you uninsurable, and thus make adequate health care unaffordable.

One of the great virtues of the Democratic plan is that it would finally put an end to this unacceptable case of American exceptionalism. But what’s the Republican answer? Mr. Alexander was strangely inarticulate on the matter, saying only that “House Republicans have some ideas about how my friend in Tullahoma can continue to afford insurance for his wife who has had breast cancer.” He offered no clue about what those ideas might be.

In reality, House Republicans don’t have anything to offer to Americans with troubled medical histories. On the contrary, their big idea — allowing unrestricted competition across state lines — would lead to a race to the bottom. The states with the weakest regulations — for example, those that allow insurance companies to deny coverage to victims of domestic violence — would set the standards for the nation as a whole. The result would be to afflict the afflicted, to make the lives of Americans with pre-existing conditions even harder.

Don’t take my word for it. Look at the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the House G.O.P. plan. That analysis is discreetly worded, with the budget office declaring somewhat obscurely that while the number of uninsured Americans wouldn’t change much, “the pool of people without health insurance would end up being less healthy, on average, than under current law.” But here’s the translation: While some people would gain insurance, the people losing insurance would be those who need it most. Under the Republican plan, the American health care system would become even more brutal than it is now.

So what did we learn from the summit? What I took away was the arrogance that the success of things like the death-panel smear has obviously engendered in Republican politicians. At this point they obviously believe that they can blandly make utterly misleading assertions, saying things that can be easily refuted, and pay no price. And they may well be right.

But Democrats can have the last laugh. All they have to do — and they have the power to do it — is finish the job, and enact health reform.

Home Care For All

2010-02-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

Mass Senior Action Council’s goal is Home Care For All – We support the implementation of the Equal Choice law that requires the state to provide long term care in the least restrictive setting. In order to achieve this, MSAC supports the funding of Community First. Community First will diminish the state’s reliance on nursing homes and invests in expanded community services. We support full funding for programs that expand financial eligibility for homecare like the Enhanced Community Options Program (ECOP).

Steps For Success
No More Cuts! Improve Financing for Community-Based Long-Term Care Supports.
· 2008 9c Cuts to home care set the programs back to 1990 levels.
· Restore Home Care Funding to Pre-9c cut levels.
· At least 14 people can receive home care for the cost of 1 person in a nursing home.

Implementation of the Long-Term Care Options Counseling Program
(4000-0600)
· Approximately 120,000 people are admitted to nursing homes each year. 100,000 of these are MassHealth members leaving hospitals.
· There are only 3 pre-admissions screening programs in the State.

Improve Access To Necessary Home and Community-Based Services
· 6 people can participate in the ECOP program for the cost of 1 person in a nursing home.
· Implement Training and Certification of home care workers on a state wide basis.
· Return purchased services to Pre-9c Cut funding.

Home Care Is Most Desired and Cost Less

Two Home Care Programs save the State $335 million annually!!
Both the Enhanced Community Options Program (ECOP) and the Choices Program cost much less than nursing home care. These savings should be reinvested in community-based programs.

tRANSPORTATION TO THE SENIOR CENTER STILL AN ISSUE

2010-02-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

HALLMARK HAS STEPPED UP WITH A GRANT TO SCM FOR TRANSPORTATION TO THEIR
FACILITIES WHEN THEY ARE OVERBOOKED AT THE MALDEN SENOR COMMUNITY
CENTER THIS IS A FIRST STEP FOR MENDICAL APPOINTMENTS
WE SHOULD NEED THE WINCHESTER HOSPITAL AND THE CAMBRIDGE ALLIANCE
GROUP TO STEP UP WITH SENIOR TRANSPORTATION. MSAC SHOULD ADVISE THE
COMMUNITY ABOUT THE RIDE AND THE NON-PROFITS SERVICING THE ELDERLY
SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND STEP INTO THE BREECH FOR
ALL NEEDS FOR TRANSPORTATION OF THE EDERLY AND DISABLED. A LIITLE
PUBLICITY IN THE MALDEN OBSERVER SEEMS TO GET ACTION.
WE AT MSAC ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PROMISISED SHUTTLES TO AND FROM
THE SENIOR CENTER.
Malden seniors unsatisfied with public transportation options
By Rich Tenorio / malden@cnc.com
Thu Mar 05, 2009, 04:57 PM EST

Malden - Transportation issues are at the heart of a Malden senior’s
frustration with the city he calls home.

