Tag: Erik Paulsen

Paulsen faces away from constituents

To the Editor:

What an appropriate picture! Erik Paulsen’s back facing the camera (Edina Sun Current May 4). That’s the Paulsen way. The guy doesn’t host town halls or take questions from Minnesota Public Radio. Why? Because he voted for the unvetted and vindictive Trump-Ryan health care joke and is afraid.

This bill is racist (can’t let Barack Obama succeed), classist (reward the rich and rob the poor) and misogynist (restrict women’s right to health care procedures), and Erik Paulsen voted enthusiastically for the “legislation.” Make no mistake about it Third District, and wake up: Erik Paulsen is Michele Bachmann in a suit.

David Anger, Edina
Edina Sun-Current, May 15, 2017

Don’t kick them when they’re down

To the Editor;

Brain cancer. Organ transplant. Heart Disease, Asthma.

These represent just a few of the health issues many of our friends and colleagues have dealt with in the last year. Many of you likely have a list of your own. Some of us have lost loved ones to sickness, while others have struggled to make ends meet, while they battled for their lives.

No one asked to be sick. It’s often thrust upon us — even when we’re trying to prevent it. It could happen to anyone. That’s the one truth about sickness and disease: It’s blind to the contents of our wallet; it doesn’t have a plan. Continue reading “Don’t kick them when they’re down”

What we have is a Trump puppet

U.S. Rep. Erik paulsen has campaigned in the past as a moderate and a math guy. Unfortunately, based upon his vote for Trumpcare this week, with no public hearings, no congressional debate, no Congressional Budget Office report/score, he has proven hismelf to be neight. He has shown us who he really is:  an arm of the far right, ultra conservative wing of the Republican Party.

In the last three Presidential races, the Democrats have won our district (CD-3) all three times. This is a moderate district, but Paulsen doesn’t think so. Rep. Paulsen has voted with President Donald Trump on 100 percent of his votes this session of Congress. What we have here is neither a moderate not a math guy. What we have here is a Trump puppet.

Time to do the math and find a new representative that will stand up for our district.

Wendy O’Connor, Chanhassen
Chaska Herald, May 11, 2017

Paulsen changed his loyalties

Third District Congressman, Erik Paulsen, recently voted repeal the Affordable Care Act. With seven years to craft a new bill, the U.S. House of Representatives rushed through an unscored bill that gives tax cuts to those who are doing just find, cuts Medicaid for children’s health and nursing homes, lets insurance companies charge more for pre-existing conditions, brings back lifetime limits and other cruel and bankrupting features. But it keeps the little blue pill!

I believe that Erik ran for office intending to represent residents of the 3rd District. He did start out having town meetings. THen he stopped meetings and followed the party line — appearing to vote as he was told Call to his office got vague answers with the staff member who knew the details being out of the office that day. Continue reading “Paulsen changed his loyalties”

Paulsen fails his constituents

Rep. Erik Paulsen,

Who were you representing when you voted yes on the health care bill in the U.S. House of Representatives May 4? You weren’t supporting people in Minnesota with prior existing conditions (the $8 billion in funds for only five years doesn’t protect all of them). You weren’t supporting Minnesotans who may reach a lifetime cap on the amount of care they receive, and you weren’t supporting all Minnesotans needing affordable health care.

These are provisions which you previously stated needed to be in a bill if you were to support it. You weren’t even representing your constituents who believe in fiscal responsibility since you voted for this bill before the CBO had time to determine and release projected costs. Continue reading “Paulsen fails his constituents”

Paulsen vote deplorable

To the Editor:

Rep. Erik Paulsen voted fro the TrumpCare bill last week. It appears that Paulsen is a man without a conscience. How else do you explain his vote to rip away health insurance from 24 million Americans? How else do you explain his vote that may stop covering pre-existing conditions? How else do you explain his vote taking away a phenomenal amount of money to help the poorest of the poor and the sickest of the sick so he can additionally line the pockets of the wealthiest people in America, people that do no need the additional tax cuts? Does Paulsen have a conscience, a heart, a soul, and a mind of his own?

The day after this disgraceful and deplorable vote, I heard on Minnesota Public Radio that Paulsen had declined their requested interview. It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words. Paulsen’s one word — NO — also speaks a thousand words. That one word paints a picture of a man so embarrassed by his disgusting vote that he could not even face this constituents in the form a brief radio interview. What a shame! What a shameful act! Continue reading “Paulsen vote deplorable”

Fake

To the Editor:

My congressman, Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Eden Prairie) has convinced me. He is a fake.

Mr. Paulsen didn’t earn my vote last November. But the Star Tribune had endorsed him as a reasonable, moderate Republican, so his re-election didn’t worry me then.

Now, I’m paying attention. Rep. Paulsen before Nov 9 was opposed to candidate Trump. After the election Paulsen proved too weak to stand up for Minnesotans against either President Trump or the Republican leadership. The fivethirtyeight.com website finds Mr. Paulsen’s votes are 100% supportive of President Trump. That makes him a fake moderate. Continue reading “Fake”

Retract Paulsen Endorsement

To the Editor:

The Star Tribune owes its readership an apology and must take some responsibility for the passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA, aka Trumpcare) in the US House.

Rep. Erik Paulsen was endorsed for re-election in 2016 by this newspaper [1]. The editorial board told us “Paulsen has said he favors a nuanced, bipartisan fix on health care, which could make him a needed voice of reason in a Republican caucus that is fixated on just a wholesale repeal of the Affordable Care Act.” Continue reading “Retract Paulsen Endorsement”

They Voted to Repeal Obamacare. Now They Are a Target.

While the following article by Kate Zernike posted on the New York Times website May 8, 2017 doesn’t mention Rep. Erik Paulsen, it does speak to the upset many of his constituents feel after his vote FOR the unscored, unread AHCA bill:

Outside of U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s office, protesters carried signs and chanted, and then went into his office to demand he hold a town hall. Peter Cox | MPR News

For months, protesters have been rallying outside Senator Cory Gardner’s offices in Colorado, urging him not to join fellow Republicans in their push to repeal the Affordable Care Act. When he refused to hold town hall meetings, protesters staged them in his absence, asking questions to a cardboard cutout of him.

Now they are escalating their tactics.

With the controversial Republican health bill heading to the Senate, organizers of opposition groups say they plan to bird-dog Mr. Gardner’s whereabouts and show up at his events, buying seats at fund-raisers if necessary. They want to remind him that he promised to protect the expansion of Medicaid and guarantee coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, both provisions undone by the bill the House narrowly passed last week. Continue reading “They Voted to Repeal Obamacare. Now They Are a Target.”

Why the Focus on 5% of ACA?

I have to ask why Paulsen and the Republicans keep focusing on the 5 percent of the Affordable Care Act that has a problem, the individual market. What about the 95 percent that works? Millions of people who never had health care now get preventive care. Otherwise, they would present themselves in emergency rooms with acute illnesses, and many would die who didn’t need to.

The problem with the ACA is that not enough healthy people pay into it. Insurance works because everybody pays, even when you’re healthy, and then insurance pays when you get sick. This seems to be the thing that the Republicans hate. They don’t want people to be forced to pay for health insurance. Well, then, where is the money going to come from? It’s going to come from well people anyway through higher costs to hospitals for treating uninsured sick people, or to taxpayers. The bottom line is that under the American Health Care Act, fewer people will have health care, and we’ll still end up paying for them, only we’ll pay more. That’s not a good solution. Fix the ACA, don’t trash it. Also, look at all of the data, don’t just cherry-pick the data you like.

Martin Masters, Shoreview
Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 10, 2017