Message to folks in the First District

01/29/2006

Dear voter -

This coming Wednesday Congress will resume action with a vote scheduled on cutting several budgets which have a lot of people uneasy.

They include Medicaid, which is a prime source of health care for seniors, many children and others who are lower-income people, and an important part of county budgets, since counties often run hospitals.  Medicaid is an important part of the economy in the First District.  The single largest cause of bankruptcy last year was large medical bills.  That’s something we can avoid.

Also, child support enforcement is slated to be cut.  That funding generates about $5 for every dollar spent on it, and that money goes to feed and clothe children.

College loans would also be cut, and with the increasing cost of education, that cut would create unnecessary hardships for families trying to pay for college costs, and make it generally harder to get a higher education.

For these reasons, Congressman Robert Simmons, Republican of Connecticut, who voted for the cuts in December, has announced he will vote against them now.  Messages from AARP, from teacher groups, and advocates for children, from medical people, and average citizens convinced him he should vote against the budget cuts.  Three more votes in the U.S. House are needed to swing the result from December.

In Minnesota, Congressman Jim Ramstad voted against the cuts in November, and then in favor of them in December.  He has not been available during much of January, and he needs to hear that his office has gotten calls encouraging him to help vote down these cuts.  His office number in Minnetonka is 952-738-8200, in DC it’s 202-225-2871.  Congressman Gil Gutknecht has voted for the cuts, despite the damage they would do to his district.  His Rochester office is at 507-252-9841, in Fairmont it’s 507-238-2835, and in Washington 202-225-2472.  Their offices are open weekdays from about 8:00 a.m. our time till about 5:00; sometimes they’re open later.

It is said that our Representatives in Congress are as uninformed as we allow them to be.  Please contact their offices, and please ask your friends to call and ask these Congressmen to vote for kids and other vulnerable people.  The votes of these Congressional Representatives will affect all Minnesotans.  If you are asked, let the person know if you are a constituent or not, and let your opinion be heard.  It’s difficult to drown out a lot of voices saying the same message at once.

Joe and Elaine Mayer