August – A Political Rite of Passage

By Carl H. Hendrickson, Former Missouri State Representative

Every society and culture has a rite of passage; a ritual event or ceremony to mark the transition of an individual from one status or phase in life to another.  In certain East African tribes, boys’ heads are shaved and their foreheads cut with three deep horizontal incisions to mark the passage from child to young man.  Certain Indian tribes would lay young boys on red ant mounds for hours and if they did not cry out when bitten they were accepted into the tribe as an adult.  More civilized and less painful rites of passage are the bar mitzvahs and confirmation ceremonies. 
  
This month in Missouri is the time of the “political rite of passage.”  On the Tuesday following the first Monday of this month voters enter their respective polling places and select the candidates to be on the November ballot. This is the first step in choosing the men and women who will serve the citizens of Missouri for the next two, four or six years.    
Our forefathers established a representative form of government to provide us the opportunity to select the men and women who will work for us in the capital.  Unfortunately, two-thirds or more of eligible voters do not take advantage of the opportunity to vote in an August primary election.  In some years, only one in five bothers to vote in the primary election.  Some individuals are on vacation and do not think or bother to vote absentee before they left.  Others do not like the idea of having to request a ballot for a particular political party.  These individuals say that they “vote for the person not the party.”  Remember, however, that there often are issues on the ballot and even though one does not wish to take a party ballot one may still vote on these issues. 

A primary election is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election.  Today, primaries are common in the United States. Their origins can be traced to the progressive movement of the 1890s to the 1920s.  But in many parts of the world, the nomination of candidates is the responsibility of the political party organizations and does not involve the public. 

The progressive movement was an effort to cure many of the ills of society that had developed during the great spurt of industrial growth in the latter part of the nineteenth century.  Progressiveness was imbued with strong political overtones.  Efforts were undertaken to remove corruption and undue influence in the political process, to eliminate the power of political bosses and political machines, and to include more people in the political process.  It was during the progressive era that people not political parties or political machines began to select candidates for office through primary elections.       

Today, states have adopted two basic forms of primaries.  In a closed primary, people may vote in a political party’s primary only if they are registered members of that party.  If the primary is open, a registered voter may vote in any political party primary regardless of his or her own party affiliation.  However, the voter must request a ballot for one of the parties.  In essence, the voter is declaring a party affiliation on election day.  A third form of primary is the blanket primary.  This is similar to a general election process.  The voter would obtain one ballot with the names of all candidates of all parties and would choose a candidate for each office.  For one office, the voter could select a Democrat, while a Republican for the next office.  Political parties have successfully challenged this form of primary in the courts, claiming that it interferes with their right to select candidates.

In Missouri, voters do not register as belonging to one party or the other.  On election day, a voter requests the ballot of the party of choice.  One candidate for each office is selected (although one does not have to vote for a particular office if one is unfamiliar with all the candidates for that office or does not believe any of them are worthy of election to office).  From the pack of candidates, the Secretary of State’s office will certify the winners of each party for each office.  These winners have successfully passed their political rite of passage and will meet in the November general election.  It is at this later election that the voters of Missouri will select the men and women for each office that shall represent them in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C.
        
I went through my political rite of passage in August 1994.   Having won my party’s primary election that year for state representative in my legislative district, I went on to challenge the incumbent representative in November.  Which I did successfully, and subsequently was re-elected to three more terms.  Often those who fail the August political rite of passage fade from the political scene.  Others remain active and subsequently are elected to office.  The man whom I defeated in the 1994 primary did the latter and subsequently was elected to succeed me when I left office. 

I trust that each of you had been diligent in determining the qualifications of the men and women undergoing the political rite of passage.  For if we do not elect the best of us in August, we shall not have the best of the candidates on the ballot in November.  As always, I may be reached via electronic mail at carl@hendricksons.org or by telephone at 314-892-6451.  Feel free to contact me. 
 

Increasing Opportunities for Those in Their Prime

By Carl H. Hendrickson

In 1965 the Older Americans Act was enacted in response to concerns by Congress about a lack of community social services for the older population.  The Act was passed as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” reforms and was the first federal initiative aimed at providing comprehensive services for older adults.  The original legislation established authority for federal grants to states for community planning and social services, recreation projects, and personnel training.            

The Act is divided into multiple components or titles.  One title establishes the Administration on Aging, another provides federal funding for state agencies on aging, another creates specific projects such as healthcare service in rural areas and technology training, and yet another title establishes a program for engaging low-income seniors in community service employment and volunteer opportunities.  A number of programs have been created under the Act of benefit to the elderly, including nutrition programs, health promotion programs, an elder abuse program, and a long-term ombudsman program.   

