Newsletter Articles

Housing for Working Families in Deerfield: Let Facts Overcome Fear

August 20, 2015

By Brendan Saunders and Howard Schickler

A congregation, a community-based organization, and a private developer —Zion Lutheran Evangelical Church, the Housing Opportunity Development Corporation, and Brinshore Development, LLC—came together around a vision: housing for working families in Deerfield. That vision crystallized into a proposal for a 48-unit rental development that they presented to the village’s Plan Commission in May.

At the May Plan Commission meeting, many residents expressed their opinions. Advocates emphasized Deerfield’s need to create room for the local workforce and their families in housing they can afford. They offered studies that demonstrated there would be no traffic impact, and local school board representatives reported that there is ample space for new students. Without offering any contrary evidence, opponents argued that the development would disrupt traffic, would burden schools, and would “not fit in the neighborhood.”

Now it is time for supporters to come together and make their voices heard!

An underlying issue driving the opposition is fear—fear that lower-income people and their children are not people of quality; that property values will decline; that the architecture of “affordable housing” is unsightly; and ultimately that mixed-income housing will not fit into the overall character of the community. Examples of these statements can be viewed on the Village of Deerfield’s website.

Ironically, those who fear affordable housing do not realize that they already know people who would qualify to live in that housing: their neighbor who was recently downsized, the emergency medical technician who works for the fire department, or the local child care worker. Although it is not unusual for neighbors to initially oppose affordable workforce housing, once the developments are created, time and time again they blend seamlessly into the fabric of their communities.

In today’s complex world, mixed-income housing not only makes economic sense, it’s also the right thing to do.

For more information about affordable housing’s impact on traffic, environment, infrastructure, and property values, see Fear of Affordable Housing: Perception vs. Reality. For further details about the need for affordable housing, see the MacArthur Foundation’s Housing Challenges Real For Many Americans, Finds 2014 How Housing Matters Survey.

The message of supporters needs to be loud and clear.

1) We want a more diverse and inclusive community to be reflected in its housing opportunities.
2) Valid community concerns about traffic, schools, safety, aesthetics, and the like can and will be addressed.
3) This development aligns with and will enhance the character of Deerfield.

In July 2015, the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its final rules for communities to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing. This requires communities to take action to break down barriers of segregation. This can be done by creating affordable housing in areas that offer a supportive environment in which all can access a broad range of opportunities. This proposed development does just that; it opens opportunities for the local workforce that would be otherwise unavailable.

What can you do to help this project proceed and succeed? Talk to your friends and neighbors in Deerfield; let them know that this is a good development, share facts from reliable sources. Make it known that Deerfield should be a YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) community. Attend public hearings and make your voice of support heard. Join your neighbors in Deerfield and Open Communities to endorse Welcoming Communities.

THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT PREVAILS AT SCOTUS ONCE AGAIN

August 13, 2015

Newsletter Articles

BY MARK ROSENBERG, M.D.

For those who were on vacation on a South Pacific island in June, the U.S. Supreme Court, in King v. Burwell, upheld the administration’s reading of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare), thus preserving a key provision of this landmark legislation. The challenge rested on the interpretation of the phrase “an Exchange established by the State.” If, as plaintiffs claimed, this phrase referred exclusively to health insurance exchanges run wholly by a state government and not by the federal government, residents of states using the federal exchange would be deemed ineligible for the advance premium tax credits that make health insurance affordable under the Affordable Care Act. Illinois has been using the federal exchange.

The Court, by a 6-3 margin, concluded that such a cramped reading was inconsistent with the law that Congress passed in 2010. In the majority opinion, the justices affirmed that a primary intent of the law was to subsidize the purchase of health insurance. To read the subject phrase in isolation as plaintiffs argued it should be read would defeat that core purpose of Obamacare by depriving millions of low-income Americans of affordable health insurance simply because the state they resided in chose not to create its own insurance exchange. Justice Antonin Scalia, who called this reasoning “pure applesauce,” wrote a vitriolic dissent.

Unfortunately, the SCOTUS decision in King v. Burwell will not end challenges to the Affordable Care Act. Republicans in Congress, including 10^th District Congressman Bob Dold, will continue to waste their time and our money by voting to repeal or gut Obamacare, and the Republican-controlled states that have refused to expand their Medicaid programs (see accompanying article) will continue to deny their lowest income residents access to affordable healthcare.

Perhaps after the 2016 election, Congressional Republicans will stop grandstanding and abandon efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Then Congress may be ready to work to improve Obamacare and Medicare to ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MEDICAID AT 50 YEARS OF AGE

Newsletter Articles

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.

In the second birthday greeting of the year (the first was the 50^th anniversary of Medicare), we celebrate the signing in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson of the Medicaid authorization. In contrast to Medicare, which is funded and managed entirely by the federal government, Medicaid was designed as a federal-state cooperative program to cover medical expenses for certain low-income individuals—specifically, aged, blind, and disabled persons and parents and dependent children receiving public assistance.

