Join us, Tuesday, October 25 for "Bridging the Gap: Saving our Social Safety Net"

On Tuesday, October 25, 2011, the Legal Aid Justice Center and Master of Ceremonies John Grisham will present Bridging the Gap, a program examining the current attacks on the social safety net, strategies to address it, and ways in which concerned community members can be involved in the debate.  

Today, Virginia is facing its highest unemployment since 1982, and one in five Virginia workers earns wages low enough to place them below the poverty line. More and more middle-class families are rapidly descending into poverty as they lose their jobs, their homes, their savings and their retirement benefits.

Yet, with political discourse consumed with deficit reduction and debt ceilings, many members of congress are pointing to critical social safety net programs to make up for the budgetary shortfall. Current proposals call for cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, affordable housing, education, and many other programs on which millions of Americans depend. What is the social safety net?  Why is it important for all Americans?  Are there ways to balance the budget without targeting the poor, the elderly and children?

The evening’s events include the documentary Collateral Damage which examines the fallout after a critical public benefit program is cut, and a panel discussion of experts on related topics.  Bridging the Gap will help shed light both on the importance of maintaining the social safety net and options for helping us change the system for the better.
 

About the Film – Collateral Damage: Bad Medicine in Tennessee

In 2005, when Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee announced he would reform his state’s Medicaid program, people took him at his word. Little did they know that Bredesen’s idea of reform meant cutting 170,000 people off the program almost overnight. The size and speed of the cuts were unprecedented; the suffering they caused was immeasurable. The sickest, neediest people were denied medical care while the nation sat by and watched, and the Governor boasted to other leaders about his success reigning in the rising cost of health care. Collateral Damage exposes the injustice that occurred in Tennessee, how the state did not save any money by making the cuts, and the national implications for this attack on an important social safety net.

Please join us for a crucial and compelling discussion. Our program will be held at the Paramount Theater on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall. Private reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the program to follow at 7:00 p.m.

Please click here for more event details and sponsorship opportunities. You may also purchase your tickets online through a secure credit card transaction via Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express.

For more information regarding the public event or the private reception, please contact Susan Kruse, Donor Relations Manager, at  (434) 977-0553 ext. 101, or email susan@justice4all.org.

 

AttachmentSize
Bridging the Gap Host Packet.pdf829.26 KB
JohnGrishamPhotoREV.jpg4.35 KB
  • ""