Vicente Gonzalez: “75 years ago, on August 18, 1920, the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to…”

“75 years ago, on August 18, 1920, the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote after a long, bitter struggle. It is hard to imagine today a world in which women could not even vote and yet, that right has been established for a mere 75 years. And we are on the eve of a somber anniversary: the beginning of the age of nuclear terror, and the end of the gigantic slaughter that was World War II. For 50 years, we have lived under the shadow of nuclear obliteration; and while we now have reason to hope that the future of the world does not depend on terror, we do not truly know whether 50 years from today, the world will celebrate a century free of nuclear war. We can only hope that this past 50 years will lead to another, and that the world will at last be free from the terror of mass war. There is another anniversary to celebrate: the 30th birthday of Medicare--the liberation of this Nation's elderly from the oppression of unaffordable, inaccessible medical care. Today there are 37 million Americans with the right to Medicare benefits. Not only has this liberated people from the fear of financial catastrophe because illness, it has made a huge difference in the quality and vitality of our senior citizens. Imagine this: in just 25 years the life expectancy of Americans jumped by a full 10 percent, from 70 to 76.”