Each week the republican party delivers a weekly address in response to President Obama’s weekly address. This past weeks address was given by Senator Dean Heller, who was recently appointed to finish the term of John Ensign who resigned this past May.
But Heller did not use his time to respond to what President Obama said, which is his choice. Just so you know, the President‘s address was about coming together as a unified Nation with the up coming 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001 around the corner. Instead, Heller used his time to lie about his voting record and fling red meat about jobs and the economy, an economy he an his party continue to derail. The only legislation proposed by republicans are Bills that would kill jobs, hundreds of thousands of jobs, to which Speaker Boehner remarked, “so be it”, of the jobs lost by Republican legislation.
In Heller’s address (video below), he accuses democrats of lying about Republicans wanting to kill Medicare and Social Security. Why? Because Dean Heller is the only member of congress to vote twice to kill the two insurance programs, once as a member of the House, then as a member of the Senate. So Heller really wants Nevadans to believe that Medicare and Social Security are safe, because that Senate seat he was appointed to, is up for reelection in 2012.
Social Security and the Medicare are insurance programs that everyone pays into until they reach the age of 65, at which time they are “entitled” to receive those benefits.
The votes against both insurance programs, which republicans call “entitlements” were in the Ryan Budget plan, aka, the 2012 “Path to Prosperity“. Republicans want both programs “Privatized”. They want private Health Insurance companies to handle your health care needs when you're at the age where more expensive needs may come into play, which is why private health insurance companies make it nearly impossible to get insurance, and republicans want Wall St. to handle your retirement income.
Excerpt from the Republican “Path to Prosperity” on Medicare [page 25]
“These changes will not affect those in and near retirement in any way. When younger workers become eligible for Medicare, they will be able to choose from a list of guaranteed coverage options, enjoying the same kind of choices in their plans that members of Congress enjoy today. Medicare would then provide a payment to subsidize the cost of the plan.”
From the CBO, the entire program is turned into a Voucher system [page 2]:
“People who turn 65 in 2021 or later years would not enroll in the current Medicare program but instead would receive a voucher with which to purchase private health insurance.”
Excerpt from the Republican “Path to Prosperity” on Social Security [page 47]
“Force policymakers to come to the table and enact common-sense reforms to keep the program solvent for current beneficiaries and make it stronger for future generations. Social Security must be reformed to prevent severe cuts in future benefits.”
The coming to the table portion has been done several times, former President Bush wanted to privatize retirement accounts by directing your money out of the Social Security program and into “individual saving accounts” which would be managed by Wall St. Today, Republicans like Dean Heller, still want to privatize retirement accounts, a boon for Wall St and most likely a bust for Main St.
Dean Heller voted twice to kill Medicare and Social Security as it currently exists, and if he tells you otherwise, you now know that he’s a liar.
8/27/11 - Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) Delivers Weekly GOP Address On The Economy