Jeff Merkely Writes: Can You Believe This?

From the inbox ~

For months now, the House Republicans - led by Budget Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) - have been promising a bold, new plan to cut the deficit. After much anticipation, Rep. Ryan released his plan today. But it's hardly a bold, new plan. Instead, Ryan's plan is a rehash of the same old failed ideas they've been touting for years. What's the Republican solution to our budget crisis? More tax cuts for the wealthy and big multinational corporations; attacks on our teachers, firefighters, and other public servants; and announced today, a plan to end Medicare and give our seniors coupons for private health insurance. Unbelievable. Make no mistake: No one is going to kill Medicare on my watch. We're not going to go back to the days when many of America's seniors were living in destitute poverty without access to health care. We've made a solemn commitment to our seniors, and we're not going to break that promise. So, how do we bring down the deficit?

• End the exclusive tax breaks available only to millionaires and billionaires.


• End the subsidies for the highly-profitable oil and gas industries.


• Bring the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a responsible end.


• Get our economy back on track - by investing in education and clean energy technology, boosting manufacturing, and keeping families in their homes by fixing the broken housing market.

Public opinion has begun to turn against the Republicans' radical ideas - and you can help me tell the truth about the Republican plan, and our better ideas. I hope you'll share this email with your friends, join me on Facebook or Twitter, and stand up for a future that brings America together, instead of tears us apart.

And from Health Care For America Now ~

Tuesday, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (WI-01) announced the Republican’s budget proposal. It is unbelievably bad - literally. The GOP budget not only repeals the new health care law it eliminates Medicare and Medicaid as we know it.1

Fight for these life saving programs today. Call your Member of Congress and tell them to vote NO on the Republican’s budget.The Republican’s proposal gives millionaires huge tax breaks while seniors and hard-working families pay more for health care and get less coverage. Ryan’s plan would radically undermine the economic security of America’s middle class. It helps Wall Street-run health insurance companies make record-breaking profits and pay their CEOs outrageous sums to deny people the care they paid for and need.2Nowhere in the Republican plan is there any shared sacrifice. There’s no fairness. The big corporations and super-rich aren’t asked to pitch in. Instead they get even richer. This budget changes the rules and reshapes this country in a breathtakingly dangerous way.This budget would eviscerated programs that everyone in this country depend on. Republicans are attacking every single one of us.3 The GOP’s budget breaks America's most basic promise: That if you work hard and play by the rules, you can take care of your family and retire with peace of mind.4 Call Congress today.

1. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/04/ryan_budget_preview.html 2. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-06/ryan-s-budget-proposal-would-aid-insurers-a-top-source-of-campaign-cash.html 3. http://www.healthcare.gov/law/provisions/billofright/patient_bill_of_rights.html 4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ethan-rome/republican-budget-plan-de_b_845256.html

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