Disability advocates stage sit-in at Barney Frank's office
Nick Cargo
Published: Wednesday September 17, 2008


This week, dozens have been arrested in Washington after confronting one congressman and two senators, The Hill reported.

Fifteen members of ADAPT, an advocacy organization for people with disabilities, staged a sit-in at the office of Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, on Wednesday. They sought to discuss their continued efforts to secure an allocation of Section 8 housing vouchers, yet to be funded by this Congress.

"Last year Rep. Barney Frank told us that he could get 500 housing
vouchers from HUD that would be targeted to free people with disabilities
who live in nursing homes and other institutions," said ADAPT's Diane Coleman. "He repeated that promise for months, and then one day he suddenly says he can't help us."

"Frank arranged a hearing on this funding, and not only did he not invite any people with disabilities to testify, he didn't even notify us about the hearing," Coleman added. "So, today, we decided to confront him on his broken promises and bad faith."

"Congress just bailed out the middle class," said ADAPT organizer Randy Alexander. "It's time that lower-income families and individuals get some assistance."

Legislation including the vouchers has passed the House, Frank said, adding that there was nothing more he could do; the House Appropriations Committee hasn't approved funding for them, and probably won't until after President Bush leaves office.

"When I heard that they had stormed into the office and occupied it," Frank said, "I went in and told them that was not an acceptable way of doing business and I told them to leave and if they didn’t leave, I would have the police remove them."

"I think that it’s undemocratic, these kind of tactics," he added, "and I won’t be influenced by them."

"The TV is full of news about the bank crisis, and the mortgage crisis,
and the need for candidates to appeal to middle income people," said ADAPT organizer Cassie James. "Meanwhile, people who live
on disability benefits, and people who are trapped in nursing homes
because of no housing are being held hostage while the government bails
everyone else out. Rent has gone up so much, it's higher than many monthly
disability benefits. Not only do us younger people with disabilities need
affordable, accessible housing, older people need it, too. This is a
crisis, and we need help to solve it."

"I very much agree with them and I have in fact been working for it," Frank added. "Frankly, their problem is not with me, it’s with the appropriations process and the budget. They’re very frustrated, so they came, and I don’t know why they thought doing this in my office was going to help them.

"Some of the leaders may have thought that I could get [House Appropriations Committee chairman] Obey (D-WI) to do something. But Obey can't make money that isn't there. The basic problem is that there isn’t enough money in the budget for the kind of vouchers they want and I support them in fighting for it."

A total of 52 people were charged with unlawful assembly between the sit-in at Rep. Frank's office and visits to the offices of Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL), chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. An aide to Sen. Dodd spoke to ADAPT, but did not go on record. Shelby also spoke to the demonstrators for about five minutes, said his spokeswoman Laura Henderson.

11 members of ADAPT were charged on Monday after picketing Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) presidential campaign office, along with a demonstration at the Democratic National Committee's office.

"We don't want no houses like he has. Seven houses. We don't need anything fancy. We're asking for an apartment," said Cassie James on Monday, in support of the Community Choice Act (S.799, H.R. 1621), which aims to extend Medicaid funds to home care as well as institutions. Senator McCain has not supported the bill, which he reportedly thinks is too expensive.

Unlawful assembly my ass, wheres the accountability, When's the last lobbyist group to be arrested outside Mr.Franks office for unlawful assembly.

Just go ahead and ignore the 1st amendment.

Congress shall make no law, Mr.Frank.

figures, all politicians have their heads up their collective @sses.

There's a very bad joke there...

That just stinks.

Adapt is a good organization.

Home health care is so much cheaper than the cost of a nursing home. How could McCain say it's too expensive and not support the bill? Grrrrr. Nobody wants to live in a nursing home, especially younger people.

because this is not the role of government.

and our taxes need to go to balancing the budget and paying down the debt.


but, I got it on sale!!!!

yeah, I know.....

The irony is they probably don't have a stronger advocate in Congress than Rep. Frank.

The government already has a role in it if the resident of the nursing home receives Medicare and/or Medicaid.

