The Lion of the Senate and the Kennedys 8-30-09
Dear friends and family -
It has come to my attention that not everyone was raised the way that we were raised, and so perhaps not everyone grew up knowing and loving the Kennedys and understanding all the important figures, moments, and events that contributed to the 1960s being such a fundamental change in American values and beliefs and just how we conduct life. Fortunately, in my house we were raised to learn and love all things that are fairly 60s-definining. From a very early age, we watched programs about the Kennedy family and their contributions to modern American life. We grew up loving JFK and imagining, as the world then imagines, that so many things could have been accomplished given more time - particularly also that we would not have become so entrenched in Vietnam because JFK did not intend to have Vietnam be escalated. Then John was taken from us. He was such an inspirational president and we were raised to think of him as a hero, and for the reasons above - he provided hope and a vision of the United States that would walk on the moon and finally provide basic civil rights to all, regardless of race, creed, religion. We grew up devastated by his assassination - despite there being 27 years between his death and my life.
Thankfully, with Senator Edward Kennedy's assistance, LBJ took advantage of the death of JFK to pass those civil rights bills and to make tremendous progress on that front politically. Then came Bobby Kennedy - this was the man who was going to get us out of Vietnam, who bridged classes and races and pushed civil rights into action....He was going to provide rights for the disadvantaged, the poor, the minority immigrants, no one was to be left behind. He provided hope to the down-trodded and forgotten-about portions of the community. He provided a beacon of hope had he made it to the level where he could make those things happen. Unfortunately, those hopes too were dashed in 1968 shortly after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Bobby was gunned down, and it seemed as though hope was dying during that period. All these ideas were dashed....
A disillusioned public looked to its leaders for help, and though Johnson's War on Poverty was able to affect those disadvantaged and poor of our country, his work at home could not excuse what happened abroad. Instead of withdrawing troops and succumbing to an early "Vietnamization" of the War in Vietnam, he instead escalated the number of troops there and continued an unforgiveable, unwinnable war. He conceded any further political aspirations to the Presidency, but then Bobby gave us new hope. When those hopes were killed with him, we instead got Richard M. Nixon, and disillusionment, distrust, and dislike of the political system became the standard that we live by today. A whole world of change occurred over that horrible period of time from 1968 to 1975. Scars of that are still left behind...personal scars among the men and women who served and didn't return, and those who served and returned changed - suffering from PTSD. The world became such a different place, and so hopeless for all that.
While we thought all our hopes and dreams for the Kennedys died when Jack and Bobby died, they did not. Instead, Edward M. Kennedy followed through on their dreams and more - And I wanted to share everything he did for those less fortunate:
1964 - Head-Start- providing meals and early education to pre-school children
1965 - Hart-Cellar Act - changed immigration policy to abolish quotas and lift 1924 immigration ban on Asia
1968 - Bilingual Education Act - Mandated for schools to provide bilingual education systems
1970 - Voting Age - Lowered voting age to 18
1971 - Federal Cancer Research Program - Quadrupled the amount of money spent by the federal government to fight cancer
1972 - Meals on Wheels - Strengthened the federal program offering nutritional meals to homebound seniors.
1972 - WIC - Offered food, nutrition counseling and health services to low-income women, infants, and children
1973 - Title IX - Demanded equal funding for men's and women's athletics on college campuses
1974 - Campaign Finance - Imposed limits on contributions to political candidates and set up a public financing option, post-Watergate
1975 - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Guaranteed free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities.
1978 - Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments - Expanded the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability.
1978 - Airline Deregulation - Allowed airlines to choose their own fares, reducing costs for consumers.
1980 - Refugee Act - Established a U.S. policy for providing humanitarian assistance, admission and resettlement to refugees around the world.
1981 - Fuel Assistance - Provided home heating fuel for low-income and working poor families
1983 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Established a national holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday
1984 - Improved Access to Polling Stations - Required polling stations to provide physical accessibility for physically disabled and elderly people on federal election days.
