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Obama vs. Romney: a clear choice


Obama vs. Romney: a clear choice

Facts can be a funny thing. If they don’t fit your political perspective, you can’t twist them to make them fit. With about 40 million senior citizens to woo, presidential candidates are going all out to get our vote. As November nears, seniors are being bombarded with both truthful and deceptive claims about programs that will make a difference in our lives.

The economy, education, taxes, health care, foreign policy and women’s issues are critically important issues that affect everyone, no matter your age, gender or income level. But as a senior citizen, health care and retirement security rise to the top of my list.

I worked for 35 years and earned a decent paycheck. It didn’t come close to that of a Wall Street hedge fund manager, but what I sacrificed in salary I made up for knowing that I was making a difference in my community. I taught in a fine public school system, the Brookfield Local Schools, and dedicated my time both in the classroom and in school activities to help my students prepare for work and for further schooling. Now, after years of working hard and paying my taxes, I look forward to a long and healthy retirement.

After sorting through facts, untruths, half-truths, political ads and serious fact-checking, I believe we have a clear choice this November between President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and former Gov. Mitt Romney and his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

The Romney-Ryan plan would scrap traditional Medicare as we know it and turn it into a private system in which insurance companies write the rules. The Congressional Budget Office has determined the GOP plan would actually double out-of-pocket costs for seniors.

And those misleading ads we keep seeing about President Obama’s Medicare reforms that save $716 billion while taking it from seniors’ care? The truth is that those savings come from stopping waste and fraud. They make Medicare stronger and protect seniors.

I was elected to be a delegate to the National Democratic Convention, and I will proudly be a part of nominating our current President Obama and Vice-President Biden to be re-elected in November.

Judith Puskar, Masury


1commoncitizen(936 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

The "savings" come from "stopping waste and fraud" is not factual. The $716B was taken out of Medicare and reduced payments to hospitals and doctors and was put into Obamacare. IF is was a reduction in" waste and fraud", in the system, it should have stayed in Medicare to make sure it would be solvent for more years for the seniors that have paid into the system.

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2natureman(66 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

I strongly agree with the writer of this letter. People of this valley should especially be for President Obama since he helped save the auto industry. Mr. Romney is all for the rich and powerful while taking away from those who really need help. Don't be deceived. We still have not recovered from the Bush years.

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3Delphisalariedretirees(76 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

Voters - Join the fight to force President Obama to end the government's unequal treatment of the Delphi salaried.

Sign the petition below and forward it on to your family, friends, and Valley residents. We have ALL suffered because of Barack Obama's inaction.


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4eagleye(51 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

Ms Pishkur actually doesn't know what she's talking about which is typical for these folks. Romney's plan is to give people UNDER 55 an option of either STAYING WITH THE TRADITIONAL PLAN, or going to a voucher program that will be APPROVED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND STATES. One would get an annual voucher to CHOOSE the type of coverage the want based on their health requirememts. They would pick from GOVERNMENT APPROVED plans, like Congress does now. If you want the Cadillac plan, you use your voucher check, for the plan you want, and then pay a little more... but it's your choice. The richer will pay a bit more. Folks with less means will pay less. The $716 BILLION DOES COME OUT OF THE MEDICARE FUND. It reduces payments to doctors and hospitals. Who do you think with cover the lost revenue? The pixie fairies? If the Obamunist could find all the savings by eliminating fraud and waste, WHY HASN'T IT BEEN DONE BEFORE, AND WHY HASN'T THE OBAMUNIST STARTED TO DO IT? Not that it shouldn't be done aggressively, but it is a lie that you can achieve billions in savings by eliminating waste and fraud. Abusers should be burned and imprisioned, but the amount estimated to be recouped is about $70 million per year initially. So.....let's get a grip, read the FACTS for a change. I know that's something that the Dems have a hard time doing since they are factually challenged. It's far past the time to quit taking the daily DNC enema of talking points and start thinking for yourselves for a change. Oh, yea. The Congressional Budget Office and the OMB all agree that the Obamacare numbers DO NOT ADD UP and the program WILL COST BILLIONS MORE THAN THE ESTIMATES. THE ONLY WAY THAT OBAMACARE FITS THE INITIAL LYING NUMBERS IS BY RIPPING THE $716 BILLION FROM MEDICARE! WISE UP FOLKS. I'm on Medicare, so it affects me just like the rest of the folks.

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5HappyBob(284 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

It occurs to me that if the premium support system being pushed by the Romney team was the best solution then why exclude those over 54.
If it is good for 54 and younger, why is it not good for the "older crowd".
As to the projected reduction of 700 billion (over 10 years) in Medicare spending the majority comes from the reduction in the subsidy paid to insurance companies and the reductions that hospitals agreed to in return for having more people insured. The hospital reimbursements are already baked into the Healthcare act. Anyone who believes that the Healthcare act will be repealed is being unrealistic.

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6Delphisalariedretirees(76 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago




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7southsidedave(4689 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

Tragically, there is no clear choice...just politics as usual.

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8Delphisalariedretirees(76 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

Now, there is a story that Obama appointed officials PROFITTED from their decision to deny the Delphi reitrees:


Sign the petition to force President Obama to "do the right thing", or LOSE the election!


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9cathylukasko(106 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

Typical Union response. There are ONLY about 8% private sector and 12% public sector Unions in our country and the Obama administration caters to them. The last 4 years have been worse than the Carter years. Double gas prices, unpaid auto bailout by GM of $26 billion $ which is TAXPAYER MONEY. Obamacare which will put our country over the cliff re: the already 16 trillion debt. We need a businessman, NOT a community organizer who wants to redistribute American wealth !

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10DwightK(1161 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

If the Romney / Ryan Medicare program is as good as they say, why won't seniors currently enrolled in Medicare be allowed to have that choice?

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11newsmaker1(123 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

Obamacare is adding 30 million people, most of them don't pay anything now, and Obamacare exempts them from any fine or taxes.

Why is Obama going to decrease the payments to Hosp and Doctors & healthcare industry? We will begin to lose the GREATEST healthcare in the world,

Eventually one single payer system will be in force, Employers will drop their plans and join Obamacare.

Everyone will be on a version of current Medicaid, Yes, judith, just look at Cuba's Communist Universal Health care, that's whats coming to America.

Do you pay your fair share, Judith? You will be, but you won't get the healthcare you deserve

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12HappyBob(284 comments)posted 1 year, 6 months ago

They reason why Obama is going to decrease payments to Hospitals and Doctors is simple. The Doctors and Hospitals have agreed to reduced payments in exchange for getting 30 million people on insurance.

In the first months of Obama's adminstration, they met with the AMA and The American Hospital Association and asked the question: How can the ever increasing cost of health care be contained. The AMA and the Hospitals said that the number of uninsured people was a hugh factor, a factor that required them to pass costs to the insured patients. The AMA said that the way to slow the growth of healthcare costs was to try to get everyone insured.

So they agreed to accept reduced reimbursements IF a health care reform would make sure that the number of uninsured would be reduced.

See how that works? That's the government working with the private sector (the hospitals and doctors) to benefit the people.

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