Next year Congress will have to decide whether it shall reauthorize the Act.  A national movement, the “Age4Action Network,” comprised of entities that share a common belief in the societal value of providing incentives, opportunities and encouragement to actively engage Americans aged 50 or better in their communities, has been involved in forums around the country to collect ideas to be summarized and shared with Congress prior to its consideration of reauthorization.  The objective not only is to obtain approval for reauthorization but to expand opportunities for those in their prime to engage in work, community service, leadership, and lifelong learning.   

Five forums have been held.  The last concluded July 27th in Los Angeles.  Other municipal areas hosting forums were Las Vegas, Philadelphia, St. Paul, Denver, and St. Louis.  The St. Louis forum was July 22nd at the Monsanto YMCA of Greater St. Louis and was attended by approximately 120 individuals.  It was sponsored by the Age4Action Network, the Richard A. Gephardt Institute for Public Service, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, The OASIS Institute, Experience Wave, and The Gerontological Society of America, with support from The Atlantic Philanthropies.  Forum topics included expanding older adult service opportunities, leveraging the talents of older workers, and creating opportunities for lifelong learning.

According to the Age4Action Network, more than 77 million baby boomers are reaching their 50s and 60s in better health and with more financial security and education than any previous generation. These individuals in their prime (50 or better) want to work, serve, learn, and lead.  Our communities need their time, their talent and their energy.  The forums are a means of determining how this can be accomplished.  The Honorable Richard Gephardt, former member of Congress, succinctly stated the purpose for the forums, “Today’s forum is a kind of civic engagement itself, a part of the democratic process to come to the people of our community and hear what you think should be done.”  Gephardt spoke of removing barriers and providing opportunities for older Americans, of enabling them to have an opportunity of lifelong learning, and of opening doors for senior citizens so they have the opportunity to participate in community service.

Senior citizen advocates addressed the needs of older citizens and the problems faced by them in meeting these needs, offering some excellent suggestions for improving the Older Americans Act.  One panel of senior advocates addressed expanding older adult service opportunities and panelists included Nancy Morrow-Howell, Professor, George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University, David Sykora, Executive Director of the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, and LaShona McGrew, Area Manager, Renaissance Place Communities.  Morrow-Howell pointed out that organizations were at a disadvantage if they could not or would not utilize seniors who often were willing to work in the less glamorous positions.  Her suggestion was to build a volunteer network of older Americans through the Area Agencies on Aging.  Sykora concurred, saying, “Money won’t solve the problem if manpower is not available.”  But he and other panelists did mention repeatedly that programs for seniors should be fully funded if they are to reach their maximum potential.  McGrew advocated for senior volunteers to assist health-challenged older individuals much as family and neighbors would by taking them to doctor and other appointments and helping with other chores such as grocery shopping.

Heather Ellison, Continuing Education Manager at Meramec Community College, and Mildred Boyd, OASIS Program Coordinator, addressed the creation of lifelong learning opportunities for those in their prime.  Ellison pointed out that, “The community college is reaching out to students over 50 because it has found that those in the 50-70 age brackets need re-education for new employment.”  Fully funding lifelong learning opportunities through the Older Americans Act is a priority.  Boyd reminded the audience that seniors need to be re-educated to meet the technological challenges in today’s environment.  “Get that computer given them by their children out of the box, teach them basic computer skills, instruct them on surfing the net and how to engage in networking to find job or volunteer opportunities.”  Boyd also stressed the importance of money for continuing education programs for those in their prime. 

The final panel discussion was on leveraging the talents of older workers.  Panelists were Don Valsvil, Director, Title V Programs, MERS/Goodwill, Delores Branch, Host Agency Coordinator and Job Counselor, AARP Foundation Senior Employment Program, and Mary Schaefer, Executive Director, Mid-East Area Agency on Aging.  Valsvil pointed out, “As the population grows, so do the number of individuals eligible for Title V assistance.”  Title V programs assist seniors in learning new skills to become job ready.  Eligible participants can receive “on the job training” by participating in community service programs or employment programs under the Department of Labor.  Branch also spoke of the need to prepare the older population to obtain new jobs.  These individuals need training in such things as preparing a resume, completing online job applications, and interviewing for positions.  Schaefer conceded that there are many fine programs serving the older population but said that it was important to establish one source where older persons could learn about all the programs and services available.

The forum concluded with comments and questions from the audience.  Many shared their experiences with working with those in their prime and offered suggestions for improving the Older Americans Act.  Members of the audience also were requested to complete a survey concerning their experience regarding barriers to finding work, barriers to volunteering, and barriers for lifelong learning.
The Mission of Age4Action is to engage, inform, connect, and mobilize organizations and networks to increase opportunities for people 50+ to work, serve, learn, and lead.  For more information go to www.age4action.org.