The Medicaid program is a hybrid of federal and state funding and control—the federal share of funding is contingent on the state’s adherence to federal standards. This feature of the program has been a source of ongoing tension between states and the federal government.

For an example of disharmony arising from the federal-state partnership in the Medicaid program, we can look at our own State of Illinois. Traditionally, state control of the administration of the plan has meant significant variability in the benefits and access to care from state to state, with some limiting payments to physicians and other providers. In Illinois, it was widely acknowledged that low payment levels had a direct correlation with physician participation; that is, physicians chose not to treat Medicaid recipients rather than accept the program’s low payment for their services.

That was the subject of Memisovski v. Maram, a federal lawsuit that challenged the state’s payments to providers as inadequate to provide access to care by Medicaid recipients. The suit was brought on behalf of all children in Cook County who were eligible for Medicaid

I was a witness for the plaintiffs. I testified about the lack of access to care and low physician participation because of Illinois Medicaid’s inadequate reimbursements. In a major decision that, unfortunately, did not impact other states, the court decided in favor of the plaintiffs and required the State of Illinois to provide adequate payment to ensure physician participation in its Medicaid program.

More recently, the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) expanded Medicaid by making it widely available to individuals and families earning below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. And unlike traditional Medicaid, the federal government is paying the entire cost of expanded Medicaid in the first years and a large share thereafter.

However, the same Supreme Court decision that in 2013 found the ACA to be constitutional also held that the federal government could not require a state to expand its Medicaid program.

States choosing to forgo Medicaid expansion—mostly red states—continue to include only aged, blind, and disabled people and pregnant women and dependent children in their Medicaid programs. This is unfortunate, because there is clear evidence that the states that have enrolled low- income families in expanded Medicaid have benefitted from the ACA, with approximately 10 million newly insured.

Hopefully, now that the ACA has become a permanent fixture in American healthcare (see “Affordable Care Act Prevails at SCOTUS Once Again,” Tenth News, August 2015), more states will take advantage of the federal government’s support of Medicaid funding and expand their Medicaid-eligible population.

Finally, because Medicaid is the primary funding source for long-term care for the elderly and disabled, states have obtained waivers of federal requirements in order to find alternatives to institutional care. The resulting innovation is leading to expansion of community-based healthcare.

Behind the Scenes at Tenth Dems: Young People at Work for a Better World

August 9, 2015

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By Danielle Resnick

As schools let out for the summer and temperatures begin to rise, so does the energy in Tenth Dems offices. High school and college students and recent college graduates from around the 10^th Congressional District gather for a fun, educational, hands-on experience as Tenth Dems summer interns. The Tenth Dems summer program is a time commitment of at least sixteen hours a week; however, interns often choose to devote much more of their time to these volunteer activities.

Tenth Dems prides itself on providing a very wide range of opportunities in a variety of fields, from planning and staffing events and doing research, to assisting state legislators in their offices, making the experience unique to each individual. Gaining knowledge and connections along the way, the Tenth Dems interns are able to familiarize themselves with, and get personally involved in, the political process at a grassroots level. Interns frequently further their political careers after their summers with the Tenth Dems by obtaining jobs with elected officials and candidates in Springfield, as well as in Washington, DC.

Here is an introduction to this year’s summer interns:

Aneesa Ahmed: Aneesa is no stranger to working in politics. Last summer she worked as an intern/field associate for Julie Morrison in her campaign for State Senate. That’s how Aneesa became aware of Tenth Dems and the organization’s work. Aneesa is a recent graduate of Lake Forest College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in politics as well as economics. She loves to read, but also enjoys spending time outside, particularly playing tennis and swimming. Her dream job would be to one day work in politics as a policy maker.

Amelia Berger: Amelia graduated from Deerfield High School in 2013 and went on to study political science and communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is the president of UIUC’s Gamma Phi Beta sorority, a wonderful learning experience for her. She hopes one day to attend law school or go into politics. Amelia’s family has always been very involved in politics and inspired her to reach out to the Tenth Dems in order to get a deeper look into the political world.

Sam Braganca: Like Amelia, Sam will be studying political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is his second summer with Tenth Dems, as he continues his intern experience from last summer. Sam enjoys athletics as well, playing basketball with friends and sailing in his free time. He hopes to one day be Vice President of the United States and is increasing his knowledge of the political process through his time with the Tenth Dems.

Noah Daniel: After this summer, Noah will be attending Grinnell College, a liberal arts school in Grinnell, Iowa, and like many other Tenth Dems interns, is planning on studying political science. He loves playing baseball in his free time as well as taking the occasional break to curl up on the couch and watch his favorite TV shows and movies on Netflix. He hopes to one day become a politician.

Conor Kennedy: Conor is a junior at Libertyville High School who plans to study economics and political science in college. Conor has considered a career in law as a private attorney, but he is keeping his mind and options open. His family is very involved with the Tenth Dems and Conor himself wanted to familiarize himself with campaign organization, communications, and political research through his summer internship.

