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Boehner in Palladium-Item: Americans Want New Jobs, Not More Spending

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

“Voters want reforms that will help small businesses create new jobs, stop the spending, and get our economy moving again,” wrote Congressman Boehner in the Palladium-Item, which is read throughout Preble County. Boehner is championing several solutions for getting the economy back on track here in Ohio and across the country, including legislation that will:

>> CREATE NEW JOBS WITHOUT INCREASING SPENDING: This plan would halt new regulations that could burden employers; let businesses keep more of the money they earn to reinvest, grow, and hire new workers; and more.

>> LOWER ENERGY PRICES: This plan expands American energy production to create jobs, renews our commitment to clean and emissions-free nuclear energy, invests in renewable and alternative sources of energy, encourages conservation, and more.

>> LOWER HEALTH CARE COSTS: The plan Boehner supports would rein in junk lawsuits, allow small businesses to pool together to buy more affordable coverage, let Americans shop for coverage across state lines, and more.

>> END THE BAILOUTS AND REFORM FANNIE MAE & FREDDIE MAC: This plan ends the bailouts once and for all, protects consumers, makes Wall Street responsible for its actions, and more.

But that’s not all. Boehner has also cosponsored legislation that would help Ohio families quickly recover the savings they’ve lost during the recession. And he’s fighting to stop other jobs-killing policies – like “cap and trade” – from becoming law.

In his op-ed, Boehner argues that the Democrats in charge of Washington aren’t listening and uses their government takeover of health care as a key example. He writes:

“In the lead up to the House vote on President Barack Obama’s health care bill, more than 130 economists joined together to warn that a government takeover of health care would destroy American jobs.

“But instead of heeding these warnings, President Obama pushed ahead, authorizing arm twisting, accounting gimmicks and special deals to force this bill into law, with the justification that his plan would help build a ‘new foundation for our economy’ and create ‘good, lasting jobs … .’ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., boldly predicted that the bill would create ‘400,000 jobs almost immediately.’

“As you may know, it has since been confirmed that the new law will actually increase health care costs and threaten jobs at a time we can least afford it.

“In fact, the Columbus Dispatch recently editorialized on a new Obama administration report detailing the costs of ObamaCare, saying: ‘far from reducing the cost of health care, the overhaul will add $311 billion to the nation’s health care costs over the first decade the law is in effect. … The nation deserved something much, much better than this.’”

If you want to help Boehner’s campaign for freedom and reform, sign up today and become a Boehner Campaigner! Learn more here.

Boehner Focused on Creating New Jobs As He Files for Re-Election

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Congressman Boehner filed for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday and, as he told the Middletown Journal, his focus “is on trying to get our economy going and trying to create jobs.”

With the unemployment rate in Ohio near 11 percent, Boehner has led the fight for several proposals aimed at helping small businesses create new jobs, protecting Ohio workers, and helping struggling families rebuild their savings. For example:

>> CREATING NEW JOBS WITH A “NO COST” PLAN: With Washington swimming in a sea of red ink, Boehner has led the way on a “no cost” plan to create new jobs without increasing spending or raising taxes. And the budget plan supported by Boehner would actually curb government spending and get control of the spiraling federal debt – another necessary step in getting our economy back on track. Boehner has also fought against the so-called “stimulus” spending bill which a non-profit report found could cost Ohio as many as 91,200 jobs.

>> PROTECTING OHIO FARMERS AND MANUFACTURERS: One of the biggest threats facing Ohioans who work in agriculture and manufacturing is a “cap and trade” national energy tax that would send energy prices skyrocketing. Boehner has led the fight against a national energy tax and is promoting an “all of the above” strategy that would actually lower costs, create jobs, and liberate us from our dependence on foreign oil.

>> HELPING FAMILIES REBUILD THEIR SAVINGS: The recession has taken its toll on Ohio in a number of ways, including by wiping out many families’ savings. The Boehner-backed Savings Recovery Act is a straightforward bill that will help recoup college, retirement, and personal savings – and quickly. It also preserves employee-controlled 401(k)s by blocking efforts in Washington to wipe out 401(k)s entirely and replace them with government-run accounts.

But that’s not all. Boehner has also stood on principle against a government takeover of health care and for an alternative proposal that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says would lower health care premiums up to 10 percent and cut the deficit. Boehner’s plan is focused on driving down costs for all Americans. You can learn more about it here.

In an interview on 700 WLW yesterday, Boehner told host Mike McConnell that he’s “looking for two more years to continue the fight for a smaller, more accountable, and less costly government.” [LISTEN]

If you want to join Boehner’s fight, become a Boehner Campaigner today! Learn more here.

