FROM THE EDITOR

State Sen. Joe Heck lets the special interest money do his talking

By: David Phillips

Clark County Elections 2010 Examiner

Nevada State Senator Joe Heck (R-NV) is the current Republican front runner for the June 8th primary for Nevada’s 3^rd Congressional District . There are four Republicans running for U.S. Congress in District 3, the congressional seat that is currently held by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV). The June 8^th primary also includes two Independents an one other Democrat.

But it is State Senator Joe Heck that is making the loudest noise, moving up in the polls, and like a ventriloquist, Heck is making the noise without opening his mouth.

Sunday’s headline in the Nevada section of the ultra right wing newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, reads “Republican leads House Race”, the headline is refereeing to a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon and commissioned by the Review-Journal that shows Joe Heck leading Rep. Dina Titus by five points in the slanted poll. The poll numbers were: Joe Heck 49 percent, Dina Titus 44 percent and 7 percent undecided, the Independent candidate that will be on the November ballot was not include in the poll and only 300 voters in the 3^rd district were polled.

The article points out that back in December another Mason-Dixon poll had Titus and Heck tied at 40 percent each, the Review-Journal also points out that $1.3 million had been spent so far by outside interests who oppose Health Care Reforms and democrats.

Without opening his mouth Heck is now leading in this poll by 5 percentage points.

The Review-Journal shows that Joe Heck had raised $160,000 in the first quarter of 2010, and that Titus has not yet reported her first quarter fundraising numbers for this year, but last year Titus had raised $1 million for her re-election campaign and she still has about $750,000 left according to the article.

Last month Heck received a $5,000 donation from the House Conservatives Fund in exchange for his pledge to support privatizing Social Security and Medicare. Privatizing both of these programs would be a boon for financial institutions and a bust for citizens currently on either program.

Rep. Dina Titus has done a great job representing Nevada’s 3^rd congressional District. In fact she is doing the job that her constituents sent her to do. Dina Titus is our voice that speaks to Washington, she’s not Washington voice that speaks to us.

Here is what all Americans will see within the first year from the enactment of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”

Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted.

Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Young adults will be able to stay on their parents' health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college.

Uninsured adults with a pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014.

A temporary reinsurance program is created to help companies maintain health coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. This also expires in 2014.

Medicare drug beneficiaries who fall into the "doughnut hole" coverage gap will get a $250 rebate. The bill eventually closes that gap which currently begins after $2,700 is spent on drugs. Coverage starts again after $6,154 is spent.

A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.

A 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services that use ultraviolet lamps goes into effect on July 1.

And State Senator Joe Heck (R-NV) wants to take that all away. In fact all of the Republicans in Nevada including Governor Gibbons (R-NV) and his rival Brian Sandoval (R-NV) want to repeal the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”.

The medical industry had spent close to $1 billion to fight reforms using attack ads, lobbyists, campaign donations, as well as funding protest rallies in Washington DC and all across our country at Tea Parties. The medical industry created lies such as death panels and the government is taking over health care. And despite all that was against her, Dina Titus who has lots of moxie did what was right by voting in favor of Health Care reforms for her District, her State of Nevada and our Nation.

State Senator Joe Heck not only wants to repeal all of the above mentioned reforms, he wants to privatize Medicare and Social Security which would be devastating to ALL senior citizens in the United States.

A few months ago Anthem insurance company which is owned by WellPoint, increased premiums by as much as 39 percent in California (in other States WellPoint increased premiums by as much as 50 percent).

The insurance companies removed tens of thousands from their insurance rolls in California alone because of high costs of care due to age, sex and pre-existing problems, and they did all of this to increase their net profits to satisfy share holders. And Joe Heck wants to put Social Security and Medicare into the hands of those same types of people who will also have to answer to their shareholders.

State Senator Joe Heck does not appear to have the best interests of Nevadan’s in mind when he says he wants to privatize Medicare and Social Security, but he does look like he supports the corporations and their share holders, which is why the special interests have spent $1.3 million on attack ads with a promise to spend even more as we approach Novembers mid-term general election.