LTOONA, Iowa - They sat on opposite sides of the aisle yesterday: a young woman who works with poor children and an elderly woman who fears poverty for herself.
Both want the next president to pay attention to their issues, their needs. One wants money for schools, afterschool programs, and programs to guarantee that no child goes to bed hungry. The other, a retired factory supervisor who collects aluminum cans to supplement her Social Security, wants to be able to afford her medicines and have enough left over to put food on her own table.
The younger called the older ''a bit selfish.'' The older said she didn't mean to be and that she hoped there is enough to go around. Then they sat back to hear Vice President Al Gore outline his plans for Medicare and prescription drugs for at least the third time this week
''There's too much attention on the elderly at the expense of children, especially the poor children we work with,'' said Amber Peterson, 22, a Vista America volunteer from nearby Des Moines. ''Yes, the elderly have worked hard. But they seem to forget that there's another generation that needs the support of government-funded programs.''
But from her spot at the Greater Altoona Community Service Campus, a nonprofit facility where local residents can work out, grab a meal or send their children to summer camp, 79-year-old Winifred Skinner said she needs support, too - not handouts, but some help for the first time in her life. She said it hurts her even to ask for it.
''I'm proud; I want to make it on my own, but this old body is wearing out,'' said Skinner, who pays about $250 a month for her prescription medicines, and who walks as far as three hours a day, seven days a week, to gather her cans.
''I don't want them to give me the prescriptions,'' she added, ''but I want them to do something so I will be able to afford them.''
Campaign promises aside, of course, the country can't afford to fix everyone's problems or pay for every social program all at once. But the emphasis on the elderly has, intentionally or not, pitted the generations against one another again. Many young people say they feel ignored. Many elderly appear to feel entitled.
''We older citizens need all the attention we can get,'' said Vee Rehor, 76, a retired school secretary from Altoona. ''We're just trying to get what we hope we earned. I guess in a way, I can see maybe how young people would feel that way, but I'm sure it's not going to be that way forever.''
Like Rehor, seniors who came out to hear the Democratic presidential nominee said they themselves have already paid for Social Security and have already come to count on Medicare. All they want, they said, is their due and to keep their dignity. Citing Skinner by name, Gore said he would see to it.
But Sherry Ford, who works the counter at the community center, said she fears she will never see the money deducted from her paycheck. Even as a married mother of two teenagers - making her one of the 2000 election's most coveted voters - she said she feels ignored by both candidates, that she is too young and her children are too old to be the focus of either campaign.
''I think they need to pay attention to older people, I do,'' said Ford, 39, a registered Republican who is undecided between Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush. ''But I feel like only the really old and the really young are getting any attention. Being in the middle, I don't feel anyone's talking to me or about my concerns.''
Jane Odland, a 44-year-old mother of three from Newton, who backs Gore for president, said she has been pleased with both candidates' emphasis on education. She also noted that Iowa has a high population of elderly, making yesterday's talk apt. Gore, she said, ''talks about what he needs to talk about. There's something for each generation that needs to be addressed, and I think he's speaking to that.''
Although she's 25, Tricia Phipps said she, too, understands the importance of making prescription drugs affordable, especially for the elderly. She noted that she has a grandmother who is often in pain, and that these issues should matter to anyone whose family spans several generations.
''For our state, which has an aging population, this is a really pressing issue,'' said Phipps, an economic development executive for greater Des Moines. ''For campaigning here, it's right on. And I don't feel ignored. I just don't think young people weigh issues as heavily as people who are more mature.''
William O'Brien, 79, a retired civil service worker from Runnells, who pays $2,400 a quarter for insurance for himself and his wife, added simply, ''Something has to and should be done.''