Tags: Boehner Campaigner, budget, energy, families, health care, jobs, ohio, savings, spending, stimulus
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Obama Admin Throws Up Roadblock to Rebuilding Retirement Savings

Monday, November 30th, 2009

In 2006, Congressman Boehner led the effort to pass the landmark Pension Protection Act, bipartisan legislation that reformed outdated pension laws. But now, in the middle of a recession, the Obama Administration has stripped away one of the bill’s key provisions and made it more difficult for workers to save for retirement.

While Boehner’s bill gave workers access to high-quality investment advice from those managing their 401(k)s, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Obama Administration is “stripping employees of basic financial advice” and “most workers will end up having to fend for themselves”:

“With very little media or public attention, the Obama Administration recently suspended a Bush-era rule to let employees get financial guidance from the advisers managing their 401(k) investments. The provision was designed to give average investors access to the kind of personal financial advice that is typically a privilege of the wealthy. Instead, they are likely to get no guidance at all. …

“The Bush Administration’s plan allowed a company to hire a fund manager, and for the fund manager to provide investment advice as part of a package deal for the firm’s employees. The plan had the advantage of being cost effective and easily used, with any potential conflict mitigated by disclosure and other safeguards. …

“[Democrats] proposed that if companies wished to provide investment advice to their workers they be required to hire independent advisers, whose suggestions would supposedly be pristine and trustworthy. The costs of these outsiders would also be paid by the employer. That might be affordable for huge corporations, but the additional costs are prohibitive to many smaller businesses, which means most workers will end up having to fend for themselves.”

Investment News quotes Boehner blasting the move by the Administration which throws a major roadblock in front of workers trying to rebuild their retirement savings:

“It is outrageous that the Obama administration would deny workers their right to high-quality investment advice that could help them restore valuable savings that have been lost because of this economic recession…”

Contrast this action by the White House with another new solution from Boehner and Republicans – the Savings Recovery Act – which is designed to make it easier for individuals and families to save more for their retirement. Read more about the Savings Recovery Act here.

READ MORE:

Boehner Introduces Savings Recovery Act (4/22/09)
Boehner Op-Ed on Rebuilding Americans’ Savings (4/14/09)

Tags: retirement, savings, small businesses
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Boehner: GOP Health Care Alternative “Aims at Driving Down Costs”

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Congressman Boehner and House Republicans have crafted a 219-page common-sense alternative (read the text of the bill here) to Speaker Pelosi’s 2,032 page government takeover of health care. The Republican alternative will lower costs for families and small businesses, expand coverage, and promote healthy lifestyles – without raising taxes or adding to the debt. Here’s how:

> > ENDING JUNK LAWSUITS: The New York Times reports that the GOP alternative will “limit damages in medical malpractice lawsuits” and limit the defensive medicine that drives up costs on everyone.

> > COVERING AMERICANS WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS. Under the GOP bill, all Americans, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illness, will have access to affordable health care. By contrast with the Pelosi plan, the GOP bill achieves this goal in a manner that lowers health care premiums for American families rather than raising them.

> > ALLOWING SMALL BUSINESSES TO POOL TOGETHER: The New York Times says the Republican bill will “allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance” – the same way large corporations and labor unions do.

> > ALLOW AMERICANS TO BUY INSURANCE ACROSS STATE LINES: AP reports that the GOP alternative “allows health insurance to be sold across state lines,” thereby letting Americans shop around for the coverage that best suits them.

> > ENCOURAGING STATE INNOVATION: The New York Times says the Republican bill gives states the tools they need to “reduce the cost of health insurance or the proportion of their residents who are uninsured.”

> > NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION: AP reports that the GOP bill “includes a permanent ban on any federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother.”

> > PREVENTING INSURERS FROM UNJUSTLY CANCELLING POLICIES: The New York Times says Republicans “prohibit insurers from canceling or rescinding coverage after a person became sick unless the person had intentionally concealed ‘material facts’ about a medical condition.”

> > PROMOTING SAVING FOR LONG-TERM NEEDS: The Hill reports that the GOP plan “bolsters health savings accounts (HSAs)” by providing incentives for Americans to save and use HSAs to pay premiums.

> > ALLOWING EMPLOYERS TO REWARD WORKERS FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLES: The Boston Globe reports that the Republican bill gives “employers greater flexibility to financially reward employees who adopt healthier lifestyles.”

