National Nurses United

C A L I F O R N I A N U R S E J U N E 2 0 0 5 9 that makes it appear that these professions are fair game for assault? Some of the answers are embedded in a nationwide market-worshipping policy shift to an "ownership society": the corpo- rate-friendly rhetorical device of the day which serves as the ideological cornerstone of the proposal to exchange Social Security benefits earned by millions of our citizens for privatized, individual retirement accounts, and the solution to the healthcare crisis, individual medical savings accounts. The term, probably honed through endless focus groups, is designed to suggest comfort and the promise of the American dream—owning our own home, making decisions for ourselves about how to invest our earned savings, and what levels of med- ical care and healthcare coverage we desire. But in today's economic climate, there's a disturbing underbelly to this notion. Privatized pensions and individu- alized medical "savings" that can never quite cover spiraling healthcare costs look a lot more like cost shifting than personal ownership. Individual responsibility replaces cor- porate accountability. Despite making record profits, America's largest corporations have determined that their employees' retirement security and health benefits are expendable. The tragedy of United Airlines employees, some facing a 50 percent cut in pension ben- efits they've earned, is a well-known exam- ple. Less talked about is Glenn Tilton, United's chairman and CEO, who is not shar- ing in the pain. He will still get his $4.5 mil- lion pension set aside in a trust. United is hardly unique. Pension secu- rity is becoming a fading dream for far too many. More than 45 million of our fellow citizens are uninsured and fear of medical debt accounts for half of all bankruptcies. Many small businesses are endangered while their bigger counterparts get scores of tax breaks and shelters. Under the ownership society, wealthy corporations and government leaders in both parties who support them have writ- ten off their obligation, the middle class is disintegrating, and working people can count on nothing except insecurity. The cultural myth-making which lives on in the form of shows like "American Idol" and "The Apprentice" sell an illusion that anyone can still become a millionaire. If you haven't made it, you're just not work- ing hard enough. The reality is far different. Income disparity is at its widest chasm since the 1920s, a decade that concluded with the greatest economic collapse in American history. Real hourly wages for most Americans are falling, even while peo- ple are working longer hours in an effort to make ends meet. By contrast, CEOs, once paid about 14 times more than the average worker, now average incomes of over 500 times employee earnings. Every individual has not just "person- al responsibility," but inalienable rights as a part of a more just, humane society—the rights to quality healthcare, to a decent edu- cation, to personal security, to be able to retire in dignity. To the big corporations such values are in the way, a business cost they are no longer willing to pay. Corporate executives can hoard cash or mismanage their com- panies, but they should still have free rein to dump employee pensions or health ben- efits. The staggering sums they contribute to politicians from both parties assures they will have friends in elected office to enact policies to perpetuate that agenda, regard- less of how it contributes to an under-edu- cated nation, outsourcing and offshoring of well-paying jobs, and a collapsing health- care safety net. Nurses are at the center of this divide. To nurses, patients are not entitled to only the care they can afford, nor is a Repub- lican, a Democrat, a welfare mother, or an undocumented immigrant entitled to less care. Nurses bring hope to those who are most vulnerable and the knowledge that they are not alone. To the "ownership soci- ety" crowd, and the billionaire corporate CEOs, that will always be in the way. A s Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's policy agenda has hit rough waters and his poll numbers have fallen from 65 percent to 40 percent in just six months, many in the media have been ask- ing, why would he and his supporters choose to launch an ill-fated attack on nurses, teachers, firefighters, and law enforcement by attempting to brand them as "special interests"? If there are occupations that have earned greater respect, admiration, and trust from the public, they would be very hard to find. These professions are not some small sectarian group that has an agenda or inter- ests apart from our country; their interests are at bedrock the nation's interests. Their work, sometimes tragic personal sacrifices, and resolute commitments to the health, education, and protection of us all are among the core building blocks that have literally built our nation. Let us be clear— their interests are in the national interest. These particular professions are a pri- mary target of the corporate-sponsored "special interests" political hate-speak tag precisely because they serve as public advocates and a grassroots democratic check over and against corporate power and the uncaring hand of a market that measures the value of human life with a cash register. They give political voice and moral authority to all those they serve, whether they be students, hospital patients, or victims of natural disasters or crime. What is it about this political climate Rose Ann DeMoro CNA Executive Director Owning Up When corporate interests say they want everyone to be personally responsible, what it also means is they don't want to be held accountable. By Rose Ann DeMoro

• Cover