MD State Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez Will Deliver the Democratic Hispanic Radio Address This Saturday
Maryland State Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez will deliver the Democratic Hispanic Radio Address this Saturday. Sol Gutierrez made history when she became the first Latina elected to the Maryland state legislature in 2002. Currently Sol Gutierrez is a member of the Sub Committee on Health and Human Resources of the House of Delegates, and as such works directly with health issues and state programs that depend on local and federal funding. Sol Gutierrez will discuss President Bush's threat to veto the renewal and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which the Democratic Congress passed recently. The renewal would make health care coverage available to millions of children who lack it. S-CHIP expires on September 30th, just 8 days from now. If the President vetoes it, 15 states will lose funding in October and thousands of children will lose coverage. Other states will feel the impact soon after.
In her message, Delegate Sol Gutierrez also contrasts the presidential candidates in both parties, reminding listeners that Democrats are fighting for universal health care coverage while Republican candidates are offering another four years of more of the same failed policies of the current Administration.
The audio of the address will be heard through local Univisión Radio, Latino Broadcasting Company, Radio Fórmula, Radiovisa, Radio Bilingüe, and CNN en Español Radio affiliates after 11:06 a.m. ET on Saturday.
THE TEXT AND AUDIO OF THE ADDRESS, INCLUDED BELOW, ARE EMBARGOED UNTIL 11:06 AM ETON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 22ND.
The audio can be downloaded using the following link:
Translated Text in English
Good Morning. This is State Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez, a member of the Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources of the Maryland House of Delegates.
It is an honor to deliver this address not just on behalf of the Democratic Party, but on behalf of millions of families across the country who are today one step closer to having much needed health care coverage for their children.
The reason we're closer is that Democrats in Congress kept their promise and passed an expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program to get health care coverage to more children who need it, when they need it. Even 43 of our country's 50 Governors have expressed their support for the measure. But a big obstacle remains. President Bush has threatened to veto it, and his Administration took the antagonistic step of warning states they could not enroll children in federally funded health care programs without first verifying that a child had gone an entire year without health care coverage. Having voted against the bill in the first place, Republicans in Congress are standing with the President and against our children.
That is the difference between the two political parties in our country. Democrats share our values, Republicans do not. Just this week a similar contrast was on display in the presidential contest. The Democratic candidates challenged each other on how best to make health care coverage accessible and affordable for everyone in America. At the same time, the Republican presidential candidates vowed to fight such efforts, demonizing universal health care coverage as 'socialized medicine' and promising to deliver what we already know doesn't work: four more years of the same failed policies and misguided priorities of the current President.
Your participation can make the difference. Our votes in November changed the direction of the Congress. Today Congress can pass bills to provide health care for more children because we have a Democratic majority. A Republican Congress would remain focused on extending President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us. But our majorities are not big enough to overcome a presidential veto.
I urge you to challenge your members of Congress and your Senators to protect the expansion and renewal of the Children's Health Insurance Program, and to oppose the President's veto. As the 2008 presidential election approaches, I also hope you'll join me in supporting the candidates who understand that no child should go without the health care they need for a single day, much less for a full year: The Democratic candidates.
This is Maryland State Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez for the Democratic Party.
Thank you for listening.
