Robert Neeld on the Issues
Jobs
Nothing is more important in my campaign for Congress than job creation - and by that, I'm talking about meaningful employment that will benefit all of us who work in the 14th District. As your Congressman, I'll vote to fully fund job training, job re-training and job retention programs. I'll propose an increase to the Child Tax Credit, and offer federal legislation to provide affordable day care programs for the children of hard-working parents. I'll also work hard with local groups to seek out manufacturers and businesses who are looking to relocate to Southwest Florida - focusing on those businesses that offer their employees family-supporting wages and meaningful benefits.
As your representative I'll work hard to make the 14th Congressional District a showcase for economic development and expansion - in other words, position the people of our region among the top tier in the fierce competition going on nationally for the best-paying, high skill jobs.
The Environment
Our environmental quality of life comes down to two crucial issues: the quality of our watersheds and wetlands; and sane and sensible land use. Every day, our spectacular Caloosahatchee River is poisoned by the release of millions upon millions of gallons of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee. The agencies behind this travesty are the South Florida Water Management District and the Army Corps of Engineers. As your Congressman, I'll make sure that our beautiful river will no longer be used as a poisonous sluiceway controlled by Big Sugar and Big Development working in a lopsided regulatory concert with federal agencies and quasi-governmental agencies that seem to be beholden to no one. The poisoning of our watersheds has to be stopped, and as your representative I'll make sure that happens.
Education
Public education has always been the bedrock of our free society. So when I'm elected to Congress, I will join with my Democratic colleagues in support of public school choice programs, public charter and public magnet schools that provide parents and students with educational options. I will also study any initiative that results in higher standards of accountability for all public schools, and teachers, to improve America's public education system. I will also fight to expand and improve the federal role in making higher education more accessible, especially to students from low-income families.
Healthcare
First, Congressman Mack likes to engage in the politics of fear. He prefers to call healthcare reform initiatives “socialized medicine”. Those two words conjure visions of hoards of infirmed being herded into a processing facility where they lose their individual identities and receive run of the mill care for issues that may require specialized treatment. The words “Socialized medicine” even scare me. What Congressman Mack doesn't seem to understand is that healthcare is infrastructure. Just like roads, bridges, police departments and schools; healthcare is a part of infrastructure – everybody uses it, everybody pays. And, just like our roads and bridges are crumbling, our healthcare system is crumbling under the weight of years of neglect perpetrated during the Bush years. Here’s how we change the system.
I propose to increase the Medicare tax from 1.45% to 2.00% on both the employee and employer. This modest 0.55% increase will provide some additional funds for the system. To help reduce costs, I propose that 0.05% of the 0.55% increase be dedicated to prosecuting, not investigating, but prosecuting and bringing to justice those who would perpetrate fraud on the Medicare system. This savings alone will total in the billions of dollars.
Next, just as our seniors are required to pay an extra premium for Medicare Part B, those newly covered individuals will also be required to pay that premium at the same rate as our seniors. For those ages 60 to 64, it amounts to approximately $110.00 per month. The current law contains a provision for means testing and this means testing provision will apply here, too. This modest premium will be added on each taxpayer’s U. S. Individual Income Tax Return and paid with their federal income tax each year. I am almost old enough to be covered by this plan and I can tell you that if this plan were in place, I would be counting the days until I was eligible. It would be far more affordable than the $250.00 per month I pay now.
Now, to the issues of insurance and program administration costs I offer the following solutions. First, insurance is not left out of this equation. Insurance companies sell Medicare supplements all day long. They would still be free to do so. But voters should reject any candidate that accepts campaign contributions from the powerful insurance lobbies. Remember, insurance companies are not in business to provide healthcare or even to provide insurance for healthcare. Insurance companies are in business to make money, period.