Justin Lenz: Justin is from Libertyville and will begin his junior year at Lawrence University this fall. Justin is a great help around the office, as he is double majoring in government and German. As a government student, he hopes to gain a deeper understanding of politics at a local level through his summer with the Tenth Dems. He ultimately plans to become a lawyer. When not at the office, Justin enjoys playing video games and watching Netflix, as well as cooking up meals for his family and friends.

Michael Pierce: Michael is a senior studying international relations and history at Clark University, though he would someday like to go to law school or enter the non-profit sector. Through this internship he hopes to gain transferable skills that can be used in a future career in politics or in any other field. He hopes to acquire the tools necessary to make a difference in any situation and under any circumstances.

Arun Pookote: Also attending Lake Forest College, Arun is studying political science and communications. Last summer he spent time as an intern for Brad Schneider’s reelection campaign. He enjoyed canvassing in Highland Park, where he met leaders of Tenth Dems and learned about the organization. He hopes to gain experience on legal cases and a better understanding of politics. Arun loves to read, sing, dance, and do zumba in his free time.

Danielle Resnick: Danielle is a rising junior at Indiana University-Bloomington, studying journalism. She is the alumni relations chair for IU’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority and is very happy to be working with the Tenth Dems this summer. She is taking this internship as a chance to explore the political world and network in the field. Danielle has been a dancer for most of her life and enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as her dog, Sonny.

Jonathan Rudnick: A junior at Drake University, Jonathan is studying politics and computer science. He has been an incredible asset to the Tenth Dems team with his wonderful work transforming and updating the organization’s website. Jonathan also designed the July issue of Tenth News, and will continue to function as one of this newsletter’s regular designers even after he returns to school.

Ariel Sheffey: Ariel first got involved in politics through her internship with Tenth Dems in the summer of 2013. She continued her internship through 2014 and is now one of this summer’s internship coordinators. Ariel has also interned for State Representative Scott Drury and volunteered for Democratic congressional campaigns. Outside of politics, Ariel is involved in cross country and dance. She hopes to pursue a career related to political economics or computer science.

Peter Shin: Peter recently graduated from the University of Chicago where he studied math. His unique skills make him an invaluable asset to the intern team. Originally, Peter contacted Tenth Dems simply to volunteer. When he was made aware of the internship program, he seized this excellent developmental opportunity. Peter is still exploring his options as far as a future career is concerned.

Ally Silverman: Ally is a rising junior at Adlai E. Stevenson High School, but has big plans for her future, seeing her Tenth Dems internship as the first step in her goal of one day becoming President of the United States. She plans on studying international studies, political science, or international relations once she moves on to a university. Ally is very involved in extracurricular activities at Stevenson: she is ranked statewide for her oral argument from Youth and Government, is an inductee mentor for her school’s National Honor Society, is vice president of Peer Tutors, and received outstanding junior awards in Chinese, Latin, and Youth and Government.

Joel Spiegel: Joel is a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, majoring in political science and minoring in sustainable community development. Joel first got involved with politics through social justice work with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and, later, an internship with the Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants. Joel interned with Tenth Dems in the summer of 2014 and now serves as an intern coordinator along with Ariel Sheffey. On campus, Joel is involved with TEDxAmherst and is active with the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, advocating for accessibility and affordability of public higher education.

Haley Wint: Haley is a rising senior at New Trier High School. When Haley isn’t reading or competitively figure skating, she is in a Tenth Dems office hoping to learn more about politics and become more involved with the political process in her community. One day, after studying political science and history in college, she hopes to become a campaign manager or elected official.

Tenth Dems Participates in Justice Day

July 31, 2015

Featured, Newsletter Articles, Updates

On Sunday afternoon, July 26, Tenth Dems joined more than a dozen other community organizations at the Winnetka Village Green to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Northshore Summer Project, the grassroots movement that brought Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to rally thousands of Chicagoland residents in support of social justice.

The event featured songs, fun, food, and speeches by such luminaries as William McNary, Co-Director for Citizen Action/Illinois, and 9^th District Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

With a call for a renewed commitment to social justice, the event also honored the 25^th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Tenth Dems was a partner in the event and drew many visitors to its booth, which was anchored by Tenth Dems’ very own “cardboard Obama.”

Tenth Dems University Sponsoring Deputy Voter Registrar Training Sessions at Locations Throughout 10th District

Volunteers prepare to view slide show at one of several training sessions for Deputy Voter Registrars that Tenth Dems organized in July.

Housing for Working Families in Deerfield: Let Facts Overcome Fear

THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT PREVAILS AT SCOTUS ONCE AGAIN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MEDICAID AT 50 YEARS OF AGE

Behind the Scenes at Tenth Dems: Young People at Work for a Better World

Tenth Dems Participates in Justice Day

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