U.S. Congressman Steve Buyer | Proudly Serving Hoosiers in Indiana's 4th District

Early in 2009, President Obama and the Congressional Democrats promised that by borrowing another trillion dollars for a stimulus it would create jobs “immediately” and it would prevent the unemployment rate from rising above eight percent.  Today, the national unemployment rate remains at 10 percent, and more than 2.7 million jobs have been lost since the “so-called” job-saving stimulus was signed into law.

In 2009, a record 3.52 trillion dollars was spent by Congress and the national debt passed the 12 trillion dollar mark.  Hoosiers know that Congress can not borrow and spend its way back to a growing economy.  Congress must enact pro-growth policies instead of depending on spending measures in 2010 to get our economy back on track. 

As part of a continuous effort to counter Indiana’s unemployment rate which remains above nine percent, I have announced my 11th Hoosier Job Fair which will take place on Monday, March 1, 2010, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in Lebanon, located at the Witham Pavilion in the Boone County Fairgrounds. I appreciate the partnership of State Senators Phil Boots and Jim Buck, State Representatives Cindy Noe and Jeff Thompson, Mayor Huck Lewis and the City of Lebanon, the Boone County Chamber of Commerce, the Boone County Economic Development Corporation and the Boone County Learning Center in hosting the 2010 Hoosier Job Fair.  My previous ten Hoosier Job Fairs have been successful in matching employers with job-seekers and I hope to have the same success in March.

As the holidays draw closer, we are reminded of the spirit of thankfulness that accompanies the season.  I would like to wish all Hoosiers a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, and encourage everyone, as Americans, to reflect on the many things that we have to be thankful for this year.
   
Americans enjoy liberties that are often scarce in other parts of the world; freedoms that allow us to speak freely, worship openly, and defend ourselves from harm, bestowed upon us through our beloved Constitution.  Despite all of the challenges that we are faced with today, America is a strong nation because of the brilliance of our Founding Fathers and because we are blessed to have dedicated men and women of the Armed Services defending the product of their inspiration. 

As this Thanksgiving approaches, I offer my sincerest thank you to all of our servicemembers, our nation’s veterans, and to their families and loved ones who have endured their absences for the safety and sustainability of our nation.  Enjoy this special Holiday with family and friends and remember to take time to give thanks.

The President and Democrat leadership in Congress are not listening.  The U.S. unemployment rate has surged to 10.2 percent, the highest level in 26 years.  This astounding level of unemployment only tells part of the story about struggling, average Americans that Washington leaders have ignored. 

A deeper look at the unemployment numbers reveal the true cost of the Obama-Pelosi economic policies, especially for the nation’s most vulnerable people, is an unemployment rate of 17.5%. This rate takes into consideration those currently unemployed, those who are unable to find adequate work and those who have simply lost all hope and have given up looking for a job.

We must focus on the economy first.  We should start by cutting government spending to shore up the U.S. dollar, encourage job creation in the private sector, and increase private investment.  We should rely on proven methods to get our economy back on track such as immediate tax relief—decreasing the capital gains tax and reducing the tax burdens on small businesses.

We are living with an economy in disrepair as we face a two-front war.  The President needs to address the economy and, as Commander in Chief, he needs to make a strategic decision on Afghanistan.  Instead, our President and Democrat leadership are jamming legislation through Congress with massive spending, government control of businesses, and job-destroying taxes and regulations; all while leaving our troops in limbo in Afghanistan.  Washington has its priorities all wrong.

Unfortunately, President Obama and Speaker Pelosi insist on addressing global warming and government controlled health care.  In response, I voted against the job killing cap and trade legislation and support the Republican plan to improve our nation’s health care.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports the Republican alternative would reduce health insurance premiums.  Under the Republican plan, health insurance premiums would cost Americans nearly $5,000 less than the least costly option under Speaker Pelosi’s plan—without the government taking over 1/6 of our nation’s economy.

The Democrat proposal could cause up to 114 million Americans to lose the private health insurance that they enjoy.  Also, CBO found that the House Democrats’ bill will make health insurance more expensive than it is now, raising insurance premiums about 30 percent more than currently projected by the year 2016.  While I appreciate that most of my amendments to protect veterans were incorporated in the bill, I will oppose this overall government intrusion into our personal lives. 

We must focus on the uninsured and the uninsurable.  The Republican health care plan does just that by creating new health insurance options for small businesses—the economic engines of our economy—enacting real medical liability reform so that physicians can continue to focus on their patients and not junk lawsuits, guaranteeing affordable health insurance for individuals with preexisting conditions, protecting seniors’ Medicare benefits, and lowering health care premiums for all Americans.

Our nation’s health care system can be improved without increasing taxes and jeopardizing the jobs we still have in America.  The President and Democrat leadership in Congress must reorganize their priorities.  They must stop focusing on job-killing policies and fix our economy first. 

I support covering the uninsured and lowering the cost of health care for all Americans, but I disagree with arbitrarily scrapping the health coverage that 68 percent of Americans already have and rate as good or excellent.  Congress must focus on the part of our health care system that needs real reform and on helping the approximately 10 million uninsured Americans.

I continue to support initiatives to allow Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines, to give Americans on Medicaid and SCHIP the ability to use premium assistance to purchase private health insurance instead of participating in limited government-run options, to allow employers to provide tax-free defined contributions to workers’ individually purchased health insurance policies, and to help Americans enroll in health insurance that they are eligible to receive.  In order to support these initiatives, last week I co-sponsored the Improved Access to Employer Financed Health Insurance Act, the Medicaid and SCHIP Beneficiary Choice Improvement Act, the Expanded Health Insurance Options Act, and the Encourage Enrollment in Employer-Sponsored Insurance Act.

Additionally, I continue to push for the expansion of employer-sponsored wellness programs, and joined Congressman Michael Arcuri (D-NY) in introducing bipartisan legislation, H.R. 3688, that would provide employers with greater flexibility in offering wellness programs.  Such programs help employees and businesses save money while promoting healthy behaviors.

The idea to expand wellness programs has continued to gain momentum since the House Energy and Commerce Committee (of which I am a Member) considered H.R. 3200, the health reform bill proposed by the Democrat House leadership.  During the Committee’s consideration of H.R. 3200, I offered an amendment nearly identical to H.R. 3688, and it was surprisingly defeated by the Democrats in the Committee.  However, both the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions accepted amendments similar to H.R. 3688, lending greater support to the measure.

Wellness programs have been used by companies across the U.S. to greatly decrease health care costs for employers and employees while incentivizing individuals to lead healthier lives. 

Congress needs to focus on lowering health care costs and improving the access of health care for all Americans. We must focus on the issues that really need reform and that will help Hoosiers, and all Americans, the most.