U.S. Representative

Dear Representative Ross:

On behalf of more than seven million senior activists, 60 Plus thanks you for your yea vote for The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America’s Promise – Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Resolution.

We believe a major step in the process to preserve the fiscal responsibility of the United States and put us back on track towards fiscal sanity. We support leaders who work towards balancing the budget and better preparing our country to deal with the future for ourselves and our families.  We all know rampant government spending has increased to dangerous levels despite voter opposition. 

We especially recognize you for your courageous vote on this groundbreaking proposal which, if enacted, will help protect Medicare for seniors now, and strengthen it for the next generation while making common sense cuts to our out-of-control spending.  With 10,000 Baby Boomers retiring daily, important programs like Medicare are being crushed—and could collapse if we don’t act to strengthen and improve them.

We know you have taken on sacred cows—Medicare and Medicaid—because both are more in danger of unsustainability than is Social Security (even though it isn’t far behind). And while you are correct that your political opponents will scare seniors with false attacks, you still had the courage to take on these entitlements.  Seniors will applaud you in the long run once it's clear that a) you are protecting their entitlements, b) you are allowing future seniors an opportunity to determine their own health care needs, and c) your bold and creative initiatives will actually save entitlements for our children and grandchildren, none of whom believe the system will be there for them under current provisions.  

Scaring seniors into the voting booth has been honed into a fine art form by one party.  In a moment of candor in the early 1990's, the late Senator Paul Tsongas (D-Massachusetts) was quoted as saying, "My party has been riding the twin horses of hypocrisy—Social Security and Medicare—for over 30 years," scaring seniors into the voting booth. 

We applaud your efforts and those of other Members who have responded to the overwhelming message voters sent to Congress in November 2010. I cannot stress strongly enough that senior citizens and soon-to-be seniors have to live within their budgets, and as such, voted in record numbers last November to send a strong signal to Congress that the government should do the same. 

Sincerely, 

James L. Martin

Chairman