1986 - Employment Opportunities for Disabled Americans Act - Allowed disabled workers to receive SSI benefits and Medicaid coverage
1986 - Anti-Apartheid Sanctions - Banned the purchase of gold, coal, iron, and other goods from South Africa to protest apartheid
1987 - Even Start - Offered early education, family literacy and related services to disadvantaged parents and their children
1988 - Fair Housing Act Amendments - Prohibited discrimination towards people with disabilities in the sale or rental of housing
1989 - National Military Child Care Act - Established the Department of Defense child care system.
1990 - Americans with Disabilities Act - Prohibited discrimination against any qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures, hiring or discharge, compensation, advancement and training.
1990 - Ryan White CARE Act - Provided assistance to states to develop effective and cost-efficient AIDS care programs, aimed particularly at early diagnosis and home care
1991 - Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty - Halved the world's nuclear arsenal through cooperation with the U.S.S.R.
1991 - Women in Combat - Repealed the ban on women serving as combat aviators
1992 - Summer Jobs for Youth Program - Appropriated $500 million to give 300,000 youth with summer employment
1992 - Mammography Quality Standards Act - Ensured the safety and accuracy of mammograms and promoted the use of the procedure
1993 - National and Community Service Trust Act - Created AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service to help expand volunteerism and education grants for students who choose to volunteer for service after college.
1993 - Student Loans - Allowed students to borrow money for college directly from the federal government
1994 - Family and Medical Leave Act - Provided up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family emergencies or after the birth of infants
1994 - Crime Act - Secured funding for 100,000 new police officers, imposed new penalties for crimes involving gangs and firearms and authorized the Police Corps, a program to award college scholarships to students in return for a commitment to serve as police officers.
1996 - Kennedy-Kassebaum Act - Enabled employees to keep health insurance after leaving their job and prohibited insurance companies from refusing to renew coverage on the basis of preexisting medical conditions
1996 - Mental Health Parity Bill - Eliminated limits on mental health coverage that differ from other covered illnesses
1996 - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Act - Established Welfare-to-Work Initiatives to reduce the number of families dependent on government assistance
1996/2007 - Minimum Wage - Increased the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 in 1996, and then again from $5.15 in 2007 to $7.25 by 2009
1997 - State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) - Supported state efforts to provide health insurance to uninsured children in low-income familes
2000 - Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act - Improved data systems and research on the extent and severity of minority health problems, and authorized significant resources to help enhance the delivery of health care to minorities.
2000 - Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act - Introduced initiatives to control the spread of germs resistant to antibiotics, and to protect the country against bioterrorism.
2001 - No Child Left Behind Act - Required more rigorous testing of public school students and permitted parents to transfer their children from low-performing to higher-performing schools.
2002 - Bioterrorism Preparedness Act - Established plan to help the country prevent, prepare for and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.
2002 - Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act - Expanded the country's intelligence and law enforcement capabilities to help identify individuals who have violated visas or have links to terrorist organizations.
