Republican Congressional Candidate Blaine Luetkemeyer told a rally of supporters that Missouri’s economy has “turned around” and has been “decent” for the last year and a half. His out-of-touch comments come just days before 1,200 workers at the Fenton Chrysler plant will lose their jobs that will be outsourced to Canada.

“Blaine Luetkemeyer is so out of touch with everyday people, he thinks our economy is decent. He doesn’t feel the pain working families are feeling as unemployment rises, health care access decreases and the mortgage payment becomes tougher to manage,” said Baker spokesperson Paul Tencher. “If we do not fundamentally change the economic policies that have led to this mess, families will lose the hope they are clinging to. Blaine Luetkemeyer is the wrong person to represent so many struggling Missouri families.”

A week ago today, Luetkemeyer told supporters:

“That being said: You know up until a year and a half or so here we’ve had a decent economy and we’ve turned our economy around. The figures are there.”

Baker launched a new commercial that highlight’s Luetkemeyer’s out-of-touch comments on the economy. The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a64iRMlMUEI and the text is below.

“The working families of Missouri have been making Chyrsler trucks and vans for almost 40 years. But this Thursday, more than 1,200 men and women will walk out of the Chrysler Plant and the gates will be locked behind them. Now these same families are worried about how they’ll afford the payments on the minivans they use to make. Not to mention how they’ll pay for the mortgage, or for college or even groceries. So do you trust a politician that thinks this economy is turning around? (Blaine) That being said: You know up until a year and a half or so here we’ve had a decent economy and we’ve turned our economy around. The figures are there. Blaine Luetkemeyer: Just Plain Wrong for Working Families in Missouri.”

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Luetkemeyer has spent $1.12 million of his personal fortune on financing his campaign. Luetkemeyer ranks 12th among all self-funding U.S. House candidates, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

“No Missouri family could imagine spending a $1 million on a political campaign and that is why Blaine Luetkemeyer cannot possible know what working families need,” Tencher said. “Missourians aren’t going out to eat or to the movies. Blaine Luetkemeyer is spending millions on his hobby: running for Congress.”

Judy Baker and Congresswoman Lois Capps visits the James E. Cary Cancer Center in Hannibal.

Judy Baker, candidate for Congress in Missouri’s Ninth Congressional District, set out on a tour to set out an agenda to expand research and treatment of cancer and other deadly diseases today with stops in Columbia and Hannibal. Baker was joined by Congresswoman Lois Capps, a registered nurse and co-chair of the Congressional Cancer Caucus, to tell voters how they will change the failed policies Washington has developed over the last eight years.

“When I get to Congress, I will use my expertise, over 20 years, to reform our health care system. We will expand research for our deadliest diseases, increase prevention care and make cancer a word for the history books,” Baker said. “We will properly fund the National Institutes of Health after years of underfunding an agency that is a symbol of the good government can do. We will eliminate the co-pay women on Medicare are charged for mammograms, saving lives and money by catching disease early. And if a woman is diagnosed, we will end the practice of drive-by mastectomies so that medical professionals, not insurance companies decide what is best.”

Baker also said the issue was very personal. Baker’s mother and two aunts are both breast cancer survivors because of the early detection through a mammogram. Baker’s opponent, Blaine Luetkemeyer, sponsored legislation that would allow insurance companies to drop coverage for mammograms and other preventive screenings.

Baker would support greater expansion of the NIH and National Cancer Institute. Both agencies have been recently seen level funding and the approval rate for scientists working on life-saving research have fell to under 20 percent. The NIH is responsible for funding more than 35 percent of the total medical research in America and is less than a percent of the federal budget. This is an agency responsible for the Human Genome Project, potential vaccines for Ebola and West Nile Virus and discoveries that help treat depression.

Baker would also sign onto to a bill that would eliminate the co-pay charged by Medicare for mammograms. Women and men pay small co-pays and many times none at all on other medical screenings. But 22 million women rely on Medicare for basic health care, including mammograms that cost a 20 percent co-pay. Requiring even a small co-payment dramatically reduces the likelihood that women will get regular mammograms to detect breast cancer, researchers at Brown University reported earlier this year.

Finally, Baker will put the decisions about post-operative care in the hands of medical professionals, not insurance companies. Sixty-five percent of the 125,000 patients that undergo the procedure are sent home within 24 hours. This unsafe practice is driven by financial decisions, not sound medical advice.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee has endorsed Judy Baker for Congress. Baker is the only open seat candidate in the country to be endorsed by the committee for election to the House of Representatives.

“In addition to comments received from VFW leaders in your state, this endorsement is based on your strong support for veterans, national security/defense and military personnel issues,” said Larry Rivers, director of the VFW-PAC.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (PAC) is the nation’s only major veteran’s service organization political committee. The committee provides 2.2 million members of the VFW, its auxiliaries and their families with an opportunity to collectively support candidates for federal office. According to the committee it only endorses “those candidates for federal office who support our nations veterans and stand in support of a strong national defense.”

