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VIDEO: Senator Casey talks Medicare, jobs

New Castle News - 7/3/2018

July 03--Health care and jobs.

Senator Bob Casey vowed to fight to protect the middle class in both areas during a spirited Monday afternoon speech at Faraone Brothers on the city's South Side.

The Lawrence County Democratic Committee sponsored the luncheon, which featured the veteran legislator discussing how he would ensure the middle class doesn't lose health care while also fighting to boost the economy.

"This election is tied for first in the most important elections of our lifetime," Casey said to the near-capacity crowd at the banquet hall. "This moment is about a lot of things, but it is mostly about a make-or-break time for the middle class and the American worker."

Casey talked about how American workers have more to shoulder as the costs of goods have risen substantially while wages have not.

"All of the costs in their lives seemed to have gone up, but the wages have all been but flat," Casey said. "If it weren't for the men and women of organized labor, those wages over the past 30 years or so would be a lot worse."

Casey cited reasons for a shrunken economy were the attacks on unions and government's focus shifting away from the middle class.

"We are going to come back to the interests and needs of working people once again," Casey said. "Remember the times when our parties drifted away and focused on some other priorities? I think we are getting back to the basics."

Casey then shifted focus to health care, including the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and tax cut legislation and how Republicans rule Washington, D.C.

"How about the Affordable Care Act and health care?" Casey asked the crowd. "(President Donald Trump) would sign whatever the Far Right sold him. In the House of Representatives, I have an opponent who is a member of the House, so does Ron (DiNicola), and they both voted for a health care bill in the spring of 2017, which gave a big tax cut to wealthy people in the health care bill. It would also throw millions of people off Medicaid and health care itself. In the same bill, they were willing to throw people off Medicaid.

"That bill ripped away health care for millions of people and gave a tax cut for rich people. That is wrong in the United States of America anytime it happens. If there is one thing I am going to do if I only have months left as a senator or years left, if they try to rip health care away from the people I represent I am going to do everything in my power to stop them."

Casey cited tax cuts to the rich and "hundreds of millions of dollars" going to "corporate giveaways" as the reasons he is fighting for the middle class.

"What about middle-class families?" Casey asked. "What about small business owners? They were left along the side of the road. They maybe got a little bit, but not nearly as much as they should get when a major piece of tax legislation, the first to come around of that size in the last 30 years."

He said that his goal as senator was to not go back to dark times of health care and that he would fight for fair trade.

"We are not going to allow these people to take us back to those dark days when an insurance company could control your life, could deny your child treatment because of a pre-existing condition," Casey said. "We are not going back to those days. We are going to fight them and we are going to win. We are going to start this year."

Sandy Moore, a member of the Democratic party, said she stands behind the senator and feels Lawrence County has been silenced to a degree.

"He said it all," Moore said. "I believe in everything he said. It is a matter of getting these people in Lawrence County out to vote. It seems like we have been stifled. There is not enough out there, what we believe in.

"We are losing our voice. We have to get it back. We have to get out to vote. That is our main goal."

Amy Jo Labi-Carando said she is pleased people are returning to the party.

"There are so many people who have decided they are coming back to the Democratic party and are going to run for office," she said. "The number of people who are now part of the Democratic party, officially, is more than twice is because of last year.

"Bob Casey is absolutely critical to get the support of the people in this county who will lose health care and so many different benefits. He is the one who is going to ensure we keep them."

baddleman@ncnewsonline.com

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