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Oct 06, 2010

Bill Flores Puts Bullseye on Seniors

Flores takes aim at Social Security, Medicare and Veterans Healthcare
Veterans are already on
the Flores chopping block
Chet Edwards for Congress - 'General'

 

Bill Flores has made it clear that he intends to privatize Veterans healthcare. Virtually every expert on veterans services – both Republican and Democrat – warn that this move would be disastrous for military retirees and our men and woman serving in uniform.

In a recent television ad, former Fort Hood commander Lieutenant General (U.S. Army, ret.) Paul Funk spoke out for all of our nations’ veterans, saying “Bill Flores is spreading outright lies against Chet Edwards” and warning Flores’ privatization scheme “would hurt our nation's veterans, badly.”Millionaire Republican candidate Bill Flores has staked out positions that would have a devastatingly negative effect on senior citizens and their families. Flores’ positions conflict harshly with the views of most mainstream American voters. About two-thirds of voters oppose the privatization of Social Security and Medicare, plans supported by Bill Flores (NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll, 8/30/10; Campaign for America’s Future, 8/12/10).

However, if you follow media reports on the race for Congress in Congressional District 17, you can’t be blamed for knowing little or nothing about Bill Flores’ ideological hostility to programs that directly benefit seniors. So far, there has been little coverage of the policy positions held by the candidates in the race.

Destroy Social Security and Medicare
Most notably, in a radio interview Bill Flores says that he would “absolutely” vote for a Republican budget plan that would privatize Social Security and drastically cut Medicare. Other than the interview itself, there has been no reporting on this dramatic revelation by Flores. If Bill Flores gets his way, here’s what happens to seniors in central Texas:
 

Flores: Privatizing Social SecurityFlores Plan to Privatize Social Security
The budget plan Flores supports would privatize Social Security, cut guaranteed benefits and risk Social Security in the stock market. This would mean huge profits for big Wall Street banks charging billions in management fees (AARP Bulletin, 7/1/10).

Flores: Cutting MedicareFlores Plan to Cut Medicare
The plan would also dismantle Medicare and convert it a voucher system, forcing seniors to buy coverage on their own from private insurance companies. Worse, the vouchers would decline in value over time so many seniors would be denied the care they need (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/7/10).

 

Do your part to spread the word If the press won’t expose Bill Flores, will you?

Forward this email to friends and colleagues. Make sure they know that Bill Flores doesn’t understand the concerns of central Texans and will follow the lead of the most extreme and divisive leaders in Washington.