Howard McGowan, the Metro North membership coordinator for the Mass.
Senior Action Council (MSAC), has protested what he describes as
insufficient access to the new senior center on Washington Street, as
well as a lack of adequate transportation opportunities for seniors to
medical appointments.

“There are two issues,” McGowan said in an interview with the Observer
on Monday. “We want to be able to enjoy the senior center, and to see
that we get transportation to medical facilities.”

Located on 7 Washington St., the center held an opening celebration on
January 24, with MSAC members from the Cambridge, North Shore and
Metro North chapters attending. McGowan, however, said that since
then, seniors who rely on public transportation to get to the center
may find access too difficult.

“If you don’t have transportation, you can’t get there,” said McGowan,
an 84-year-old World War II veteran who now lives on Pleasant Street.
“Once they took the (MBTA) buses off Florence Street and took the bus
stop away from the senior center, you have to walk across a state
highway or across Florence Street, a dangerous section.

“We took somebody from the mayor’s office and showed them how far it
is to walk from the bus stop. There’s a hill, and you have to walk
from the Stop & Shop way down on Route 60. They promised they would
put on a shuttle bus.”

McGowan said that bus routes and stops were changed about a year and a
half ago, “just about the time they were building the senior center,
which is what got us so upset. The bus came right down Main Street and
Pleasant Street.”

However, Debbie Burke, a spokesperson for Mayor Richard Howard, said
that the center is accessible.

“It’s still within walking distance,” she said. “You can take the bus
to the MBTA station. It’s right around the corner. As far as we’re
concerned, it remains accessible by public transportation or car.”

Burke also said that “ridership counts on (bus) routes are really
dwindling,” and that the center has on-street parking as well as lots
on Dartmouth and Florence streets, adding that next year there will be
an additional lot on Pleasant Street.

McGowan has also called for more ways for seniors to get to medical
appointments.

“The Medical Service transportation for Hallmark Medical sites is
handled at the Malden Senior Community Center and is overwhelmed and
overbooked,” he wrote in a mass e-mail on February 14, citing “turn
downs growing (personal experience).”

On Monday, McGowan said, “At the senior center we get transportation
for medical (purposes) backed by Hallmark Health, but they’ll only
take you to Hallmark facilities.”

He added, “It takes an hour, you have to make arrangements, and they
can only do one per hour. It used to be one per half-hour.” And, he
said, “There is no transportation from senior housing for people who
can’t get down. A lot of people can’t go on public transportation.
People who have to go to Winchester Hospital for Blue Cross — there’s
no transportation out there.”

McGowan and Burke both mentioned other transportation opportunities
for seniors. One is the MBTA Ride program, which requires registration
on an individual basis and which takes seniors to medical
appointments. Another is SCM (Somerville-Cambridge-Medford), an
organization that provides shopping trips for eligible seniors as well
as some medical trips. Burke also said that through the efforts of
human services director Chris DiPietro, there is a van that makes some
shopping trips for seniors.

In the end, whether it’s getting to the Senior Center or getting to a
medical appointment, the main point seems the same.

“It makes it hard for people if they can’t get transportation,” McGowan said.

. Comment refer to web page
http://maldentax.blogspot.com/2009/03/here-we-go-again.html

MTFA
CMurphy1 month ago
Report AbuseWho is this Debbie Burke person, and how old is she? And
does she actually ride public transit? I would really like to know. I
am not a senior myself, but I can see the difficulty in her suggestion
that seniors take the bus to the Malden Center T stop, and go *just
around the corner* to the senior center.

