Larry Balmer is a candidate for Indiana State Senate District 5. He is a Democrat.
I told Larry that I was a retired Steelworker having retired from NIPSCO. I asked him to give me some reasons as to why I should vote for him. Below is his response:
"Charlie, thanks for this opportunity to address my thoughts with your members." "Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks again and regards."
Larry Balmer
Positions on retiree issues:
Right to Work
Privatization
Strongly oppose. Government is meant to provide services to the citizens of the state and its subdivisions. When privatization occurs, motives are shifted from service to profit and the citizen suffers. Accountability is lost, as is access to those in charge.Health Care
We must revamp our current system of health care with several goals in mind. 1) protect and preserve Medicare; 2) Enhance access to quality health care by protecting the pension programs and health care programs offered by business to retirees; 3) We must stop the abusive practices of insurance companies that insert themselves between you and your doctor by prohibiting pre-authorizations, prohibiting the exclusion of pre-existing conditions, and prohibiting after the fact denial coverage for contractually agreed upon coverage. 4) Drug prices must be controlled and citizens need to be able to access medications from the sources available without undue restriction. Military Veterans
We must work to serve “he who has served” by assuring the rapid access to PTSD screening for recently returning veterans, and working to shorten processing times for intake into the veterans health care system. We need to work to identify those veterans from all eras who are trying to access the system and facilitate their intake by promoting more community based health care centers. We need to enhance our county veteran services offices so that veterans can get answers to their questions quickly and find the help they need to obtain care.The right to organize
I strongly support measures that will allow workers the opportunity and right to organize if they wish.Collective bargaining
I strongly support collective bargaining rights for state and municipal worker, as well as binding arbitration.Local Government Reform
I oppose any reform measures that take away our ability to participate in local government. I believe we must maintain our township trustees as an important safety net for all of our citizens. I believe that if we are going to streamline government we need to cut the fat from the top first, and not locally where the most interaction with elected officials occurs.Safe Streets
We need to focus on promoting safe neighborhoods and fighting gang influenced crimes. The flow of illegal immigrants needs to be stopped and state and local law enforcement needs the tools to enforce immigration laws when necessary.Quality of Life
I believe that communities need to be supported so that they can provide high quality community activities that promote quality of life for seniors, including meals and interaction with others. Having served on the Marshall County Older Adult Services Board of Directors I know first hand how important such activities can be.Fair Trade
CAFTA and NAFTA impose unfair competition practices on American workers and undermine the relationship between labor and business. Business is free to "move on", seeking out cheaper labor alternatives in foreign countries that defeat the work organized labor has done to protect their member rights. I oppose open ended fair trade agreements and believe that American business needs to compete globally as American business and not as a "global" producer.Source: Larry Balmer
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