Preserving Medicare, Navistar Foundry Reopens and Lawrence Readiness Center Dedication -- April 22, 2011
Dear Friend,
Happy Easter! Thank you for reading another edition of my e-newsletter, the Carson Courier. For additional information on these and other topics, please visit my website at https://www.carson.house.gov.
In this week's Carson Courier:
- Preserving Medicare for Seniors
- Navistar Foundry Reopening Creates Jobs
- Lawrence Readiness Center Dedication
Preserving Medicare for Seniors
I want my constituents, especially seniors, to know the impact the Republican-backed budget proposal would have on Medicare. Simply put, the plan written by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis) would end Medicare as we know it.The proposal would increase health care costs for seniors by as much as $6,000, while giving tax breaks of up to $200,000 to those in the highest income brackets. The Ryan plan puts insurance companies in charge of seniors' health care and provides billions in tax breaks to huge multinational corporations that continue to ship good American jobs overseas.
Recently Alan Blinder, former Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve, stated in the Wall Street Journal, "The [Ryan] plan threatens to eviscerate Medicare by privatizing it—with vouchers that, absent some sort of cost-control miracle, would fall further and further behind the rising cost of health insurance. And to make that miracle even less likely, House Republicans want to repeal every cost-containment measure enacted in last year's health-reform legislation."
While I adamantly oppose the Ryan Plan, I want my constituents to know that I am committed to working with both parties to cut the deficit responsibly. But the cuts cannot be made at the expense of our seniors. I remain committed to preserving Medicare and Social Security and the services they provide.
Former Navistar Foundry Reopens Creating Jobs
This week, I gave remarks at the reopening of the former Navistar foundry on Indianapolis' Eastside. The foundry, which is one of the few foundries in the U.S. capable of making the cylinder blocks and heads needed by diesel engine manufacturers, was originally set to close in July of 2010. However, my staff and I were able to help facilitate discussions that led to an agreement between Navistar, the United Auto Workers, and other community leaders to create PurePower Technologies, which assumed operations at the foundry. I am happy to report that PurePower will recall 150 workers by June 2011, and it plans to hire another 100 by 2014!
For more information, please click here.
Readiness Center Dedication
I was honored to participate in the dedication ceremony of the new Indiana National Guard Readiness Center in Lawrence this week. Our state has one of the largest National Guard contingents in the country, and our brave men and women will now receive world-class training and support at the center. Whether Hoosier soldiers are coming to Lawrence for drill, to prepare for deployment, or to provide support services for their fellow soldiers overseas, the center will ensure our soldiers have cutting edge tools and resources to do their jobs. Because of the center, our Guard members will stay at the height of military preparedness for decades to come.
Thank you for reading the Carson Courier. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and concerns. For more information, please visit my website at https://www.carson.house.gov, my Congressional Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CongressmanAndreCarson and follow me on Twitter@RepAndreCarson. I value your views and your input which help me to better represent the people of Indiana's 7th District in Congress.