The problem with this is that they would have to cross
Florence/Commercial Street to get there. Anyone remember the old
*Frogger* video game? Well, crossing that street on foot is like being
the *frog* in a game of human Frogger. It's hard enough for an
able-bodied person who can move quickly, but if you're an older person
who can't move so fast, you may well become road pizza. There are a
lot of crazies on the roads.

Heck, often I have to stop at the crosswalk in front of 630 Salem
Street to let some elderly person get across, and some jerk behind me
is blowing their horn to try to get me to move. I may care about our
seniors, but most younger people here do not.

As for Ms. Burke's comments about parking...can I drum it into her
head once again...MANY SENIORS HERE DO NOT HAVE CARS. So what the heck
is the use of parking lots, when the people that this place is
supposed to serve do not drive?

Don't even get me started about the transportation to medical
appointments thing. Even if these people CAN get a bus to their
appointments, good luck in getting on the bus, or, if they do get on,
getting a seat. When I used to ride the bus, I had the misfortune of
having to ride when the teen thugs from the high school were on.
They'd crowd the bus, refuse to move to the rear, and if the driver
thought the bus was too crowded, they'd just refuse to stop for
people.

There used to be this elderly man who'd get on the bus at the stop in
front of Vinnie's Pizza on Salem Street, he had medical appointments
to get to. He must have been 90 if he was a day, walked with a cane,
and when he'd get on the bus full of teen thugs, NOT ONE OF THEM would
give him a seat. I didn't have a seat to give him myself. We adults
would try to shame the brats into giving the man a seat, but they just
laughed and spewed obscenities at us. The bus driver did nothing.

I also think Hallmark Health is lousy, we've had nothing but bad
experiences with them, their doctors, and hospitals, and seniors need
to have a choice. Just because people can't drive doesn't mean they
deserve substandard treatment, health care, etc.

My husband and I would rather die young than have to retire in Malden,
if this is what they think of senior citizens.. We can't afford to
move now, but we are working on being able to do so long before we get
to that age. Mayor Howard may think he's all that for opening the new
senior center, but I think he's just a rich jerk who is out of touch
with the working class and senior people here.

Don't get me started about the garbage tax...but that's O/T, so I'll stop now.

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Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior

Supportive Housing: Myths and Facts

2010-02-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

MYTH: Supportive housing is like a shelter.

FACT: No: supportive housing is permanent housing in which on-site support, health, employment and therapeutic services are provided. Prospective tenants are screened to ensure they are good candidates for supportive housing (can live independently, are interested in becoming housed, healthy and being good neighbors). Residents have leases and must abide by the terms of those leases. Apartments are typically efficiency or one-bedrooms for individuals, multi-bedroom for families, just like every other apartment building.

MYTH: My property values will plummet.

FACT: NO: There is no evidence that property values diminish at all as a result of supportive housing development while there is both statistical and anecdotal evidence that property values INCREASE. The only study quantifying the impact of development on neighborhoods, the Connecticut Supportive Housing Demonstration Program Evaluation Report (www.csh.org), showed that surrounding property values substantially increased in eight of the nine neighborhoods surveyed. In New York, there is overwhelming anecdotal evidence that supportive housing has boosted surrounding property values. Common sense supports this notion since sponsors either turn blighted buildings into attractive new housing or build on abandoned empty lots that are frequently magnets for illegal activity.

MYTH: We need affordable housing, not supportive housing.

FACT: Most supportive housing is a mix of supportive and affordable housing, with 40% of most residences’ apartments reserved for low-income people in the neighborhood.

MYTH: Supportive housing development will discourage economic investment in the neighborhood.

FACT: NO: In the twenty five years that supportive housing has been built in New York, it has almost always been a CATALYST for economic development. Because supportive housing either rehabilitates a decrepit building or builds on an empty lot, it improves a block’s look and feel. Because of on-site security and caseworkers who are concerned about vulnerable tenants’ safety, neighborhood crime often sharply decreases.

MYTH: Supportive housing is developed overwhelmingly in poor minority neighborhoods in the outer boroughs.

FACT: Nearly half (47%) of city-funded supportive housing is below 96th Street in Manhattan. Almost 7,000 units of city-funded supportive housing are in Manhattan while only 2,000 are in Brooklyn and just over 1,500 in the Bronx.

