Paul Ryan has Wheelchair Bound Protestors Arrested!

vaberella

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Tue May-03-11 05:15 PM
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Paul Ryan has Wheelchair Bound Protestors Arrested!

Advocates for people with disabilities flooded the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., Monday to protest the GOP 2012 budget proposal (PDF), authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), which includes approximately 35 percent in funding cuts to Medicaid and a complete overhaul of the program by turning the states’ federal shares into block grants.

And 200 of those 300 protesters were in wheelchairs. As you can see, ADAPT is concerned that Medicaid recipients with disabilities would have to give up their homes and move into institutions or nursing homes because they don’t have steady work and/or enough money to make up for what the GOP plan would cut.

To say a protest was in order is an understatement.

Ryan sent out his chief of staff to speak to the protesters but, ahem, John Boehner refused to speak to anyone. Surprise!

However, Democrats John Lewis, Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky, and Barney Frank all spoke to them, and just as importantly, listened to them.

And of those 300 protesters, so far about 100 have been arrested. They were chanting “I’d rather be in jail than in a nursing home! “Good visual, huh?
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2011/05/03/protesters-in-wheelchairs-arrested-demanded-rejection-of-ryan-budget/

UPDATE: At about 6:30 p.m. EST, Capitol police began arresting ADAPT members who refused to leave the rotunda. The organization released a brief statement as the arrests began:

Tonight, Capitol Police have begun arresting ADAPT members from all over the country, who have remained in the Cannon House Office Building since midday. The ADAPTers want Representatives Paul Ryan, John Boehner and Michelle Bachmann to publicly withdraw their support for Medicaid budget cuts and Medicaid state block grants. Without this commitment, ADAPT has decided to make a point that we are willing to do whatever it takes to defend the right of people with disabilities and seniors to live in our homes, not nursing homes and institutions. It is unacceptable for our own government to treat the 60 million Americans who rely on Medicaid like garbage.

Ervin told TAI that about 100 people have been arrested so far, many of them chanting “I’d rather be in jail than in a nursing home!” He said Ryan sent his chief of staff to speak wit the protesters but that Speaker of the House John Boehner refused to speak to the organization. Representatives who talked to the group and listened to their demands included: John Lewis (D-Ga.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Barney Frank (D-Mass.).
http://www.americanindependent.com/181851/disability-advocates-take-to-capitol-hill-demand-rejection-of-ryan-budget-plan

So far only Tomm Hartman is talking about it---I hope Tomm posts a video on this in the Vid, section...I'll check but I don't think so. I'm hoping that it gets on Rachel's show. But I don't know. We really don't talk about how this negatively affects physically impaired individuals or those with chronic disease who depend on their medicare and medicaid to stay alive. This is something serious. I get a bit upset when I see some promote this agenda {Paul Ryan Plan} as though it's in some way progressive or has a progressive tilt, more so than HCR. This is truly out of control.