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During visit, Loebsack shares his support to boost minimum wage
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · October 08, 2015
“We’ve got to increase that minimum wage,” resident Polly Maher told U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack when he visited Saturday morning. “And don’t tell me anything negative.”
Loebsack (D-Coralville), during a stop at Reid’s Beans coffee shop, said he supported increasing the minimum wage, but delivered shared a negative outlook anyway.
“The overwhelming majority of the American people want to increase the minimum wage,” he said. “But the GOP won’t do it. If they brought it up (for a vote) I think it would pass, but with the change in leadership, it may be harder.”
Loebsack referred to House Speaker John Boehner announcing his resignation on Sept. 25 to take effect at the end of October. Current House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) are possible successors.
As for public support of minimum wage, a June 2014 CNN Money poll shows 71 percent favor raising the minimum wage at least somewhat. Some 36 percent want it increased to $10.10, while 19 percent wanted it lower than that and 16 percent said it should be higher.
Maher used former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s figure, saying 47 percent of the U.S. population receives “some form of welfare.”
“We will break ourselves with welfare,” she told the congressman.
According to the National Review, 35.4 percent of Americans live in households receiving welfare, and, according to the Washington Post, about 49 percent of Americans live in a household where at least one member receives federal benefits of any kind, like Medicaid or Social Security.
Loebsack said he agreed that some people abuse federal benefits, especially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program — the modern food stamps — yet some stores like Casey’s General Store have safeguards to prevent people from buying non-approved items.
“It’s a good safeguard,” he said. “But it does not stop all abuse.”
Maher said she receives Social Security.
“A federally funded program supports me,” she said. “I earned it.”
Among other topics discussed were health care, and Loebsack said that more people are insured under the Affordable Care Act, yet “hospitals have not seen a significant reduction in emergency room visits.” One goal of the ACA was to reduce ER visits.
According to a May 2015 poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians, 28 percent of doctors reported seeing large increases in emergency room visits, while 47 percent saw light increases.
Loebsack said he wants to see more money spent on public education in areas of preventative health measures.
“Most money spent on health care is in the last years of life,” he said. “Let’s focus on individuals making proper choices.”
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