2003 - Up-Armored Humvees - Provided funding for additional armor for military vehicles to meet the safety needs of American troops
2003 - PROTECT Act - Provided funding for AMBER Alert notification systems along U.S. highways and awarded grants to states for the implementation of improved communication technologies
2005 Gulf Coast Recovery and Preparedness Act - Provided emergency funding to assist in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina
2006 - Family Opportunity Act - Provided states the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage to children with special needs and allowed low- and middle-income families with disabled children the ability to purchase coverage under the Medicaid program
He worked to fight for quality, affordable health care for all, worked to secure funding to support HIV/AIDS treatment, support, and care, create a federal funding stream to feed the elderly and support women and children, enhance bioterrorism preparedness, provide resources for medical research, work to reduce medical errors and preventable death, protect children and consumers from the deadly effects of tobacco products, protecting consumers through enhanced drug and device safety, enhance food safety, strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, provide quicker access to generic drugs and follow-on biologics, enhancing mental health care, supporting Massachusetts hospitals and health providers, address disparities in minority health, support pediatricians and children's hospitals, fighting for increased funding for vaccinations, advocating for civil rights and voting rights, fighting for fair elections, reforming the immigration system, promoting citizenship, reforming the Federal Criminal Code, preserving affirmative action, promoting gender equity, protecting religious freedom, ensuring safer communities, pursuing fairness in courts and administration of justice, supporting education on all levels, advocating national and community service, hiring and training new teachers, supporting safe and productive after-school programs, improving education for immigrant students and children of migrant workers, giving Native Americans a greater voice in their education, retaining America's leadership in the global economy, strengthening unemployment insurance, protecting workers pensions, fighting for equal pay for equal work, enhancing workers safety, protecting the right to organize and associate freely, compensating energy employees, protecting the rights of federal employees, preventing genetic discrimination, helping Massachusetts fishermen, holding oil companies accountable, raising fuel economy standards, promoting energy research and development, improving energy efficiency, preserving Massachusetts heritage, providing a voice for human rights and democracy around the globe, starting with Northern Ireland, South Africa, Latin America, the Soviet Union, Libya, establishing cultural bridges especially after 9/11, working to reduce nuclear weapons, helping military families, protecting our troops and modernizing the armed forces, protecting equal opportunity for women in combat, caring for Wounded Warriors through legislation, banning torture, expanding opportunities for the disabled to include vocational rehabilitation and employment, assistive technology, education, and healthcare, and established a "bill of rights" for people with developmental disabilities.
If you can't find something in this list that has impacted you, then you're probably not really thinking....
So with this post I just wanted to show the way that the Kennedy family affected me and my family on a personal level, and all the ways that we owe to the Kennedys the freedoms and privileges as entitled here. I just hope that we can all look at this and realize, we too are capable of caring for those around us....Thank you for dedicating your life to serving the people, Senator Kennedy, and rest in peace.
lots of love,
Kate
It has come to my attention that not everyone was raised the way that we were raised, and so perhaps not everyone grew up knowing and loving the Kennedys and understanding all the important figures, moments, and events that contributed to the 1960s being such a fundamental change in American values and beliefs and just how we conduct life. Fortunately, in my house we were raised to learn and love all things that are fairly 60s-definining. From a very early age, we watched programs about the Kennedy family and their contributions to modern American life. We grew up loving JFK and imagining, as the world then imagines, that so many things could have been accomplished given more time - particularly also that we would not have become so entrenched in Vietnam because JFK did not intend to have Vietnam be escalated. Then John was taken from us. He was such an inspirational president and we were raised to think of him as a hero, and for the reasons above - he provided hope and a vision of the United States that would walk on the moon and finally provide basic civil rights to all, regardless of race, creed, religion. We grew up devastated by his assassination - despite there being 27 years between his death and my life.
Thankfully, with Senator Edward Kennedy's assistance, LBJ took advantage of the death of JFK to pass those civil rights bills and to make tremendous progress on that front politically. Then came Bobby Kennedy - this was the man who was going to get us out of Vietnam, who bridged classes and races and pushed civil rights into action....He was going to provide rights for the disadvantaged, the poor, the minority immigrants, no one was to be left behind. He provided hope to the down-trodded and forgotten-about portions of the community. He provided a beacon of hope had he made it to the level where he could make those things happen. Unfortunately, those hopes too were dashed in 1968 shortly after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Bobby was gunned down, and it seemed as though hope was dying during that period. All these ideas were dashed....