That is why it doesn't make sense to not support the bill. The monies are already being spent on the care, so why not go the cheaper route with home health care.

Hmmm....which way to go...cheaper and better quality of life for the patient or higher spending to keep a person in a nursing home.

living at home and having home healthcare isnt allways cheaper. some people need more than what the healthcare providers can give and I know from my own experiance that alot lays on the family to do alot for some people who receive home healthcare. every case is different and im sure some could do it but smoe reasons people are in nursing homes is because of what the family deems is the best treatment for the individual. Yes they may not agree with it but they need to realize what they will be doing to their families.

I do know that more cases than not that it is cheaper. There are companies that pay people about $7 or $8 an hour to be personal attendants in the home health care field.

Yes, the attendants are not there 24 hours a day. There is some burden to the family. That is what families do. My parents raised me and I will do what I can to keep them out of a nursing home in the future.

what about Chris Dodd?

besides, it is discriminatory and not universal for all. that little special interest, special rights thingy gets irritating.

Next they will be giving it to single parents for in home care of healthy minor children.

I'd like that.

But then, I'd need soime plan to take up the slack when the shortfall of an empty nest comes my way.


how about you?

Of course it's not universal for all. It's for the elderly and disabled - Medicare. They already on it and it's not discriminatory. We're talking about saving money here.

That's b.s. saying that next they'll be giving it to single parents for healthy kids. Why even go there? It doesn't pertain to the situation.

If you have a plan, good for you. Many, many people aren't that fortunate. Many are living paycheck to paycheck.
Then...poof...a car accident or stroke changes their life in a blink of an eye.

well, when i blink, I cannot clear the fog of a cataract.

and when i bend over and sneeze, which is a no no for me, I must see the chiropractor and put two vertibrae back where they belong.

I am legally entitled to a full disability.

But I can sttill make a better living than that without doing so.

it is tempting.

I live with pain 24/7.

I also live with the Holy Spirit 24/7.

One overcomes the other, but this broken ol' body may need an ambulatory aid in the future.

But I will be giving up if i fall prey to the challenge.

My kids got my back. blink, blink. LOL

That absolutly makes no sence..It will save money, our tax money already being spent...What gives with you anyway... All You want to make a joke out of everything..

Ditto.

And it's getting old.

there is no joke when assuming that government's role is to coddle this nation with entitlements and free stuff for the lazy and self gratification of selfish interests seeking lighter burdens from personal responsibility and accountability for those responsibilities.

All have families.

All can build their own life.

It's just like visiting the homeless and giving them a sandwich and a Bible.

They eat the sandwich, save the money that would have bought their dinner and buy an enibriant with their lunch money and use the Bible to start a fire to keep them warm at night.


Blame Bush, as you do, but government spending and entitlements, especially those requiring the medical field to provide that assistance only lead to spiralling medical costs.

the only ones that will benefit are the medical professionals that plunder the public good and keep themselves saturated with phenomenal wealth and luxury and live better than kings of third world nations while the little people they plubnder are held in a consant state of disrepair because i feeds their long term goals of having a full and lucrative rolodex of willing benefactors.

please........


get off that elitist high horse.

it is not a joking matter.


but the libtard solutions that only prove to make things worse is comical.

the joke is on you.

you have been sold down the river by self serving interests that are assumptions based in deceitful transference and projections of the bi polar left.



nothing changed, huh?


i am still calling it a joke, huh?


nobama 2008

The elderly and disabled are NOT lazy and self gratifying.

Not all have families either.

I have never heard anybody be so cold before. Good grief.

then who are those that make it practical for in home care if it is not friends and families that mow the lawn and buy groceries and fix the light bulb and clean the toilet?

the nurses that visit?


please.....


that is utterly ludicrous.

Is that cold enough for you?






definitely nobama 2008.

Again thx for opening my eyes..Glad to know such cold hearted people exsist..Nothing was ever given to me, I earned every single dime with hard work and sweat...It is truley people like you that make me turned off to the Republican party...Keep up the good work!!!!