The Bright Side A Republican tide swept over the country on election night, giving the GOP full control of Congress. The GOP’s crowning achievement was capturing a majority in the U.S. Senate. In addition, Republicans now control 29 state legislatures, holding both chambers—two more than they did, and the most they have had since the 1920s. There were a few bright spots on election night. Minimum wage initiatives passed even in states voting for conservative candidates, such as Alaska, Nebraska, Arkansas, and South Dakota. The city of Phoenix rejected anti-retiree pension reforms. But overall, it was not the night many seniors were hoping for, to say the least. The New York Times reports that Congressional Republicans intend to present a plan to overhaul Medicare, calling for vouchers that they call “premium supports” to steer people 65 and over into buying private health insurance. GOP leaders also intend to set up a new commission to study options on Social Security, while relying on what one House Republican aide called “the solid foundation” of the Ryan budget plan. According to a Hart Research survey in 11 Senate battleground states, while non-union seniors (65+) voted 21 percent more for Republicans than Democrats, union seniors voted Democratic by a margin of 35 percent. I know that union retirees will do all we can to minimize the damage as we face attempts to chip away at our retirement security. But isn’t it already nice to know it wasn’t our fault? Barbara Easterling, President of the Alliance for Retired Americans
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 15:16:02 +0000
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