A disillusioned public looked to its leaders for help, and though Johnson's War on Poverty was able to affect those disadvantaged and poor of our country, his work at home could not excuse what happened abroad. Instead of withdrawing troops and succumbing to an early "Vietnamization" of the War in Vietnam, he instead escalated the number of troops there and continued an unforgiveable, unwinnable war. He conceded any further political aspirations to the Presidency, but then Bobby gave us new hope. When those hopes were killed with him, we instead got Richard M. Nixon, and disillusionment, distrust, and dislike of the political system became the standard that we live by today. A whole world of change occurred over that horrible period of time from 1968 to 1975. Scars of that are still left behind...personal scars among the men and women who served and didn't return, and those who served and returned changed - suffering from PTSD. The world became such a different place, and so hopeless for all that.
While we thought all our hopes and dreams for the Kennedys died when Jack and Bobby died, they did not. Instead, Edward M. Kennedy followed through on their dreams and more - And I wanted to share everything he did for those less fortunate:
1964 - Head-Start- providing meals and early education to pre-school children
1965 - Hart-Cellar Act - changed immigration policy to abolish quotas and lift 1924 immigration ban on Asia
1968 - Bilingual Education Act - Mandated for schools to provide bilingual education systems
1970 - Voting Age - Lowered voting age to 18
1971 - Federal Cancer Research Program - Quadrupled the amount of money spent by the federal government to fight cancer
1972 - Meals on Wheels - Strengthened the federal program offering nutritional meals to homebound seniors.
1972 - WIC - Offered food, nutrition counseling and health services to low-income women, infants, and children
1973 - Title IX - Demanded equal funding for men's and women's athletics on college campuses
1974 - Campaign Finance - Imposed limits on contributions to political candidates and set up a public financing option, post-Watergate
1975 - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Guaranteed free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities.
1978 - Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments - Expanded the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability.
1978 - Airline Deregulation - Allowed airlines to choose their own fares, reducing costs for consumers.
1980 - Refugee Act - Established a U.S. policy for providing humanitarian assistance, admission and resettlement to refugees around the world.
1981 - Fuel Assistance - Provided home heating fuel for low-income and working poor families
1983 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Established a national holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday
1984 - Improved Access to Polling Stations - Required polling stations to provide physical accessibility for physically disabled and elderly people on federal election days.
1986 - Employment Opportunities for Disabled Americans Act - Allowed disabled workers to receive SSI benefits and Medicaid coverage
1986 - Anti-Apartheid Sanctions - Banned the purchase of gold, coal, iron, and other goods from South Africa to protest apartheid
1987 - Even Start - Offered early education, family literacy and related services to disadvantaged parents and their children
1988 - Fair Housing Act Amendments - Prohibited discrimination towards people with disabilities in the sale or rental of housing
1989 - National Military Child Care Act - Established the Department of Defense child care system.
1990 - Americans with Disabilities Act - Prohibited discrimination against any qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures, hiring or discharge, compensation, advancement and training.
1990 - Ryan White CARE Act - Provided assistance to states to develop effective and cost-efficient AIDS care programs, aimed particularly at early diagnosis and home care
1991 - Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty - Halved the world's nuclear arsenal through cooperation with the U.S.S.R.
1991 - Women in Combat - Repealed the ban on women serving as combat aviators
1992 - Summer Jobs for Youth Program - Appropriated $500 million to give 300,000 youth with summer employment
1992 - Mammography Quality Standards Act - Ensured the safety and accuracy of mammograms and promoted the use of the procedure
1993 - National and Community Service Trust Act - Created AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service to help expand volunteerism and education grants for students who choose to volunteer for service after college.
1993 - Student Loans - Allowed students to borrow money for college directly from the federal government
1994 - Family and Medical Leave Act - Provided up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family emergencies or after the birth of infants
1994 - Crime Act - Secured funding for 100,000 new police officers, imposed new penalties for crimes involving gangs and firearms and authorized the Police Corps, a program to award college scholarships to students in return for a commitment to serve as police officers.