As Boehner told Politico, the GOP bill “aims at driving down costs” because “if you drive down costs, you can expand access.” But because the Republican alternative supported by Boehner is focused on lowering costs, there are several things it does NOT do:

The GOP plan does NOT cut Medicare. Speaker Pelosi’s bill cuts more than $500 bill from Medicare over the next 10 years.
The GOP plan does NOT impose mandates on employers. Speaker Pelosi’s bill forces private employers to pay a new tax equal to 8 percent of their payroll if they don’t – or can’t – provide “government approved” health coverage – a plan that will destroy millions of jobs.
The GOP plan does NOT force seniors out of their current coverage. Roughly 3 million seniors – including thousands here in the 8th District – will be forced out of their current Medicare Advantage program because of cuts in Speaker Pelosi’s bill.
The GOP plan does NOT impose unfunded mandates on states. Speaker Pelosi’s bill would impose nearly $1 billion in unfunded mandates on Ohio alone, which has prompted Republicans across Ohio to urge Governor Strickland to oppose her reckless bill.
The GOP plan does NOT increase premiums on Americans. Speaker Pelosi’s bill raises premiums paid by seniors enrolled in both Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D.

Boehner wrote an op-ed for the Miami Herald in which he flat out admitted that “Republicans have a much better plan.” He says “the American people have made it crystal clear to Washington that what they want out of healthcare reform is a plan focused on reducing costs, not growing government” – and that’s exactly what Republicans are offering.

READ MORE:

Boehner Outlines “Four Smart, Fiscally Responsible” Health Care Reforms (10/31/09)
Boehner on Republican Solutions to Lower Health Care Costs (10/30/09)
Ohio Leaders Call on Strickland to Oppose Washington Health Care Takeover (10/29/09)
Boehner: “1,990 Pages of Bureaucracy” (10/29/09)
Democrats Ready Rollout of Health Care Takeover As Constitutional Questions Linger (10/28/09)

Tags: health care, jobs, life, ohio, savings, spending
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Boehner: Helping Americans rebuild savings

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

John Boehner: Helping Americans rebuild savings
Hamilton Journal-News
April 27, 2009

Over the last year, retirement, college and personal savings plans have increasingly lost their value as our economy has weakened.

People who spent a lifetime living frugally and responsibly were hit with the terrible reality that they wouldn’t be able to retire as planned. Parents who sacrificed and saved for their children’s college funds had to tell their kids that they couldn’t attend the school of their choice. And every day personal savings accounts, meant to carry workers and families through a rough patch, were emptied to pay mortgages, credit cards and other debts.

And what has Washington done during all this? It’s fiddled while you burned through your savings. The lawmakers in charge of Congress have refused to lead, instead picking political fights and advancing a left-wing agenda that will bankrupt our state and country.

House Republicans believe that we must – first and foremost – help you rebuild your college, retirement and personal savings. A recent National Public Radio poll indicates that the evaporation of Americans’ savings ranks as their top concern during this economic downturn. This poll underscores the uncertainty middle-class families and small businesses are feeling during this ever-deepening recession.

These are men and women across the country and right here in Ohio who are acting responsibly and playing by the rules. They are paying their bills on time and saving for the future. Yet, each and every day, it seems they are falling farther and farther behind. They are enduring the pain of this recession and looking to both parties in Washington for solutions that will help get our economy moving again. So far, they haven’t gotten any. In the meantime, congressional Democrats continue to push proposals that will weaken our economy and make building a nest egg even more difficult. Some have even suggested wiping out 401(k)s entirely and replacing them with accounts managed by Washington bureaucrats. You deserve far better than this.

The House Republican Savings Solutions Group has developed the Savings Recovery Act, which is our better solution to help you rebuild your retirement, college and personal savings. It will:

Make it easier for Americans to save more for their retirement by increasing the contribution and catch-up limits for individuals and families.
Effectively reduce by up to half the cost of a family’s contribution to 529 college savings plans.
Increase retirement income by doubling the Social Security earnings limit and allowing more Americans to increase their income without being hit by the Social Security earnings penalty.
Provide tax relief for investors and seniors by immediately suspending the capital gains tax on newly acquired assets for the next two years and suspending taxes on dividend income through 2011.
Preserve employee-controlled 401(k)s by blocking efforts to wipe out 401(k)s entirely and replace them with government-run accounts.

Republicans have been saying all year long that we will not be the party of opposition, but the party of better solutions. And we’re demonstrating our commitment to that by introducing the Recovery Savings Act. I believe that Washington must abandon its destructive economic agenda, which is racking up more debt to be paid by our children and grandchildren, eroding Americans savings, and destroying good-paying jobs. It’s time for Congress to put aside political infighting to develop better solutions to help you, your family and small business owners get back on the path to prosperity.

U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., represents Ohio’s 8th District.

Tags: education, retirement, savings
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