October 5, 1970 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 34:953 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS GOVERNOR ROCKEFELLER SPEAKS Around this State there are nine other We need a unified system for financing AT THE OLDER AMERICAN WHITE meetings of this conference; and my voice is medical care, like Universal Health Insur­ going out to each meeting over a special ance. HOUSE FORUM telephone hookup. I've tried to get it In our State, I'll keep I want all of you out there and here to trying. HON. JACOB K. JAVITS know that what you tell me Is just as im­ But, Universal Health Insurance would portant as what I'm going to tell you; be­ work better on a national basis. OF NEW YORK cause this is your conference. I hope that the State and regional com­ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES What you say will determine the shape mittees that Will be working on recommenda­ of this State's recommendations at next Monday, October 5, 1970 tions for the White House Conference on year's White House Conference on Aging. Aging Will give Universal Health Insurance Mr. JAVITS. Mr. President, on Sep­ But it all begins here and now. a strong recommendation. tember 23, the New York State Office for So my real job today Is not so much to Another thing some older people want to the Aging officially launched our State's talk. do or need to do is work. preparations for the 1971 White House It's to listen to you. Yet, the Federal Social Security law penal­ Conference on Aging with 10 Regional And one way we'll be listening is by izes work, in a sense. going through those questionnaires you'll be A person getting Social Security loses $1 Older American White House Forums filling out. for every 2 he earns between $140 and $240 a which were attended by nearly 10,000 They will tell us all kinds of things. month. senior citizens. They'll tell us whether you're satisfied On earnings over $240, he loses a dollar of It was appropriate that the State's first with where you live-if you live with others social security for every dollar of earnings; official function in connection with this or alone; whether you think you're getting unless the worker Is over age 72. conference began by allowing older peo­ enough companionship and recreation; This amounts to a harsh tax against the whether you have a chance to participate in elderly-the very people least able to af­ ple themselves to speak out on their ac­ the life of your community. tual day-to-day needs and concerns. And ford it. We began working on problems like these I say that's wrong, and should be changed. it is this philosophy which will direct all nine years ago in this State. Why should we penallze people for work­ of the subsequent activities in New York That's when I created a State Office for the ing? That's what this country is trying to get State; namely, that older people will be Aging. I put that office right in the Execu­ away from. vitally involved in every phase of these tive Department, close to the Governor; be­ Another thing that older citizens want are preparations, for it is they who best know cause I have a deep personal concern for places where they can go to get all the special their own needs. your problems. services they need under one roof; without I named a marvelous lady, Marcelle Levy, having to trot all over town. At this first series of meetings, each as Director of the Office for the Aging and older person had the opportunity to com­ Senior citizen centers make sense to me. Marcelle has done a magnificent job. That's why I signed a law this year that plete the national needs questionnaire. I Mrs. Levy doesn't see citizens of maturity authorizes low-cost State loans so that a know that the results of these question­ and experience as a burden; but as a valuable community can build a one-stop service cen­ naires will provide us with a tremendous resource to the community. ter for its older people. starting point in our work to bring more She doesn't think of older people as And now that New York State has taken and better services to the aging. problems. the lead, I would like to see the Federal gov­ New York State has a population of She sees them as people with special needs; ernment start giving financial aid to help more than 3 million persons who are 60 and there's a world of difference, as you well operate these centers. know. That's something else I hope you'll include years of age and over-2.1 million of We have two mlllion people in our State whom are 65 or over. In New York City, when you draw up those recommendations who are 65 and over; and while the kind of for the White House Conference. alone, the more than 1 million senior problems they have are special, their aspira­ These are some of the things that I think citizens constitute a population larger tions are the same as everyone else's. we ought to be doing to make life better for than that of most of the Nation's larger They want to help others when they can. our older citizens. cities. Retired people have time to do volunteer We've done a lot in New York State--and The older New Yorker has more pro­ work and they have a life-time of skills to we'll do more. But the Federal Government offer. needs to do more too. I believe in Senior grams and services-at the public, pri­ So we passed legislation this year that vate, and voluntary level-than any Power. I've seen it work. Older citizens are makes it easier for older people to work as among the most valuable human resources senior citizen in the country. Nonetheless, volunteers. we have. it has never been New York State's pol­ This law allows local governments to re­ Many of you are st!ll at work-in govern­ icy to rest on past accomplishments. imburse older persons for any expenses they ment, in volunteer activities and in com­ Rather, we see our responsibility as con­ incur while they're doing volunteer work. merce and industry. tinuing to pioneer and to experiment so Older people want to be able to get along You do great work, too; that we can insure that older people are on their usually fixed Incomes. -because you have the Wisdom and the able to lead productive and useful lives. That's terribly !mportant. It means peace experience to get a job done right. of Inind-independence-securi ty. There's no substitute for that. There will be many recommendations But with prices going up, getting along can coming to the national White House be pretty tough on a ftxed income. So I hope that this conference will, above Conference on Aging in November of So four years ago the Legislature passed a all, consider ways we can Inake better use of 1971, but I think New York's Governor recommendation of mine to give communi­ all the Senior Power around us. ties the opportunity to grant property tax And when you come to think of it, this Rockefeller has outlined, very succinctly, conference is making use of Senior Power the most grevious areas of concern to our relief to older home owners. This year, we raised the income eligibility right now. older people in the address which he de­ level for that tax relief from the original And I, for one, am looking forward to your livered at the September 23 forums. The $3,000 to $5,000. recommendations. Governor's remarks were carried to each Some 45,000 older home owners are paying of the 10 regional forums by a special lower property taxes as a result of these ad­ telephone hookup. I feel his speech is of ministrative measures. sufficient importance to include in the Something else older people deserve is good A DIFFERENCE IN STANDARDS CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, SO I ask unani­ medical care-especially since they have the mous consent that it be printed in the greatest medical needs. That's why this Administration has loan Extensions of Remarks. and grant programs to get hospitals and HON. JOHN M. ZWACH There being no objection, the speech nursing homes built. OF MINNESOTA was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, But we need a better system for financing IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES as follows: medical care, too. Monday, October 5, 1970 REMARKS OF GOVERNOR NELSON A. RoCKE­ Medicare has been good, as far as it goes. FELLER AT THE OLDER AMERICAN WHITE But when coverage runs out during long Mr. ZWACH. Mr. Speaker, most of us HOUSE FORUM, HUNTER COLLEGE sieges of illness, the only recourse is Medic­ know the rigid requirements for meat in­ Today, I'm not just addressing one audi­ aid. spection and sanitation in this country. ence, I'm addressing ten. And Medicaid isn't the final answer either. Not so many realize the very strict 34954 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS October 5, 1970 standards of cleanliness, inspection, and Consumer Code be printed in the Ex- are the measures being taken by govern­ refrigeration that is required for our tensions of Remarks. ment-at the local, State, and national dairy products.