Category: The Real Erik Paulsen

Missing the Point?

To the Editor:

I think the 80 or so percent of Trump supporters who still support him and believe what he says miss the point of what the anti-Trump people are seeing. We see a sexual predator, perpetual liar, racist, arrested adolescent and crying man/baby. Our moral standards are way too high to support a person like that. We are astonished that a morally and intellectually bankrupt person is our president, put there by people who value ideology, power and party more than country and humanity. We believe in bravery, freedom and facts. The only fake news is what comes out of Trump’s tweets, mouth and the White House press office. I think we can now call it even between Hillary’s e-mails and Donny’s dump of intel into the Russians’ lap when we talk of mishandling of secrets, OK? Donny is a frightened little boy who is in way over his head, and the likes of Erik Paulsen seem to share his fear, depraved morality, greed and religious intolerance. Good luck with that in the next election.

Greg Oasheim, Minnetonka
Star Tribune, May 18, 2017

Erik Paulsen and the GOP at the tanning salon

To the Editor:

To look my best for my high school prom in 1987, I went to a tanning salon. Everyone in my suburb did! We thought that tans looked healthy. Thirty years later, tanning salons persist, as does the perception among many Caucasian teens that they look better with a tan.

Now I’m a dermatopathologist, and I have diagnosed thousands of skin cancers – the vast majority a result of exposure to UV light. I see a range of sun-related tumors. Some are common and treatable, such as basal cell carcinomas and others are deadly, such as melanoma. My colleagues in dermatology see patients who are obsessed with reversing the effects of sun-damage. The consensus in the medical field is clear – sun exposure damages skin, from cosmetic changes (premature aging) to altered DNA (cancer).
Scientists and medical professionals are also in agreement about the special danger of tanning salons as distinct from sun exposure alone. Researchers estimate that indoor tanning may cause upwards of 400,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. each year. More young women develop melanoma than young men, thought to be related to the ubiquity of tanning bed use in this population. It’s clear that use of tanning beds lead to more medical problems and health care needs. Based on this evidence, the fact that the ACA imposed a 10-percent tax on tanning as a way to help fund coverage for some 20 million Americans made sense to me. Continue reading “Erik Paulsen and the GOP at the tanning salon”

Clarity from Researching Rep. Paulsen AHCA Commentary

To the Editor:

After Rep. Erik Paulsen’s OpEd (My health care vote will put Minnesotans back in control, May 8, Star Tribune) I went searching for more clarity. Among many published items, I found a summary article, Prestigious medical groups denounce health care vote, at cbsnews.com [1] I learned Congressman Paulsen, my CD3 representative, lies by omission.

Consider this from the American Academy of Pediatrics statement on AHCA: Continue reading “Clarity from Researching Rep. Paulsen AHCA Commentary”

It’s Not Just Trump: Republicans Constantly Lying About Health Care Means Reporters Face A Growing Challenge

The following article by Eric Boehlert was posted on the Media Matters website May 14, 2017:

As the Beltway press scrambles to keep pace with the White House’s shifting explanations as to why President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey — explanations that seem built on a laundry list of daily deceptions — journalists are now fighting a multiple-front war versus the Republican crusade to embrace fabrications as a rule.

The erratic new president has unleashed a torrent of lies in the place of public policy discussion, but the serial mendacity on the right is hardly limited to Trump. That means journalists face a growing challenge in trying to ferret out the facts. Continue reading “It’s Not Just Trump: Republicans Constantly Lying About Health Care Means Reporters Face A Growing Challenge”

What Voters Think Of Trump’s Latest Obamacare Repeal Plan

The following article by Jonathan D. Salant was posted on the NJ.com website May 12, 2016:

WASHINGTON — Those who attended Rep. Tom MacArthur’s five-hour town hall meeting Wednesday evening hit him with complaints and criticism over the House Republican legislation that repealed and replaced the Affordable Care Act with a bill that could leave 24 million more Americans without coverage.

Turns out, they weren’t alone. Continue reading “What Voters Think Of Trump’s Latest Obamacare Repeal Plan”

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”