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Ninth District U.S. Rep. Todd Young and his election opponent, Democrat Shelli Yoder, offer clear differences to voters considering whom to support Nov. 6, and not just in gender and hair color. This is not an endorsement, in which we would suggest which one we believe would be the best choice; but rather, some reflections from editorial board interviews with each candidate in the last couple of weeks. Specific differences and one point of agreement emerged.
Consider how they framed the top issues they’ve been hearing from constituents.
Young said he’s hearing about the economy and jobs, “and what do you intend to do to add them?” Yoder said she’s hearing about wages more than jobs, and how people who are working — often more than one job — are worried about paying their bills.
Young also stressed health care inflation as a top concern.
Yoder also said the deficit is very much on people’s minds.
Young has voted nearly three dozen times to repeal the Affordable Care Act — “Obamacare,” if you prefer. He said Republicans have not been specific enough with “a replace option,” and he came armed with a list of ideas that he believes would better help the nation lower health care costs and expand accessibility to care.
Among his points were allowing health insurance to be purchased across state lines, reforming medical malpractice insurance, expanding the availability of medical savings accounts to push preventive care and supporting ways to make Medicare and Medicaid sustainable, including the Ryan Plan for Medicare reform that would include a system of premium-support payments — vouchers, if you prefer.
Yoder supports almost all of the health care act, and named several people she has met who have benefited from it. She offered contact information for further verification. Many elements of the plan “stick up for families,” and she strongly supports and believes it should be left virtually intact to see what it does for the American people before dismantling it would ever be considered. She believes it will benefit a vast majority of them in caring for themselves and their families.
She did say she agrees with those, including Young, who would repeal the 2.3 percent tax on medical devices. She said that tax would have too heavy an impact on the medical device industry that is so important to her district. She added her support for the $1 million grant, announced this week, to expand training for medical device manufacturing.
On the deficit, Yoder said she would favor both spending cuts (in entitlement programs and other programs that are no longer vital, she said) and raising revenues through, among other things, eliminating Bush tax cuts on incomes over $250,000 and adding a tax bracket for those making more than $1 million.
As a member of the House Budget Committee, Young has stressed setting spending priorities and making reductions when possible. He favors tax reform as well to do away with “too many narrowly defined deductions.”
There are many more clear differences between the two, and voters should inform themselves before they vote. Reader chats with each of them can be found on HeraldTimesOnline.com, and their campaign websites also have extensive position statements on a full range of issues.
Teachers vs. NFL refs
Yoder pointed out how two labor-related issues over the last few weeks have suggested some misplaced priorities.
In offering her support for teachers, she said she was struck that striking teachers in Chicago were generally blasted and told to get back to work, while in the NFL referee labor issue, league officials were generally seen as the bad guys and were told to get the referees back to work.
While one was a strike and the other a lock-out, the point is worth noting — the sanctity of NFL football was laid at the steps of management, while teachers were on the receiving end of much anger, and their managers were given a pass. ]]>
From the Desk of the Honorable Birch Bayh:
Dear Friend,
I hope you will join me in supporting Shelli Yoder for U.S. Representative from Indiana’s 9th Congressional District.
Shelli has a solid and impressive record of service to her community and a deep commitment to Hoosier values. From her time as Miss Indiana, traveling the state to advocate for better educational and health opportunities, to her position as Associate Director of Professional Development at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, helping leaders of tomorrow find jobs today – Shelli understands the challenges Hoosiers face and will work tirelessly as your voice in the U.S. Congress.
This year celebrates the 40th anniversary of Title IX: landmark legislation which prohibits gender discrimination in our schools. It was my privilege to author Title IX in the U.S. Senate in 1972. Title IX helped to lay the foundation for greater opportunities for women by allowing them to succeed in the classroom and on the playing field. Therefore, it is fitting that we have this remarkable opportunity to take it one step further and elect Shelli as the first woman to represent Indiana’s 9th District.
Shelli is following in the footsteps of a great Hoosier and public servant – my good friend, Lee Hamilton, who effectively and honorably represented the 9th District for 34 years. I know that Shelli will carry Lee’s spirit of bipartisanship and compromise to Washington because she knows that is what it takes to pass legislation for the good of the country.
