Up & Coming Weekly

August 16, 2022

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM AUGUST 17 - 23, 2022 UCW 5 Every major program that has im- proved the lives of Americans over the past 100 years has been created by Democrats. Read that sentence again. I know it's a lot to take in, but it's a fact. Every major program that fami- lies like yours and mine have relied on to improve our health, educa- tion, and economic outcomes was proposed, planned, and passed by Democrats. Social Security (1935) GI Bill and VA Loans (1944) Medicare and Medicaid (1965) Pell Grants (1972) Affordable Care Act (2010) American Rescue Plan (2021) Here's another fact: not a single person reading this can raise their hand and say, "neither I nor my family has benefited from any of these." If your family is like mine, you've likely benefited from many, if not all, these programs. ose monthly payments that started the month after your 62nd or 65th birthday, the ones that never miss a month, whether the econ- omy is in expansion, recession or depression — Democrats instituted those after the Great Depression, so that seniors would be able to retire and enjoy that time of life, rather than working until the day they drop dead, which is how it used to be. ose grants for low-and moder- ate-income families to send their kids to college were dreamed up by then-Democratic U.S. Senator Clai- borne Pell, in response to the soar- ing cost of college and a realization that a college degree is a gateway to the middle class. Since its inception, 80 million Americans have received Pell grants. Lyndon Johnson signed the Medi- care and Medicaid Act into law as part of Democrats' war on poverty and what a difference it's made! Currently 145 million Americans are on Medicare or Medicaid - that's 44% of the country! Nearly five mil- lion of those great Americans live right here in NC. Since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, the rate of unin- sured in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest level in history. A full 92% of Americans now have health insur- ance, due to Democrats' vision for a nation where people could - gasp! - go to the doctor when they need to, instead of staying home, getting sicker, and dying earlier than they have to. Incredibly, that number would be even higher but for the 12 Republican-led states, including NC, that refuse to expand Medicaid benefits to their working poor. On Aug. 7, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 passed the U.S. Sen- ate. It's headed to the U.S. House next, where the Democrat so many people love to hate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will drag it across the finish line (likely without any Republican votes) and deliver it to President Joe Biden's desk. Once it goes into effect, it will cap the out-of-pocket costs for those on Medicare to $2,000 per year or $166 per month. at's it. at's all anyone on Medicare will pay out of pocket each year, no matter how much the medical bills actually are! e original bill also included a $35 per month cap on insulin for the seven million Americans who need it and purchase it each month. Re- publicans in the US Senate (includ- ing NC's om Tillis and Richard Burr) objected to that and voted it out of the bill. Now, even if the IRA becomes law, those on employer- sponsored insurance plans or who have private insurance will continue to pay between $350 and $1,000 each month for insulin. Remember, it could have been $35! Friend, there has only been one party in this country, that, during the past 100 years, has looked at the national landscape and de- cided that the people's government should work better for the people. Only one party has seen the sick, the poor, the uneducated, and the elderly being left out or left behind and said, not on our watch. Only one party has held fast to the novel yet noble idea, that hardwork- ing taxpayers should see the real, material impact of those tax dollars on their quality of life. at has been the Democrats! And Republicans have opposed this progress every step of the way. Despite the near-constant media narrative that the country is terribly polarized, with Democrats and Re- publicans split down the middle, I'd say that many if not most Americans favor Democratic values by a wide margin. Don't believe me? Let's take a litmus test. If you rely on a monthly social security payment, that's an en- dorsement of Democratic policies. If you or your child are one of the more than six million Americans using a Pell grant to help fund your college education this year, then you actually like Democratic prin- ciples. If your 25-year-old remains on your health insurance, so that even though they're unemployed they don't have to be uninsured, then you probably feel really grate- ful for Obamacare. If you were able to purchase your home with a VA loan, then you too, are a champion of Democratic values. In November, each voter has an important choice. ere are many ways to frame that choice but at its root it comes down to a single decision — elect Democrats or elect Republicans. e choice is yours, of course, but before I'd go into the ballot booth and elect a Republican, I'd thank my lucky stars that the voters who came before me didn't do the same. If they had, many of the very pro- grams we rely on for our healthcare, our children's education, and our economic mobility wouldn't exist today. Editor's note: Sen. Ben Clark has served since 2013 in the NC Senate representing Cumberland and Hoke counties. He is running for the NC 9th Congressional District, which consists of all of Chatham, Hoke, Lee, Moore, Randolph and Scotland and parts of Cumberland, Harnett and Richmond counties. e 9th is also home to Fort Bragg. OPINION Why Democrats should win every election by SEN. BEN CLARK SEN. BEN CLARK, D-NC District 21. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200

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