47 members of Congressional Progressive Caucus won't promise not to cut Social Security and Medicare

[SheilaT]

23. Okay, here's the text of my email:

Dear Representative Lujan,

I understand that you are one of the Democrats who has not signed the letter which was initiated by Congressmen Alan Grayson and Mark Takano, pledging to “vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits -- including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need.”

You need to sign the letter. You need to commit yourself to protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Social Security itself does not contribute at all to the deficit, and it can be funded into perpetuity by raising the cap on earnings that pay into Social Security.

As for Medicare and Medicaid, since we are the ONLY first world country that does not provide universal health care, those two need to be more fully funded than they are. We should have Medicare for all, rather than any plans to cut back or to raise eligibility requirements.

Far too many of us do not have paid-for health care. Unlike, say, a U.S. Representative. And many of us have no pensions, thanks to changes that encouraged companies to stop funding their pensions and putting the burden on employees to save and invest.

I sincerely hope that you will reconsider your position, and will sign the letter soon. If not, and if you actually vote to change or cut those programs, I will work very hard for any Democrat who will support them, and who will run against you next year.

Thank you for your time.