I urge you to join with me and enthusiastically support Shelli Yoder as your next Congresswoman in Indiana’s 9th District.
Sincerely,
Birch Bayh
Former U.S. Senator, Indiana (1963 – 1981)
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2012/07/04/news.birch-bayh-endorses-yoder-in-9th-district-race.sto
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From the Desk of the Honorable Lee H. Hamilton:
This fall we have an extraordinary opportunity to elect a woman with an impressive record of community service who understands thoroughly the challenges that Hoosier families face, and who will fight for her constituents and against the special interests that work against them.
That is why I am supporting Shelli Yoder for U.S. Representative from Indiana’s 9th Congressional District. As you probably already know, she decisively won the Democratic nomination for Congress in a field of four other able candidates in the May primary.
Shelli has an impressive resume. She was born, raised, and educated as a Hoosier. In 1992, she served as Miss Indiana, which gave her an opportunity to earn a college scholarship and get to know Hoosiers and their communities as she traveled throughout Indiana’s 92 counties advocating for better health and education for all families.
For the past 15 years, she has continued to build a solid professional reputation. She was the director of a shelter for at-risk youth and the executive director of a statewide coalition created to raise awareness and fight eating disorders. She and her husband, Josh, are raising three marvelous young children in Bloomington, Indiana. Until recently, she was Associate Director of Professional Development for Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, where she helped leaders of tomorrow find jobs today.
She has a proven record of working together with others to achieve community goals. She thoroughly understands and incorporates Hoosier values.
I am impressed with her deep commitment to help others. She will fight for the middle class and support measures to grow the Hoosier economy through job creation, empowering teachers, preserving and protecting Social Security and Medicare, and promoting innovation to lower the cost of health care.
Shelli will bring a fresh, distinctive, and important voice to the United States Congress. She will put the interests of Hoosiers first, ahead of all other considerations.
I urge you to join me in giving your strong and enthusiastic support to Shelli Yoder. She will bring your voice and your values to the United States House of Representatives.
Sincerely,
Lee H. Hamilton
Former 9th District Congressman (1965-1999)
http://newsandtribune.com/opinion/x546487051/LETTERS-June-28-2012/print
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2012/06/24/news.qp-0504604.sto
From the Desk of Judy O’Bannon
I have been around many elections over the years, and I’ve met hundreds of politicians.
But I have met few – if any – like Shelli Yoder. Hoosiers in Indiana’s 9th Congressional District have a special opportunity this year to elect someone who is the real deal.
Today I am adding my name to a growing list – a list that includes my long-time friends Lee Hamilton and Birch Bayh – of those who are supporting Shelli Yoder for Congress.
Between Lee, Birch, and me, we have collectively invested nearly 200 years in the fight to improve conditions for the people and communities throughout the 13 counties of Indiana’s 9th District.
This November, we can elect someone who will continue that fight for the next generation: Shelli Yoder.
We each must do whatever we can in lending our full support to elect Shelli Yoder as the next Congresswoman from Indiana’s 9th District. She needs financial donations, volunteers, and folks to spread the word with friends and family. Will you join the effort today?
Sincerely yours,
Judy O’Bannon
Former First Lady of Indiana
From the Desk of Congressman John Yarmuth:
It is my pleasure to endorse Shelli Yoder in Indiana’s 9th District Congressional race.
Shelli shares my commitment to protecting Medicare from people like Paul Ryan and Todd Young; to rebuilding the middle class and creating an economy that works for everyone; to standing up for our veterans; and to providing affordable health care for all Americans.
Congress is now controlled by a faction that was elected to gum up the works. That’s right — a wildly dysfunctional body is becoming even more dysfunctional, if you can imagine that.
Shelli is all about making a difference by making government work for everyone. She is a practical thinker who knows Indiana citizens are crying out for common sense from their political leaders. She talks with the people, and she hears them.
Shelli Yoder will do what she has always done: get results. All of her energy is focused on making life better for Hoosiers. I look forward to working with Shelli as a colleague, and to having a strong partner in the 9th District, as we strive to make our cross-state region the most exciting and vibrant in the country.
I hope you’ll agree and cast your vote for Shelli Yoder on November 6.
Sincerely,
John Yarmuth
Member of Congress, United States House of Representatives (KY-3)