[nfb-talk] {Disarmed} Fw: Website Contact Form Submission FromKenneth Chrane

Sat Feb 11 01:57:54 UTC 2012

Unfortunately again, this seems very similar to the email you 
received from Senator Mikulski which you forwarded to our 
Maryland affiliate list; yet another form email.  Try giving them 
a call or visiting them; it might be a little more effective.

Chris

Chris Nusbaum
Email and Google Talk/Keychat (on the BrailleNote) ID: 
dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Skype: christpher.nusbaum3 or search for Chris Nusbaum

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The 
real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that 
exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and 
opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical 
nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth Chrane" <kenneth.chrane at verizon.net
To: "NFB of Maryland e-mail list" <nfbmd at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:00:00 -0500
Subject: [nfb-talk] {Disarmed} Fw: Website Contact Form 
Submission FromKenneth Chrane

 ?letterdate ?Letter From Elijah Cummings:
Ken Chrane

----- Original Message -----
From: Congressman Elijah Cummings
To: kenneth.chrane at verizon.net
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2012 11:44 AM
Subject: Re: Website Contact Form Submission From Kenneth Chrane

      February 8, 2012

      Mr.  Kenneth Chrane

      6839 Parsons Avenue

      Gwynn Oak, Maryland 21207

      Dear Mr.  Chrane:

      Thank you very much for your correspondence regarding 
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  I appreciate hearing 
from my constituents on issues pending before the Congress.

      According to the Congressional Research Service, the annual 
budget deficit in each of 2009 and 2010 was more than $1 trillion 
(9 percent of Gross Domestic Product), and the budget deficit is 
projected to be at least that large in 2011.  Such deficits - and 
the debt to which they are contributing - are unsustainable.   
For that reason, I believe that we must make significant cuts to 
our budget - but these cuts must be made with the precision of a 
heart surgeon, and they must not threaten our ability to remain 
competitive as a nation.  As such, I believe that we must 
prioritize expenditures made to support the education of our 
children, to maintain and expand our infrastructure, and to 
conduct the research and development that have enabled us to be 
the world's leading innovator.

      Further, as we continue to consider how we will reduce the 
national debt, I believe that almost all aspects of the budget 
must be considered for cuts.  That said, I also believe we have 
made obligations in the form of Social Security, Medicare, and 
Medicaid that are inviolable.  Social Security benefits are 
modest, averaging less than $13,000 a year, but for millions of 
Americans, Social Security is not just a cushion, it is the 
single lifeline keeping them out of poverty.  Similarly, Medicare 
and Medicaid are the only forms of insurance many of our nation's 
seniors and children have or can obtain and it is critical that 
these systems be preserved for future generations.  I will 
continue to oppose efforts to reduce Social Security, Medicare, 
or Medicaid benefits.

      Unfortunately, the debt deal that was finally put before 
the House of Representatives for a vote on August 1 - known as 
the Budget Control Act - was not a balanced deal.  This bill 
provides for incremental increases in the debt ceiling through 
2012, while locking in nearly a trillion dollars in cuts to 
discretionary security and non-security spending over the next 
ten years and requiring that an additional $1.5 trillion in cuts 
be identified by a so-called "Super Committee."  Should the Super 
Committee fail to identify the requisite amount of cuts - or 
should Congress fail to enact these cuts - then the Budget 
Control Act will automatically require an additional $1.2 
trillion in cuts in discretionary spending; Medicare payments to 
health care providers could also be reduced - but not by more 
than 2 percent per year.

      I believe it is critical that we avoid defaulting on our 
debt obligations and thus that we prevent the terrible 
consequences that default would bring.  However, the full faith 
and credit of the United States is a national commitment and 
upholding this commitment should entail a shared sacrifice made 
by every American - particularly as the national debt we now face 
has been created both by increased spending and by forgone 
revenues resulting from tax cuts provided to the wealthiest 
Americans and to multi-national corporations.  The legislation 
put before Congress mandates cuts that will fall hardest on those 
who have already borne the most devastating consequences of a 
recession caused primarily by the reckless and even illegal 
actions of those on Wall Street.  At the same time, it requires 
nothing from the wealthiest Americans or from corporations that 
at times pay taxes at rates lower than those upon whom the cuts 
made by this legislation will fall hardest.

       It is certainly not hard to envision a deal that would 
have prevented default while requiring a balanced approach to 
debt reduction - and that is the deal that I believe would have 
been in the best interests of the nation and of all its citizens.  
It is for this reason that I voted against the Budget Control 
Act.  As the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction moves forward 
to identify proposed spending cuts under the requirements of the 
Budget Control Act, I will continue to urge that we focus on 
addressing our fundamental economic challenges and that we direct 
our limited resources toward supporting the commitments we have 
made to our seniors and to the most vulnerable among us while 
investing in those areas that are most essential to ensuring that 
our nation will continue to be the world's strongest and most 
innovative economy when we emerge from this crisis.

      Thank you again for your correspondence on this critical 
issue - and please do not hesitate to contact me whenever I may 
be of assistance.

      Sincerely,

      Elijah E.  Cummings
      Member of Congress

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