Submitted by Tom on Sat, 2011-04-23 10:49
This letter to the editor in the Ames Tribune points to how extreme both Tom Latham and Steve King have become in fiscal policy.
The Ryan budget plan became the official Republican plan with its passage in the U.S. House on April 15. Reps. Tom Latham and Steve King voted in favor of the most radical budget idea since George W. Bush proposed the privatization of Social Security.
After all these years of voting against our interests, Latham announces that he is leaving Story County for greener pastures to the south. The bad news is that King wants to be our next representative. In addition to bad votes, we would have to endure the hateful rhetoric.
Latham, King and Medicare
Published: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 9:37 AM CDT
T he Ryan budget plan became the official Republican plan with its passage in the U.S. House on April 15. Reps. Tom Latham and Steve King voted in favor of the most radical budget idea since George W. Bush proposed the privatization of Social Security.
The Republican Plan eliminates Medicare as we know it and forces seniors to hunt for their own private health insurance. Which companies will want to provide coverage to seniors, how will seniors find fair plans, and how high will the premiums be?
Seniors will have to make up the difference between their insurance premiums and their federal vouchers, and the vouchers will be reduced with time. After they have drained their assets, seniors will find that Medicaid has also been drastically cut. What then?
Instead of reducing the deficit, savings from slashing Medicare and Medicaid would go towards an extra $200,000 in tax breaks to each and every millionaire and billionaire in the country, totaling $1 trillion in new tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Latham and King are fine with that.
After all these years of voting against our interests, Latham announces that he is leaving Story County for greener pastures to the south. The bad news is that King wants to be our next representative. In addition to bad votes, we would have to endure the hateful rhetoric.
Tom Harrington
Ames