A letter to President Obama

Dear Mr. President,

On November 6, 2012 you made history and I helped you, as I did in 2008. But this time I expect more. 

I don't want to see a grand bargain that includes you selling out the people who elected you. The election really was a clear choice and voters said, we want a government that helps us up, rather than shuts us out.

I voted for you because you are supposed to support and defend the things Democrats believe in, like Pell Grants, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. You are supposed to keep our environment clean and safe from people who want to pollute it for profit.

Now is your time to prove that you will not bend to the will of the losing party. America does indeed want to move forward.

So, Mr. President, stick to your guns and break the gridlock because the best way to tame a spoiled child is to simply say no.

• ·       No to cuts in Social Security and the chained CPI index.

• ·       No to education cuts.

• ·       No to Medicare and Medicaid cuts

• ·       No to more tax cuts for the rich

And most importantly, say no to John Boehner and his Tea Party caucus. Just because they refuse to listen to the voice of voters doesn't mean you should go along for the ride.

Image: Wiki file

Budget cuts aimed at Medicare create tough choices for the elderly

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Approximately 45 thousands Americans die each year due to lack of health care insurance. Those over the age of 65 who have Medicare fair better. But with entitlement programs like Medicare under the threat of deep budget cuts, caring for an aging population in hospitals and other professional care facilities may soon be a thing of the past. 

In generations past, it was part of the norm to keep generations of families together. Health insurance was not a factor. Now it is just the opposite. The changing structure of the family in our society has made how to care for an elderly relative one of the most difficult decisions relatives can take make. Depending on the level of care needed, the choice between home care and professional care is not always clear.

Resources are often the most influential factor when it comes to deciding how to care for an elderly relative. In some countries, there are no options; aging parents remain at home no matter what their physical condition. In America, health care is about insurance; people who have it get medical care, those who don’t often die earlier than they would with medicine and proper care.

Most individuals cannot afford to pay nursing home costs out of their personal finances on a long term basis. That leaves home care as the only option. But with families under economic stress being forced to work longer hours just to make ends meet, there is little time left to address the physical and emotional needs of a frail or sickly parent at home.

Skyrocketing medical costs has made Medicare a target for government budget cuts. It is a sad reflection on society when a country as rich as America can think of no other way to pay for their years of over spending than to target the needs of the most fragile and helpless segment of their population.

Related articles 

Turning the middle class into the poor when Medicare is not enough: The nursing home nightmare

• Cutting Social Security Would Prove Disastrous for Democrats at Polls (firedoglake.com)
• Docs Continue To Worry About Medicare Payment Cuts While CMS Updates Ratings For Medicare Advantage Plans (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Doctors Brace For Big Medicare Cuts (huffingtonpost.com)

Tax cuts for millionaires: The Obama sellout of the middle class

Image via WikipediaPoliticians are very good at taking something simple and making it complicated. They are proving that now with the debate over tax cuts for the rich. The Republican argument calls allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire an increase that would slow economic recovery. In fact, it would raise taxes by about 3% on the wealthiest Americans.

The problem with the Republican argument is that millionaires are not the ones suffering in the slow economy; the poor, the unemployed and the middle class are. For corporations and the super-rich who use loopholes to avoid paying taxes, 3% of nothing is still nothing. Now factor in the US debt, which is admittedly unsustainable at 14 trillion dollars and growing.

Does it make sense to subsidize millionaires with borrowed money?

The Republican solution to America’s debt is to squeeze the middle class by cutting away the safety nets of programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Food Stamps. These programs help maintain the middle class, provide health care to the elderly, and keep people from starving. Any desire to slash these programs raises the question; what kind of America are the Republicans trying to create?

Instead of moving America forward, the GOP seems determined to move her backward. Instead of introducing new legislation, they want to repeal health care reform and roll back entitlements for senior citizens and the poor, to fund tax breaks for millionaires. Something is wrong with this picture.
There is a simple, however politically impossible solution: Raise the tax rate on millionaires to 40%, and eliminate 90% of corporate tax loopholes; tax incomes between $500,000 and $1,000,000 at 38%. If you earn between $150,000 and $499,000, you pay 35%; Wage earners of $50,000 to 149,900 will pay 30%; and completely eliminate taxes for everyone who earns less than $50,000 a year.

The revenue generated by closing tax loopholes for corporations and millionaires alone would go a long way toward reducing the national debt. Giving people who earn less than $50,000 a year a tax-free ride would give them more disposable income, which they will spend. Spending creates demand and grows the economy.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a politician in Washington today who would dare make such a proposal. By simplifying the tax code and eliminating most corporate loopholes, lawmakers would lose too much of their leverage for enticing big-money campaign donations and manipulating economic markets.

America is for sale and the wealthy are buying themselves tax breaks. So even through the US has a new party leading Congress, nothing has really changed.

Related articles

• Nancy Pelosi And Harry Reid: Passing Middle-Class Tax Cuts Is A Top Priority (huffingtonpost.com)