It’s no secret that Republicans want to destroy Medicare and Social Security

[eridani]

Last edited Wed Jan 11, 2012, 06:41 AM - Edit history (1)

Why would Democratic Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) want to help them? Fight back!!

Republican candidate for governor of Washington State Rob McKenna told the UW Young Republicans that it was “unfortunate” that Americans overwhelmingly oppose Medicare changes proposed by Representative Paul Ryan passed nearly unanimously by the House Republicans earlier this year.

The Ryan Plan would eliminate traditional Medicare. Instead of having all necessary care covered, you will be given a voucher to purchase the same kind of lousy private insurance that seniors could not afford before Medicare was enacted.

Republican Congressman Eric Cantor on NPR said “We've got to protect today's seniors. But for the rest of us? We're going to have to come to grips with the fact that these programs cannot exist if we want America to be what we want America to be.”

Senator Wyden and Paul Ryan have walked back the original plan to eliminate Medicare all at once. Now they propose (and are backed by every single Republican presidential candidate) to make vouchers voluntary, destroying Medicare slowly instead of all at once. Medicare patients with poor health or chronic conditions would find that most private plans are closed to them, since it's unprofitable to actually pay to treat them. They would remain in traditional Medicare, where costs would rise as more chronic patients joined and healthier patients fled to cheaper plans that allowed only healthy people. This would raise the costs of traditional Medicare, which would then push up premium prices, co-payments, and deductibles. Since private companies would be allowed to cherry pick the healthy, the once proud public program would be effectively ended.


Tell Senator Wyden and your representatives to save our lifelines. Do not support any candidate for an open Congressional seat who will not pledge to defend Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/
(constituents only--tell everyone you know in Oregon to contact him)
Toll free: 1-866-220-0044

221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

911 NE 11th Ave
Suite 630
Portland, OR 97232
503-326-7525

405 E 8th Ave
Suite 2020
Eugene, OR 97401
541-431-0229

SAC Annex Building
105 Fir St, Suite 201
La Grande, OR 97850
541-962-7691

Federal Courthouse
310 W 6th St, Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
541-858-5122

The Jamison Building
131 NW Hawthorne Ave, Suite 107
Bend, OR 97701
541-330-9142

707 13th St SE
Suite 285
Salem, OR 97301
503-589-4555

Free faxes!

http://faxzero.com/
http://www.gotfreefax.com/

Email, for obvious reasons, is restricted to constituents. Phones and faxes are not. For critical issues, consider adding faxes to your activist arsenal. Sometimes staff will ask your address when you call. If you don’t live in Oregon, explain that you are calling or faxing because of Medicare privatization.

A note on free faxes: they must be from a valid email address. When you send a fax, they send it first to your email address and give you a link to click on. Only clicking the link you got by email will send the fax. Limit 2 per day, no more than 3 pages. For $10/month you can send more faxes and more pages. If you want to ramp up your activities as an online activist, and can afford it, this would be a good investment.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Maybe he's a DINO?

I am horrified at what these idiots want to do to our Medicare.

This is only one of the reasons that we must return Obama to the Presidency.

The other big reason (though far from the only one) is the Supreme Court.

[eridani]

2. He takes progressive positions on quite a few issues

Just not this one.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Ah, OK...I'm not familiar with him.

It does seem odd that he would take such a right wing position on this issue.

[neverforget]

4. As a constiuent, I have contacted Wyden's office and let him know how I felt about it.

This makes me furious.

[eridani]

5. Be sure to tell your friends n/t

[newfie11]

6. Done, and with great pleasure

I told him what I thought of his idea. It SUCKS!

[eridani]

7. Informational kick

Please spread the word on this.