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12th Congressional District: A rematch of opposing views; Editorial; Beaver County Times; November 4, 2016.
Below is a review of an editorial.
“The race in the 12th Congressional District is a rematch from 2014 and features two candidates who offer widely differing views on how best to move the district and the country forward.”
[RWC] More basic, I’m sure the candidates differ on the definition of “forward.” You can’t deal with “how” until you understand “what.”
“Republican U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, 54, of Sewickley is seeking his third term in Congress with a campaign that reflects his ultra-conservative values. A member of the House Freedom Caucus, he supports the House GOP’s ‘Better Way’ initiative that aims to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act – better known as Obamacare – reduce government regulations and lower taxes.”
[RWC] The BCT also referred to U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) as “an ultra-conservative.” Note the BCT didn’t tell readers how it defines “an ultra-conservative.” That’s likely because the BCT knows most of us would disagree with what it thinks is “ultra-conservative” and “far-right.” As a childhood friend’s father told me, “I didn’t leave the Democrat party, it left me.”
“He is a supporter of Republican candidate Donald Trump, who Rothfus said would back the ‘Better Way’ plan, and has voted consistently against measures that he says are fiscally irresponsible.
“Democrat Erin McClelland, 41, of Harrison Township, Allegheny County, has been critical of Rothfus since the last campaign, tagging him as an obstructionist and one of the reasons little gets accomplished in Washington.”
[RWC] I think you’ll find Mrs. McClelland’s (EM) definition of “obstructionist” is anyone who doesn’t vote like a Democrat.
“An addiction and behavioral health expert, McClelland said that although Obamacare may not be perfect, it would be a ‘disaster’ to repeal it. She has long been a proponent of reducing medical errors to control costs; would look at ways to end the so-called ‘Cadillac tax’ on some policies; and ultimately would prefer the country move toward a universal care system.”
[RWC] Why does EM think “it would be a ‘disaster’ to repeal [Obamacare]?” Heck, it hasn’t even been fully implemented yet. The longer we delay the worse it becomes.
Would EM have the same opinion if her family’s medical insurance premium increased 283%?
Obamacare is the gift that keeps on taking. I received an early Christmas present last week from President Obama and Obamacare. Effective January 1st, my medical insurance premium will increase 57%, continuing an ugly trend. My medical insurance premium has increased 283% since Obamacare was signed into law in 2010. P.J. O’Rourke (an American satirist) was right when he once said, “If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free.”
I suppose I should feel honored, though. Mr. Obama says I’m one of only “a handful of people who don’t get tax credits” for whom “premiums are going up.” Yay!
I’m all for “reducing medical errors to control costs,” but I would like to think the primary reason for “reducing medical errors” is to improve a patient’s health. That said, EM and the BCT know even if we achieved the impossible and eliminated all “medical errors,” the dollars saved would be a drop in the bucket.
While lefties claim they want the best healthcare possible for us, they have a limit. The “Cadillac Tax,” to become effective in 2018, is assessed on healthcare plans that are too good. “Too good” is determined by the premium. The tax will be 40%. Yes, you read that right. As usual, proponents tell the masses not to worry because the insurer will pay the tax, not you and I. Just as with Medicare and Socialist Security, however, we will pay the full tax, not our employer or the insurer.
EM wanting a government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly (aka “universal care system”) should disqualify her.
“She is also committed to several women’s issues, including what she says is a ‘serious bias’ in the way women’s health care and testing is handled; the pay disparity between men and women; and the need for more women to be willing to run for elected office. She has been outspoken in her criticism of Trump and his comments about women.”
[RWC] Regarding “the pay disparity between men and women,” please read “Don’t Blame Discrimination for Gender Wage Gap.”
What will EM do to eliminate Obamacare’s bias against men in which a portion of a male’s insurance premium subsidizes premiums for women? Despite the fact females file more claims in dollars than males, Obamacare requires both sexes pay the same premium.
“McClelland promises to be more active and visible in the district, saying that Rothfus is out of touch with his constituents. Rothfus claims that’s not the case, pointing to his efforts to get federal funding for improvements to locks and dams in the area, and efforts to promote local job creation.
“Ultimately, the race comes down to McClelland saying that Rothfus has an agenda that is based on blocking progress, where she would work with other representatives to move the country forward. Rothfus says that’s not true, that he has worked on issues with Democrats in Congress, but he is committed to making the federal government live within its means and not burden future generations with more debt.”
[RWC] The BCT doesn’t tell us how it and/or EM define “progress” and “moving the country forward.”
“To some degree, they’re both correct, and that’s what makes choosing the better candidate difficult. We have no doubt that McClelland would listen to other viewpoints in Congress, but we wonder whether her temperament – she admits she ‘likes to argue’ – is suitable for reaching compromise.
“Rothfus always comes across as sincere and dedicated to bringing improvements to the district and the country, but his ideology often gets in the way of what we see as common-sense approaches. He voted against relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy, and voted ‘no’ on reopening the federal government after the 2013 shutdown. Even more concerning was his opposition this year to a continuing resolution to keep the government open that also included funding to combat the Zika virus and opioid addiction, as well assistance for Louisiana flooding victims.”
[RWC] Rep. Rothfus (KR) was in favor of “relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy,” he just wanted to pay for it now instead of adding another $10 billion to our debt. The same thinking was behind the “continuing resolution” the editorial mentioned. That sounds like a “common-sense approach” to me.
Regarding the 2013 government non-shutdown, here’s what I wrote elsewhere: “The editorial claims Sen. Toomey (PT) “voted to shut down the government in a political squabble over raising the debt ceiling.” That’s one way to look at it. The way I look at it is, President Obama (BHO) and then-Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) could have adopted the position of PT and other reps and sens and avoided the non-shutdown.”
“He has voted more than 60 times on measures that would repeal Obamacare, but we take issue with the fact that, until recently, those votes offered no specific replacement for the health care plan. We find that to be an irresponsible approach.”
[RWC] The editorial claims KR “voted more than 60 times on measures that would repeal Obamacare, but … offered no specific replacement for the health care plan” then “finds that to be an irresponsible approach.” Apparently the BCT hopes readers skip over “until recently” in this paragraph and forget “he supports the House GOP’s ‘Better Way’ initiative” in the first paragraph.
“The Times editorial board discussed the two candidates for several weeks before coming to the conclusion that we can offer no endorsement in this race. Instead, we leave it to voters to decide on whom they prefer in office.”
[RWC] The BCT won’t tell us for whom to vote? How can we survive the pressure?
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