SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
CARSON CITY — Just in time for Christmas, Senator Harry Reid once again plans to put his national political ambitions ahead of Nevada, this time on Christmas Eve. Under the guise of “Health Care Reform,” Senator Reid’s proposal will neither promote good health in Nevada nor reform our current health care system.
“Senator Reid is wishing Nevadans a Merry Christmas with a smile on his face and a knife in our backs,” Governor Jim Gibbons said, “Reid’s Health Care Reform plan will cost Nevada taxpayers more than $613,000,000 in State taxes.” Governor Gibbons continued, “Nevadans will also pay more than $1.5 billion through increased federal income taxes. This irresponsible legislation will bankrupt the State of Nevada and leave every working Nevada family out in the cold in the New Year.”
Governor Gibbons also noted that Reid, along with his staff and supporters, are “cooking the books” to ram the health care plan down the throats of Nevadans – without bipartisan support – so that Reid may endear himself to President Obama. “Senator Reid needs to look at the damage his health care plan will do to Nevada and stop pandering to special interests and his political friends. Reid and his Democrat supporters are playing games with implementation dates and hiding harmful cuts to vulnerable senior citizens, all the while pretending the average taxpayer will not end up holding the bag.”
As many as 8 in 10 Americans are satisfied with their current health coverage, yet Senator Reid blindly sees this as a mandate for change. His health care proposal will subject Americans to unwanted changes to their health coverage and increase their taxes. Senator Reid is also ignoring the 56% of Nevadans who oppose his national Democratic health care agenda – a number which grows every day. “Senator Reid and his colleagues in Congress should have studied and fixed what’s broken in our Nation’s health care system, rather than forcing devastating cuts that will eliminate choice in our seniors’ Medicare coverage and disrupt the lives of Nevadans who are satisfied with their health care,” Gibbons said, “Reid’s plan is shameful and does nothing to increase access for Nevadans to health care. No politician should come between a patient and his or her doctor.”
As a final insult to Nevadans, Senator Reid this weekend released his final compromise bill language which provides a sizable Christmas gift to the people of Nebraska at the expense of the people of Nevada. “In order to pander to his fellow Democrats, Senator Reid has granted full funding for Nebraska’s Medicaid expansion in perpetuity while leaving his constituents in Nevada to fend for themselves,” Governor Gibbons said. “Harry Reid is mortgaging the future of Nevadans, our children, and even our grandchildren to pay for this unwanted national health care program. Maybe he should move to Nebraska where he can do less harm to Nevada.”