MYTH: Crime rates will escalate.

FACT: Because supportive housing features on-site security and support staff who are focused on protecting vulnerable tenants, crime rates usually decrease as a result of supportive housing development. Management often work closely with local police to root out illegal activity in the neighborhood.

MYTH: The project will act as a magnet for homeless people.

FACT: Supportive housing is not a shelter with an open-door policy. It has a set number of apartments allotted for homeless people with special needs. These apartments are offered on a PERMANENT BASIS and BY REFERRAL ONLY. Further, all residents are referred by local agencies with a preference given to local residents.

MYTH: You’ll just build this and leave: this is our home.

FACT: Supportive housing sponsors are members of this community too and have a track record of being responsible and responsive citizens. They understand your concerns and welcome your ongoing participation on any number of advisory committees. Virtually all providers work closely with their neighbors to both accommodate local needs and maximize tenant integration: some share resources like meeting spaces and computer labs, while others host block parties and local celebrations.

MYTH: This is just another government program being shoved down our throats.

FACT: No. Supportive housing, although funded by the City, State and Federal government, is run by non-profit agencies that traditionally care for the poor and sick. These groups are community-based, are audited, and are governed by myriad rules and regulations to ensure excellence.

MYTH: Supportive housing is too expensive.

FACT: No. Supportive housing actually saves taxpayer dollars wasted on repetitive emergency services and housing. A recent study found that New York taxpayers spend an average of $40,500 per person per year to leave a mentally ill New Yorker on the street. That same study found that once these individuals moved into supportive housing their use of costly emergency services plummeted.

MYTH: These people just want a free ride at the taxpayer’s expense.

FACT: Supportive housing helps people who want to help themselves. It provides a caring, nurturing community for those with problems, not unlike your own home. Residents are looking to put their lives back on track: permanent housing combined with access to services allows them to do that.

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

2010-02-26T16:21:00.001-08:00

First, Congress is debating how to cover the uninsured, as if that is the principal
problem of our health system.
Should we have a public plan option? Should we expand Medicare? Medicaid?
Should there be a mandate to buy health insurance? Obama believes that health
system reform will require a massive infusion of tax money to cover the uninsured,
also his primary issue.
Both Congress and Obama are wrong. The issue is not coverage, it is cost control,
or more specifically, waste elimination. Per-capita taxation for health care is higher
in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world. More than one-third of the $4 trillion
collected in state and federal taxes this year will go to health care.
If we limited health spending to just those tax dollars we would be spending more
than any other nation on health care. Yet we add another $1 trillion to our health
spending through private payment of employer premiums and family co-payments
. Per-capita health spending is twice as high as it is in any other nation, and rising faster,
because we waste half our health spending on inefficiency and poor quality.
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

Mass Senior Action Council Metro North Chapter

2010-02-26T16:11:00.000-08:00

AS a local grass roots senior
run organization we are Committed
To empowering Seniors and Others to act collectively
Promote the rights and well being of all people
Particularly vulnerable Seniors.

GOALS FOR THE YEAR
Utilize resources for family care givers.
Expand senior services to under served neighborhoods
Lead public and private foundations and other non-profits toward the concept of having elder-ready communities.
Be more involved in city, county and community planning processes. Develop a volunteer coordination center. OUR CHAPTER MISSION
The mission of Metro North Chapter MSAC is to respond to the ever-changing needs of seniors and their families
Affect in positive ways their quality of life
Assist in maintaining their independence.
COME JOIN AN OUTFIT WITH THE 11,000 SENIORS IN MALDEN

MCfADDEN mANOR

2010-02-26T15:51:00.000-08:00

TIME TO MAKE AMENDS AND PUT THIS SITE TO USE FOR MALDEN SENIORS
Get the Geratric Authority active on the issue for getting AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND A HEALTH CARE CLINIC(ADULT CARE CENTER) BUILT ON THE SITE.
.By Sharon Tosto Esker/malden@cnc.com
GateHouse News Service
Posted Apr 24, 2008 @ 05:49 PM
Last update Apr 24, 2008 @ 05:53 PM
Malden — Before the apartments and the
school were built off of Forest Street,
the land surrounding the McFadden Manor
was a sprawling country landscape complete
with cows, pigs, chickens, horses and a garden
to feed the people living on what was then
known as the “poor farm.”