“As the daughter of a career navy officer, I am so honored to have the support of the men and women associated with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I will work every single day in Congress to improve the lives of veterans and make sure they receive the benefits they have earned.”

Baker unveiled her plan to improved veterans’ health care in May. Baker, whose father was a Navy doctor, developed a plan that would increase access by allowing veterans in the VA system to access health care from local providers instead of always going to a VA hospital.

Baker noted that one of the immediate benefits of this local access would be the reduced transportation costs that are currently reimbursed especially at today’s gas prices. Her plan would also allow access to the VA system for National Guardsmen and Reservists, many of who lose their private health insurance due to service in Iraq.

Columbia, MO – Judy Baker, candidate in Missouri’s Ninth Congressional district, launched a powerful television message that highlights the differences between her and her opponent on health care. Ninth District resident Brenda McGavock tells her story as a cancer survivor and highlights the need for early detection of disease to save lives.

Blaine Luetkemeyer, Baker’s opponent, sponsored legislation that would have allowed health insurance companies to drop coverage of mammograms and other prevention screenings at a time when health insurance company profits continue to soar. Luetkemeyer has taken more than $35,000 from insurance companies during the campaign.

“Mammograms and other health screenings save lives and drive costs down in our system. My mom and her two sisters are breast cancer survivors because of early detection and I am so thankful they were able to receive this care,” Baker said. “We can save women’s lives and drive down the costs of health care by detecting disease early. How often to we get to do the right thing for Missouri families and save money? My opponent is just out of touch.”

The television spot is available at www.judybakerforcongress.com and text is below:

“The Ones They Love”

:30

Brenda McGavock: “I felt like a deer in the headlights. Mammograms are absolutely the first line of defense.

When I hear that Blaine Luetkemeyer voted against insurance companies having to pay for mammograms, it sickens me.

He’s giving a death sentence to many women.

Blaine’s probably the right for voice for insurance executives.

Blaine you don’t represent a single woman in this district and you don’t really represent all the people that love them.”

I’m Judy Baker and I approve of this message.

-30-

Columbia, MO – Judy Baker, candidate for Congress in Missouri’s Ninth District, welcomed the national Pink Ribbon Tour and its famous pink fire truck to Columbia today. Baker and the tour’s creator Dave Graybill spoke about the need to increase awareness of the preventative care, like mammograms, which saves the lives of thousands of women.

“The Pink Ribbon Tour is one of the many events reminding families about the importance of mammograms to diagnose breast cancer early and save lives,” Baker said. “Dave and the fire fighters traveling the country wearing pink remind us of an issue that affects millions of families. This is a treatable disease when diagnosed early, I encourage women to monitor their health through breast screenings and mammograms.”

The Pink Ribbon Tour was created by Arizona fire fighter Dave Graybill. Through the generosity of donors, Graybill and a team of firefighters have traveled thousands of miles since June 19 to bring awareness to the issue of breast cancer.

According to Graybill: “We want the women in this country who see a fire fighter or police officer in pink, to please go and get a mammogram. As we sell our merchandise and raise money, we would like our pink truck and statue to go on missions of love to a breast cancer patient’s home and bring her hope.”

Baker joined thousands of others and signed the truck on behalf of her mother and two aunts who are breast cancer survivors.

CENTRALIA - Democratic Congressional candidate Judy Baker wants a tax credit for companies that create jobs.

Bill Hoover’s company, B & K Manufacturing Inc. is business as usual, but he hopes the Baker plan will keep the pallets and crates moving out his doors.

“A lot of my business comes from larger corporations and bigger companies that use our services and our goods, and if those jobs are kept here in the U.S. it will obviously increase our revenue and our business toward those companies,” Hoover said.

Hoover hopes Baker’s plan is implemented.

“Today I propose an initiative that will seek to stop the slide of job loss, specifically in the manufacturing sector,” Baker said.

Baker’s five step plan:

1) Crack down on companies that inflate prices and then write off the losses.

2) Close a loophole for writing off expenses associated with moving jobs overseas.

3) Restrict government research money to companies with at least 50 percent of manufacturing in the U.S.

4) Make permanent the tax credit for research.

5) Pay employers $1,500 for each new American-made job.

Baker said Missouri lost 13,000 manufacturing jobs just last year. She said she hopes this plan will help small business owners bring jobs back into the community.

“I think that sort of proposal is irresponsible when you look at the economy today and the crisis we’re in,” Republican U.S. Congress Candidate Blaine Luetkemeyer said.

Luetkemeyer believes other kinds of tax cuts would be a better way to keep jobs in the state.

Baker says she hopes her plan will create one million new jobs.

Reported by: Carly Robertson
Posted by: A. J. Bayatpour
Edited by: Matt Tarnawa