Fischer Getting Wealthier At Her Constituents’ Expense
Deb Fischer has made the laughable claim that she won’t put up with Washington’s “bull” and “arrogance” Somehow, Fischer wants you to forget that she is a career politician who is part of the problem in D.C. If I were Deb Fischer, I would want to run away from my terrible record and hope that the voters have amnesia. It is our duty as Democrats to refresh memories and set the record straight.
During her time in Washington, Fischer’s net worth has skyrocketed from $300,000 to $4 million in just six years. What that means is that Fischer’s net worth has increased a whopping 1,300% since she was elected to the Senate in 2012. That is an increase of an amazing 216% every year! Fischer is either the greatest investment genius in U.S. history or she has exploited her public service to pad her net worth. In the unlikely event Fischer is telling the truth about the source of her wealth, she should talk to Warren Buffett about succeeding him at Berkshire Hathaway after he retires.
While Fischer has experienced an astounding increase in her personal wealth, she has also been collecting a lucrative grazing subsidy from the taxpayers. For years, Fischer has been one of a handful of ranchers whose cattle has grazed on public land at a significant discount. The Fischers have paid approximately $100,000 less than market value on an annual basis to graze their cattle on federal land. This sweet heart deal is made available to less than 1% of Nebraska ranchers and costs taxpayers approximately $120 million a year.
This is a significant tax subsidy for Fischer. As then Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Vince Powers said in 2012: “For those of you who have a mortgage and your mortgage is $1,000 a month, if the government says you only have to pay $50 a month, we’ll let the taxpayers pay the rest, that’s Deb Fischer’s deal… The Nebraska Democratic Party is the party of free enterprise. We honor work and we don’t think just because you’re a wealthy rancher, you should be pocketing over $100,000 of taxpayer money.”
While Fischer has relied upon her constituents to fund her apparently wildly profitable ranching operation, she at the same time has worsened the financial situation of the Nebraskans she purportedly represents with her regressive voting record. All of her constituents are paying more for health insurance due to decisions by Fischer and the Republicans in Washington.
Since Trump has taken office, Fischer and the Republicans have escalated their ongoing sabotage of the Affordable Care Act . Due to their reckless policies, we are all paying more for insurance. Here in Nebraska, insurance premiums are expected to go up 20% due to the decisions by the Republicans in Washington.
The $2 trillion Fischer/Trump deficit financed tax cut for the rich— among other things — abolished the individual mandate. That will cause many healthy people to cease buying insurance and to wait until they get sick or injured before they purchase coverage. This will cause insurance premiums to soar because many people will game the system and fewer younger and healthy people will be paying into the pool. Older and less healthy people who need coverage will pay the price.
That isn’t the only harm that has been caused by this massive give away to the wealthy. Thanks to Fischer and the Republicans in D.C., we are now facing $1 trillion annual deficits as far as the eye can see. Those deficits will go up to $2 trillion when we have a recession.
Already, Fischer’s party bosses are talking about cutting Social Security and Medicare to fund this tax cut for the wealthy and big business if the GOP wins in November. Fischer will be on board for these cuts because she votes with Trump and her party bosses 98% of the time.
We don’t have to settle for D.C. Deb Fischer. Jane Raybould would make a superb U.S. Senator. Jane is a fourth generation Nebraskan and a successful small business owner. Our Senate candidate helps runs the grocery business founded by her parents over fifty years ago.
Raybould would make expanding health care and reducing out of control health care costs her top priority. Her plan would end the cap on the tax credit that the Affordable Care Act uses to make health insurance more affordable for working families. More generous subsidies would make insurance much more affordable and increase the number of Americans who are insured.
Unlike Fischer, Jane would protect Social Security and Medicare. Jane knows that Nebraska’s seniors need these successful programs that have reduced poverty among the elderly from 50% to 9%. Moreover, Raybould supports ending the Fischer/Trump tax cuts for the wealthy in order to protect these programs for our seniors and to reduce the deficit. Jane supports middle class tax cuts that don’t increase the deficit.
We all need to get behind Jane Raybould and elect her to the U.S. Senate. She has always been one of Nebraska’s best and brightest. Let’s get it done! No excuses! We can do it!