“Where the school is now was primarily
corn fields,” said Arlene McGuire, the
granddaughter of James McFadden, the
nursing home’s namesake. “The apartments
next door were a cow pasture and horses
were there also.”

Arlene McGuire and her brother Paul McGuire
attended Monday night’s Friends of McFadden
meeting to give the nursing home’s supporters
an opportunity to hear what it was like to
live on the McFadden Manor premises during
the
late 1940s and 1950s, when they were just
children.

Built in the 1880s, the poor farm originally
housed Malden residents who were ill or in
need of a place to live.

The McGuires’ grandfather, James McFadden,
oversaw the farm from about 1922 through
1948. The McGuires’ parents, George and
Anne McGuire, took over two years after
McFadden left his post and raised their
family of six children, including Arlene
and Paul, on the farm.

It was only in 1955 that the facility was
converted to a full-time nursing home to
care for the city’s elderly population.

“If a family was burnt out [of their house],
or if children were abandoned, my father
would take them in,” said Arlene McGuire.
“There were people who really appreciated
it, especially the children.”

The McGuires recalled several holiday
memories, which were a community affair
when they were living on the property.

“My father used to decorate the pine tree
in the front with giant bulbs for Christmas
,” said Paul McGuire. “You could see all
through the neighborhood.”

And for Christmas and Halloween,
George McGuire were open the doors
to the facility and invite the neighbors
in to celebrate.

“My father believed that children should
not be going out door-to-door asking for
candy [on Halloween],” said Arlene McGuire.
“He said it wasn’t safe so he organized a
yearly Halloween party.”

Arlene McGuire brought several delicately
worn black and white photographs of her
family and past residents who had lived on
the McFadden Manor property. A few photos
showed residents getting their hair primped
and curled in the beauty parlor that still
exists at the McFadden Manor, but which
has long been out of service.

Paul McGuire even mentioned the jail cell
that remains in the basement of McFadden,
which has also been closed for decades.

“The jail downstairs was used for residents
who came home drunk until they sobered up,”
said Paul McGuire.

The McGuires felt compelled to recount
their memories to remind the Friends of
McFadden and its supporters how important
the facility was to them, and also to the
residents of Malden.

“I would hate to see this place closed down,
whether it was named for my grandfather or
not,” said Paul McGuire. “Just its reputation
is worth keeping it open.”

The most poignant moment of evening was

when Arlene McGuire read a letter to the
editor of a Malden newspaper from what she
believed was during the 1960s.
(The newspaper clipping was not dated.)

“I was surprised to read that consideration
was being given to the closing of the
McFadden Memorial Home by the city,”
wrote Ethel S. Greene, who lived on
90 Maple St. in Malden. “Having
first-hand knowledge of the care given
patients there, I have felt that it was
one thing of which the city of Malden
could well be proud.”

Greene’s words were reminiscent of
similar words being used by the
Friends of McFadden to save the
nursing home today.

“I believe that even if it should
cost a little more to care for patients
at McFadden Memorial Home, the
expenditure is justified, in view of
the homelike atmosphere and the
tender, loving care given the patients,
” Greene wrote.

When the McGuires had finished their
walk down memory lane, several meeting
attendees gathered around looking at the
photographs of the garden, the farmhouse
and Molly, their most favorite black and
white cow, as well as yellowed newspaper
clipping that detailed happenings like
the annual McFadden Manor Christmas party
sponsored by the Elks.

The McGuire family left the McFadden Manor
property in the late 1950s, but for both
Arlene and Paul McGuire, the farm will
always hold a special spot in their memories.

