Civic Engagement: It's Our Middle Name

by Will Parry, Guest Columnist

The last time I looked, the planets were all circling cheerfully in their orbits. All the planets, that is, but one: our troubled earth.

Our troubled earth is the reason there had to be a Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans. It's the reason all of us need to be engaged as citizens. The Alliance is a low-budget, all-volunteer organization. We have no fat-cat angels. Our 500 members dig into their Social Security checks to contribute what we need to operate.

As you might expect, our members are primarily older men and women. Otherwise, we are a diverse group, united primarily by a prickly conscience and a capacity for indignation. Our concerns include but transcend the needs and problems associated with aging. Most of us have grandkids we love, and even those of us who don't are outraged when children are cut off the Basic Health Plan.

We take our citizenship rights and responsibilities seriously. We defend an affordable bus fare for seniors and persons with disabilities, and we are blunt in our opposition to the war in Iraq. Last summer, we gathered more than 10,000 signatures on a petition affirming every person's right to health care of equal high quality, and calling on Congress to immediately enact legislation to implement that right.

We fought the Medicare prescription drug bill as a massive giveaway to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. Right now we're working in coalition with many others to protect Social Security against its threatened destruction by privatization.

We cherish the First Amendment, and we use it            to the hilt.

We respect differences, but we reject passivity and cynicism. We're spunky, opinionated, outspoken, and perfectly willing to trigger apoplexy among the privileged.

As a generation, we've been through wars and depressions, presidents decent and lousy, political defeats and victories. We love our country, and we believe the best way to prove it is to raise hell about its shortcomings.

Of which there are many.

Our operating principle was expressed by Rabbi Tarfon nearly two millennia ago: "You are not required to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to abstain from it."

Civic engagement is our birthright and our middle name. If we sound like we're your cup of tea, give us a call at (206) 448-9646. 

This article represents the views of Will Parry and the Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans, and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Advisory Council.