Letter to the Editor - Starke County Leader

Retirees of NIPSCO who are on Medicare Part D, often find themselves entering the infamous “donut hole”, which was the result of the Republican answer to our seniors difficulty in paying for the high costs of prescription drugs and where seniors have to pay the full premium but get no benefits. Thanks to President Obama and the Democrats, those finding themselves in the infamous donut hole this year will receive $250 and next year will get their brand name prescriptions at half price. By the year 2020 this ill conceived donut hole will be completely closed.

The new health care law is not easy to fully understand, but wanting to fully understand it is certainly no reason for Talia Reed in her letter of June 17 in the Leader to criticize our State Representative, Nancy Dembowski for wanting to do just that.

Then, in the July 22 issue, Talia Reed once again wrote a letter to The Leader criticizing our State Representative, Nancy Dembowski, for having received a poor rating from the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce.

Good grief!! If I want a map - I’ll go to the Chamber of Commerce, but if I want someone who will look out for the interests working men and women and retirees, I’ll put my money on Nancy Dembowski every time. Name one organization that works harder than the Chamber of Commerce to deny unemployment compensation for someone who loses a job, or fights harder to keep the minimum wage rates as low as possible, or works harder to keep Workers Compensation benefits at miserably low levels when a worker get hurts on the job, or works harder to deny the right of workers to form a union. Nope - the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce is no friend of workers.

The U.S. Chamber is even worse. It’s the nation’s most powerful business lobbying organization. It is a key ally of the Bush-era corporate agenda that has empowered Big business at the expense of workers. They’re the ones that aired the lies about so called “death panels” in the new health care law. They keep the pressure on state Chambers to increase corporate subsidies, lower corporate taxes, go slow on law enforcement of consumer, investor and environmental protection laws, and they fight tooth and nail to keep workers from organizing.

Get it? Businesses and corporations have their organization, the Chamber of Commerce, but they do everything in their power to keep their employees from organizing.

Well, there’s one thing that would get me out to work against Nancy Dembowski, and that is if the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce was to give her a high rating. Until then, I’ll work to ensure that Nancy Dembowski continues to provide that necessary check and balance in Indiana.

Nancy Dembowski commented in her letter that local Chambers do lots of great things for local communities and businesses and her comments were directed to State and National Chambers, but you see, Nancy Dembowski works for working families and retirees. That’s why the Chamber gave her a poor rating. And that’s why I’m working to ensure she keeps her job.

Note: Nancy Dembowski is the Indiana State Representative for Indiana State House District 17