“I’ve always been sad that they closed
the farm,” said Paul McGuire. “Imagine
if it were still open? All of the
community and the children could come
to see the garden and experience a
real working farm. And all of the
residents could be occupied by taking
care of the garden and the farm.”

Meeting attendees said they were thrilled
by their special guests.

“The best part for me was taking them on
a tour (of the facility),”
said Valerie Folk,
whose brother is a McFadden Manor
resident. “Every corner we turned,
they’d say, nothing’s changed.
I don’t know how they remember everything.
It must have meant a lot to them.”

Friends of McFadden continue progress
Valerie Folk once again led the Friends
of McFadden meeting and provided the
group of approximately 30 attendees with
update on their progress to keep the
city-run nursing home open.

Since the last meeting, hundreds of flyers
and postcards have been distributed to
Malden residents across the city at
church services, community meetings
and even supermarket parking lots.

Folk is still trying to negotiate a
time for Mayor Richard Howard to give
the Friends of McFadden and their
supporters an update on where the
city stands on funding and the
future of the nursing home.
Howard had hoped to meet with
the group in April.

The Friends of McFadden are still
seeking potential members of a
board of directors to establish
a geriatric authority.
A geriatric authority would oversee
the daily administration of the facility,
as well as manage its own budget.

To establish a geriatric authority,
the board of directors would be
responsible for the day-to-day
management of the nursing home
such as dealing with federal and
state requirements for nursing homes,
medical updates, resident enrollment,
Medicare reimbursement and the budget.

The geriatric authority would be set up
similarly to the Malden Housing Authority,
which also runs independently from the
city’s budget.

“We’re looking for other members of the
community,” said Folk. “We’d like a grant
writer and a certified public accountant.
We’d also like people from the business
community.”

Folk told the group they need to move
quickly. Howard has committed to funding
the nursing home for the first six months
of fiscal 2009, which begins on July 1, 2008.

“We have to move quickly to establish a
geriatric authority before any moves are
made to privatize McFadden,” said Folk.
“We’ve made it clear that privatization
is not what we want. It’s also important
for us to keep the community informed
and involved.”

The Friends of McFadden are continuing
their efforts to stay in the forefront
of Malden’s residents’ minds.

“Looking at things since last November
when we started meeting regularly,
we’ve come a long way,” said Folk.
“But, in some respects, I’m a little
dismayed. I knew that there would be
some hurdles, but I would have thought
that by now we’d be sitting down with
the mayor to discuss the geriatric authority.
At the same time, though, I’m energized.
We had some new faces at the meeting
tonight and we continue to build support.”

The next Friends of McFadden meeting
will take place on Monday, May 5, at
6:30 p.m. at McFadden Manor on Forest Street.
All members of the community are invited
to attend.

— The Friends of McFadden have established
a Web site, which posts information about
upcoming meetings, at
www.FriendsofMcFadden.com.
The group can also be reached
by calling the McFadden Manor
at 781-322-1700. Staff members
will pass along messages
to the Friends of McFadden.

Copyright 2008 Malden Observer.
Some rights reserved
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Nice Photo..but2 years agoReport Abuse
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.....Make way for the new 'Howard Estates'
A Plush, High End Residence for the
affluent community, Units starting
at just under $599.000.
Cape Codder2 years agoReport Abuse
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I grew up on Gilbert Street not far
from McFadden Manor . I do remember
the farm and where the playground is,
I'm guessing because it's been a
long time since I have been back
to the old neighborhood. I remember
there was this nasty bull in the
field and he didn't like anyone
coming near the fence. He got loose
one day and razed havoc in the street.
I remember when the school was built
and many days of playing baseball and
football in the park. There is nothing
wrong in preserving the past.
The City of Malden should keep
McFadden Manor.
big jim2 years agoReport Abuse
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The more you learn the more sorry
this situation is. The poor farm
was closed and a school was built
along with some elderly housing
on the land. Now a second school
was built and a Nursing Home for
the Elderly which was converted
in 1955 to 'care for the cities
elderly population' was begun.
Now the Mayor for Life wants to
make sure that the city does not
live up to its obligations from
the past. Shame Richie Shame.
The best part of the article is
from Cape Codder who wrote of a
distant relative of the Mayor for