1996 - Kennedy-Kassebaum Act - Enabled employees to keep health insurance after leaving their job and prohibited insurance companies from refusing to renew coverage on the basis of preexisting medical conditions
1996 - Mental Health Parity Bill - Eliminated limits on mental health coverage that differ from other covered illnesses
1996 - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Act - Established Welfare-to-Work Initiatives to reduce the number of families dependent on government assistance
1996/2007 - Minimum Wage - Increased the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 in 1996, and then again from $5.15 in 2007 to $7.25 by 2009
1997 - State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) - Supported state efforts to provide health insurance to uninsured children in low-income familes
2000 - Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act - Improved data systems and research on the extent and severity of minority health problems, and authorized significant resources to help enhance the delivery of health care to minorities.
2000 - Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act - Introduced initiatives to control the spread of germs resistant to antibiotics, and to protect the country against bioterrorism.
2001 - No Child Left Behind Act - Required more rigorous testing of public school students and permitted parents to transfer their children from low-performing to higher-performing schools.
2002 - Bioterrorism Preparedness Act - Established plan to help the country prevent, prepare for and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.
2002 - Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act - Expanded the country's intelligence and law enforcement capabilities to help identify individuals who have violated visas or have links to terrorist organizations.
2003 - Up-Armored Humvees - Provided funding for additional armor for military vehicles to meet the safety needs of American troops
2003 - PROTECT Act - Provided funding for AMBER Alert notification systems along U.S. highways and awarded grants to states for the implementation of improved communication technologies
2005 Gulf Coast Recovery and Preparedness Act - Provided emergency funding to assist in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina
2006 - Family Opportunity Act - Provided states the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage to children with special needs and allowed low- and middle-income families with disabled children the ability to purchase coverage under the Medicaid program
He worked to fight for quality, affordable health care for all, worked to secure funding to support HIV/AIDS treatment, support, and care, create a federal funding stream to feed the elderly and support women and children, enhance bioterrorism preparedness, provide resources for medical research, work to reduce medical errors and preventable death, protect children and consumers from the deadly effects of tobacco products, protecting consumers through enhanced drug and device safety, enhance food safety, strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, provide quicker access to generic drugs and follow-on biologics, enhancing mental health care, supporting Massachusetts hospitals and health providers, address disparities in minority health, support pediatricians and children's hospitals, fighting for increased funding for vaccinations, advocating for civil rights and voting rights, fighting for fair elections, reforming the immigration system, promoting citizenship, reforming the Federal Criminal Code, preserving affirmative action, promoting gender equity, protecting religious freedom, ensuring safer communities, pursuing fairness in courts and administration of justice, supporting education on all levels, advocating national and community service, hiring and training new teachers, supporting safe and productive after-school programs, improving education for immigrant students and children of migrant workers, giving Native Americans a greater voice in their education, retaining America's leadership in the global economy, strengthening unemployment insurance, protecting workers pensions, fighting for equal pay for equal work, enhancing workers safety, protecting the right to organize and associate freely, compensating energy employees, protecting the rights of federal employees, preventing genetic discrimination, helping Massachusetts fishermen, holding oil companies accountable, raising fuel economy standards, promoting energy research and development, improving energy efficiency, preserving Massachusetts heritage, providing a voice for human rights and democracy around the globe, starting with Northern Ireland, South Africa, Latin America, the Soviet Union, Libya, establishing cultural bridges especially after 9/11, working to reduce nuclear weapons, helping military families, protecting our troops and modernizing the armed forces, protecting equal opportunity for women in combat, caring for Wounded Warriors through legislation, banning torture, expanding opportunities for the disabled to include vocational rehabilitation and employment, assistive technology, education, and healthcare, and established a "bill of rights" for people with developmental disabilities.
If you can't find something in this list that has impacted you, then you're probably not really thinking....
So with this post I just wanted to show the way that the Kennedy family affected me and my family on a personal level, and all the ways that we owe to the Kennedys the freedoms and privileges as entitled here. I just hope that we can all look at this and realize, we too are capable of caring for those around us....Thank you for dedicating your life to serving the people, Senator Kennedy, and rest in peace.
lots of love,
Kate
posted by Kate @ 10:38 PM
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