THERE ARE MORE OF US THAN YOU THINK - SPONSORED BY THE KENDALL COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

Hosts:  Laura Bray and Susan Dollar

Contact: https://kendalltxdemocrats.org/

Address: 216 E Blanco Rd Suite 201, Boerne, TX 78006

(830) 331-1243

Transcript: 

Hi, I’m Laura Bray and I’m Chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party.

And I’m Susan Dollar, President of the Boerne Area Democrats. We’re here to talk about the ongoing election, the importance of voting, and issues important to Kendall County Voters.

Your last chance to vote in this historic election is Tuesday, November 5 at any of eleven locations in Kendall County. All voting locations are open from 7am to 7pm. You can find a list of those locations on the Kendall County Elections website. Please remember to bring your photo ID when you go vote.

We urge every registered voter in Kendall to get out their and cast their ballot!

Issues

We want to chat about two more of the issues that resonate with Kendall County voters. Last week, we discussed public school funding and the economy. This week, we’ll move on to women’s healthcare and immigration.

WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE: What happened to the Republican position of “no government interference”? Women should have control over their own bodies. Without freedom to make decisions about their own lives and bodies, women are no better than slaves.

We know that better health leads to improved lives and economic prosperity. This is particularly true for women who comprise over 50% of the population and nearly half the workforce.

The U.S. has the highest rate of infant and maternal death rates – a shortfall exacerbated by poverty, a lack of insurance, underinsurance, and the closure many rural healthcare providers. In fact, Texas ranks last in the nation in access to insurance. The number of women in Texas who died while pregnant, during labor or soon after childbirth has skyrocketed. From 2019 to 2022, the rate of maternal mortality cases in Texas rose by 56%, compared with just 11% nationwide during the same time period.

????  It is estimated that there are more than 26,000 rape-related pregnancies in Texas after the state passes SB 8 in 2021.

TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE…

Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, with roughly 20% of the state's population lacking health insurance. Many of these uninsured residents are working adults who can't afford private or subsidized insurance but don't qualify for Medicaid because they earn too much

Texas is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid. It also has the highest rate of uninsured people in the country: 21% of Texans are uninsured, in comparison to the national average of 10%.

The eligibility requirements for Texans under Medicaid are some of the strictest in the United States: For parents and caretakers of kids who are covered by Medicaid, a family of four with two parents has to make at or below $285 a month to be eligible.

Texas Republicans have opposed Medicaid expansion for years. Back in 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott said “Medicaid expansion is wrong for Texas,” But a 2020 poll by the Episcopal Health Foundation showed nearly seven in 10 Texans “think the state should expand Medicaid to provide health insurance to more low-income Texans who are uninsured.”

The federal government would pick up 90% of the cost. Research showed that by rejecting Medicaid expansion, Texas was turning its back on more than $5 billion in federal money every year.

Research shows the impact of Medicaid expansion is widespread: People have better dental health and lose fewer teeth to decay; teens have improved access to contraceptives, which reduces their chances of unintended pregnancy; pregnant people have access to postpartum coverage after childbirth for a longer period, which contributes to lower maternal mortality and morbidity rates; and children who age out of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are less likely to lose insurance as they become adults.

Let’s move on to Immigration. This year, there was a bipartisan immigration reform bill before the US Congress. The US Border Patrol even supported it. But Trump issued his orders, and his cronies in Congress, including our current Rep Chip Roy, killed the bill. That’s one reason we’re urging voters to vote for Kristin Hook for US District 21, who the San Antonio Express News endorsed a few weeks ago.

Democrats support finding long-term solutions to address the border crisis and fix our broken immigration system so that everyone feels safe. 

Immigrants aren’t “invading” the U.S. Migrants have a legal right, enshrined in law, to seek asylum in the U.S. They aren’t a public enemy, making war, of using military force to take over the U.S.

Migrants come to the U.S. for many reasons -- work, school, family, and safety. The U.S. doesn’t have enough people to fill the 9.5M jobs currently open. Immigrants typically take the hardest-to-fill positions. Immigrants, including undocumented, make significant sales, income, and property tax contributions. The U.S. population will shrink without increased immigration.

Immigrants, including undocumented, make significant tax contributions including sales, income, and property taxes. In 2021 alone, these households contributed $30.8 billion in total taxes, including $18.6 billion in federal income taxes and $12.2 billion in state and local taxes. These contributions play a vital role in the funding and sustainability of America’s public services and programs. Undocumented immigrants quietly pay billions into Social Security without receiving benefits.

???? Another issue surrounding immigration is that of the DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS (DACA): 

The DACA program protects “Dreamers” from deportation - those brought to the U.S. as children (under 16 y/o) and who’ve resided continuously in the U.S. since June 15, 2007. DACA recipients add $2.1B to Social Security and Medicare yearly. 

DACA recipients (and young undocumented immigrants immediately eligible for DACA) also add an estimated $1.7B yearly in state and local taxes (including personal income, sales, & property taxes).

Codifying DACA into law and enrolling all eligible immigrants would increase estimated state and local revenue by nearly $815M.   Bur repealing DACA would reduce estimated state and local revenues by nearly $700M (due to a loss of legal status and work authorization).

Candidates/TxLege/Find Out More

There are seventeen strong Democratic candidates on the ballot. Make sure to vote for every one of them, right down the ballot. Key races to look for include:

For US Senate: Colin Allred, who was endorsed by the San Antonio Express News

For US District 21: Kristin Hook, who was endorsed by the San Antonio Express News

For Texas House District 19: Dwain Handley

For Texas Senate District 25: Merrie Fox who was endorsed by the San Antonio Express News, and

For State Board of Education, District 10: Raquel Saenz Ortiz

Democrats need to flip only 12 seats to stop vouchers and the rest of the extreme Republican agenda from passing in next year’s Texas Legislature.

You can find out more about the Boerne Area Democrats on our website at www.boerne-area-democrats.com  We meet every second Thursday of the month at the Longhorn Café.

And you can find out more about the Kendall County Democratic Party on our website at www.kcdems.us

Close:

That’s all the time we have today. Thanks for listening. If you missed anything or want to share this interview with others, find a link to the Boerne Radio podcast at www.boerneradio.com or on the Kendall County Democratic Party website at www.kcdems.us.