Life, a nasty bull that would not
let people too near. The Mayor won't
let people there live in peace just
like his ancestor the bull. Richie
your just like that old bull nasty
and full of .... Tell the truth for
a change and let the people that live
and work there what their future is and when.
Stop being a coward, it's not getting
you votes when you mistreat the old folks.
To: Big Jim2 years agoReport Abuse
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nobody told you? The mayor doesn't care
about your vote anymore--he's not running
again. He's setting it up for his puppet,
Neil, to take his place. Notice how Neil
is playing like he's his own man now and
not going along with the mayor? Notice how
many articles have his name all over them?
Notice how he's got the kids from the
charter school doing his cleanup work?
Notice how he's got cameras up in
Maplewood the charter school paid for?
Get ready--the mayor is going to give
it to the McFadden people good!
The first poster is right on--
'Howard Estates' coming up!
Big Black BullSh**2 years agoReport Abuse
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Their all cutting and running,
their folding up, their getting
out- the damage is done, and
they made their monies, now we

sit there with dumb looks on our
faces at what they've done- and wonder
about what they first said to us in
their attempt to represent- it was all lies.
and look at my city...look for
our elderly....what now?...
what now.....can I get a witness..?.
.does the statute of limitations
effect local politicians? can we sue?
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VA HEALTH CARE

2010-02-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

President Barack Obama recently
signed the Veterans' Emergency
Care Fairness Act of 2009. The
new law will enable the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reimburse
veterans enrolled in VA health care
for the remaining cost of emergency
treatment if the veteran has outside
insurance that only covers part of the cost.
Previously, VA could reimburse veterans or
pay outside hospitals directly only if a
veteran has no outside
health insurance.

Census 2010

2010-02-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

In Malden we have a large population
of Chinese and Vietnamese to the
Malden Senior Community Center and
many Foreign churches (groups) The
Immigration Learning Center in Malden
that should become involved.
The Great Wall Inc should be involved.
I am interested in seeing Mass
Senior Action involved in the
public housing units
Census 2010: Key Dates
Ideas for Partners
. Volunteers help paint a census
mural in neighborhood of Malden
.
U.S. Census Bureau Boston Regional
Census Center
One Beacon Street, 7th Floor Boston,
MA 02108
Phone: (617) 223-3610 E-mail: Boston.
PDSP@census.gov

Speak up Contact the Governor

2010-02-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

Thank you for sharing your thoughts
with Governor Patrick. The Governor
values your opinions and enjoys hearing
from people across the Commonwealth.
Please know that your views are always
welcome in this administration.

The Governor and his staff strive to
review every piece of correspondence
in a timely manner. If appropriate,
we will forward your message to the
appropriate staff member, department
or the state agency that can best
address your concerns.

If you need an immediate response,
please call the Governor's Office
at 617-725-4005 to speak with a
Constituent Services Aide. Again,
thank you for taking the time to
share your ideas with Governor Patrick.
Stay involved and engaged...
this is your government!

Subject: Pledge of volunteer time
to fight for health reform

On Saturday I attended the Caucus
of the Democratic committees in
Malden and passed the word(to those
who would listen) on why the
Demcratic Party at the convention
in June should keep Health Care on
the "Front Burner" No backing off
on our support of our elected
officials fighting for Health Care
for all
This is a start of my pledge to
support and ask others for those
candidates that support our effort.

Medicare and the Elderly

2010-02-22T15:08:00.001-08:00

President Obama hopes to finance a health care overhaul in part by squeezing hundreds of billions of dollars in savings from Medicare through a crackdown on fraud and waste. An oft-cited example: Medicare Advantage, run by private insurers reimbursed by Medicare, costs the government 14 percent more per enrollee than traditional Medicare.

Republicans claim that Democrats will ultimately be forced to reduce Medicare benefits to seniors in order to finance health care for more citizens. Are the elderly being asked to shoulder the burden for universal coverage? Should Medicare, or something like it, be available to an even greater number of Americans?