Editor,
Our 5th District Representative in Congress, Susan Brooks, has a record of supporting measures contrary to the interests of senior citizens. She supports the Budget for a Brighter American Future (passed by the House Budget Committee in June), which, over the next decade, would cut $537 billion from Medicare. It would raise Medicare’s eligibility age from 65 to 67, increase deductibles and replace Medicare’s guaranteed coverage with a flat-voucher payment system. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this would result in most Medicare recipients paying much higher premiums than under current law.
Brooks also voted for House Joint Resolution 2, which would change Social Security rules to require that benefits be paid only out of current-year receipts without drawing on the Social Security Trust Fund surplus, and to freeze Social Security rates regardless of benefit obligations. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that Social Security benefits would be reduced by 17 percent if these measures were enacted.
Dee Thornton, Brooks’ opponent in the upcoming November election, will protect programs into which seniors have paid for decades. She supports maintaining and strengthening the Social Security and Medicare safety nets.
Vote for Dee Thornton on Nov. 6.
Bill Kipp, Fishers
