PEP, October 2013: Letters to the Editor

Public Employee Press

Letters to the Editor

John Liu thanks DC 37 for its support

New York City Comptroller John Liu sent the following letter to his many friends at District Council 37:

I am deeply grateful and appreciative to you for all we have done together throughout our campaign. I am thankful for every dollar you donated, for every hour you volunteered and for every idea you put forth to help me become mayor of New York City.

This was a journey we took together in a shared effort to make New York City a place of greater equality, to level the playing field and ensure not just economic recovery, but shared prosperity.

The final results were not what we hoped for. In the end we could not overcome the one-two punch of the Campaign Finance Board's unjust and politically-motivated denial of $3.5 million owed to our campaign and our donors, and of the severely flawed polls published so incessantly as to become a self-fulfilled prophecy. Indeed, we sustained many attacks in recent years to derail my candidacy.

Our campaign was successful, however, in raising the issues and the ideas - of jobs, education, housing, and community policing.

Our rivals gravitated towards and eventually adopted our views. Hey, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

I have no regrets; I am proud of what we accomplished during our campaign. Let us not look backwards, but forward. I will finish out my term as Comptroller with the same energy and integrity as I always have since first being elected to public office.

I'll also discuss my options and future plans with my family and my team. If you have thoughts here, don't hesitate to share!

We may not have won this battle, but the mission is far from over. We will still fight to restore the promise of New York - that if you work hard, dream big, and then you work even harder, you can achieve success and the opportunity to make good.

Once again, thank you.

—JOHN LIU
New York City Comptroller

Stand up for the Affordable Care Act

In their last-ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act before most people can see how much it helps them, the Republicans are putting out all the lies they can.

They made the same kind of protests when Social Security and Medicare were established, but once the American people found how beneficial they were, there was nothing the Republicans could do to stop these programs. I believe this will be true for the ACA as well. Here's why:

In 2006, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney passed a health-care plan based on legislation drafted by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, and supported by Republicans.

That plan now provides health care for almost all Massachusetts citizens at reduced cost.

In a bipartisan move, President Barack Obama used the Massachusetts plan as a model for the ACA, but the Republicans did a 180-degree turn and tried (in vain) to stop the plan they had supported in Masaachusetts.

Under the ACA, many states are setting up health insurance exchanges to help people choose coverage wisely. California, which set up its exchanges early, has seen costs drop significantly, and costs have been falling nationwide because of controls in the ACA.

Of course, we could cut health-care costs further with Medicare for All, the program in Canada that provides good health care for all citizens at half the U.S. cost.

—LOU ALBANO
Chair, DC 37 Retirees Association
Political Action Committee

PEP writer bids farewell

Since I retired while the staff of DC 37 was dispersed all across the city, I am writing to the PEP in order to convey my deep appreciation to the union and to the membership.

It was a great privilege to write for the Public Employee Press for the past decade - and I thank all of you who have supported me through your friendship and by sharing your stories.

I am also grateful to all those of you who attended the very special retirement party for me and expressed your appreciation in such a generous way. Although I am gone, I will never forget all of my DC 37 friends.

—JANE LaTOUR
Former Associate Editor