FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2007
Cook County Illinois Passes Historic Referendum for Veteran’s Healthcare
On February 5, 2008, registered voters in Cook County Illinois will see the following ‘yes or no’ question on their primary election ballots;
“Shall the federal government be required to adopt full mandatory funding of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of ensuring that all eligible honorably discharged U.S. veterans receive quality and accessible healthcare and services?”
Cook County is the second largest county in the United States, and has a population of approximately 6.6 million residents. The entire city of Chicago fits within the county of Cook.
Last Tuesday, during a meeting, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed a Resolution in support of mandatory full funding of veteran’s healthcare. At that same time, they also passed a Referendum to have the veteran’s healthcare question (above) placed on the county’s upcoming primary election ballot. Both the Resolution and Referendum passed unanimously.
“The fact that we are calling our young men and women into our
country’s service but not supporting them when they return home is
unacceptable,” said Commissioner Larry Suffredin, who chairs the Committee and
is the Board’s sole military veteran. “This measure gives the residents of
Cook County the opportunity to
express their strong support for our veterans.”
The concept of full mandatory funding for veteran’s healthcare is not a new idea. A number veteran groups has been lobbying for such funding security for over a decade without much success.
So, the battle for full mandated funding of VA healthcare is not a new story. What is new about this story is the ground-swell of grassroots support (from both sides of the aisle) the idea has received over the past year and a half. A great deal of the credit for this renewed interest and support can be directly attributed to the current mandatory funding Resolution Drive being conducted by ‘Operation Firing For Effect’ (OFFE).
About 18 months ago, Mr. John Monaghan (OFFE Committee Member) of Chicago, Illinois approached Cook County Commissioner Anthony J. Peraica with the idea of placing the mandatory funding question on the county-wide ballot for Cook County residents to voice their opinion on. Shortly there after, Commissioner Peraica instructed Cook County Board of Commissioners Administrative Analyst Georgiann Callaway, USN(Ret.) to put together the necessary documentation for presentation to the Board of Commissioners for their consideration and support. The rest is now history. The Cook County Board of Commissioners passed Peraica’s resolution and his referendum placing the veteran’s healthcare funding question on the primary county election ballot slated for February 5, 2008.
In a recent VFVC Live interview which aired on Stardust Radio just after the Board of Commissioners vote, Commissioner Peraica stated that his office is now inviting every county in Illinois to give all Illinois residents the opportunity to vote their opinion on this issue as well. “If the Referendum is adopted by all 102 counties in our state, the funding question should qualify to be placed on the 2008 general election ballot statewide,” Peraica told Gene Simes. “What that will mean to Illinois is everyone that votes for the President will also have the opportunity to vote on the mandatory funding for veteran’s healthcare issue. I have already contacted Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn asking for his support,” Peraica stated.
According to OFFE National Chairman, Gene Simes, the Cook Board of Commissioners has made a very valuable contribution toward the future healthcare needs of this country’s veterans and their families. “Veteran’s healthcare is not a ‘special interest’ issue. It is a moral promise and ethical obligation we owe our men and women that served in uniform, regardless of political affiliation. The great residents of Cook County Illinois are leading the way to insuring that we as a nation fulfill the promise and meet the obligation of quality, accessible veteran’s healthcare, no matter the cost,” Simes added. “We have a long way to go, and not much time to get there. We need to persuade every state in this country to adopt Cook County’s Referendum within the next 120 days. I honestly believe having the veteran’s healthcare question on state ballots will encourage a higher voter turnout among our veteran population in 2008. We simply must know where the candidates stand on veterans’ affairs before we give them our votes, not after. On behalf of OFFE I salute the Cook County Board of Commissioners for their innovative and sound leadership on this issue,” Simes concluded.
If you would like more information on the Cook County resolution, referendum, or you would like some advice/guidance on how to get your state/county involved, contact; Georgiann Callaway, Cook County Board of Commissioners, (312)603-6384.
OFFE would like to recognize and thank the following people and organizations for their help and support on this project; Veteran’s Strike Force - Marvin Gardner, Kim Driscol, Creola Alfalileh, Veterans for Unification – Bruce Parry, American Airlines Veteran’s Repersentive - Fred Gajewski.
Remember; if you do nothing, you can expect nothing to change.
OFFE Public Relations Director,
Jere Beery