Opinion Editorial

Each day I receive letters and emails from constituents who are being hurt by the President's health care law — and it's no wonder.

In the first six weeks since the law was launched, 225,000 Michigan residents received notices that their health insurance plans were canceled, despite President Obama's numerous promises that "if you like your health plan, you can keep it." But more than broken promises, too many people across Michigan and the country will now be paying higher premiums, losing their coverage, or be unable to see their preferred doctors because of this onerous law.

"If you like your health plan, you can keep it" has been President Obama's promise to the American people for the last four years. But recently he attempted to apologize to those who are losing health insurance because of the law. While I'm glad the president is starting to see the truth, the American people need more than just apologies. They need solutions.

Rosann, a 29-year-old woman from Tecumseh, has been battling sarcoma cancer for more than a year. In that time she has undergone chemotherapy once and radiation twice.

By Andy Barrand

HILLSDALE — Only five months after making the move from Arkansas, Hartzell Veneer Products in Hillsdale is up and running in full production mode.

While in the are Monday, Congressman Tim Walberg took the opportunity to speak to the employees at Hartzell Veneer after taking a short tour of the facility. Also on hand to welcome the company to Hillsdale were members of the Hillsdale City Council, Mayor Scott Sessions and State Rep. Ken Kurtz.

By Matt Durr

WASHINGTON — There isn't much that Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Tipton) and President Barack Obama agree on these days, but the two were able to agree Thursday on a bipartisan bill which Obama signed into law. The Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act was introduced by Walberg and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) to help shift responsibility for wage adjustments for federally-contracted workers.

President Obama has frequently promised that if you like your health-care plan, you can keep it. But ask the more than 3.5 million Americans who have lost their health insurance in the last six weeks alone just how true that pledge is.

As the president's health-care law has taken effect, the president could no longer deny the negative impacts of his signature law and offered an apology to those losing their health insurance despite "assurances" from him.

During a recent visit to Walter Reed National Medical Center, I met 24-year-old Sgt. Christopher Hemwall from Monroe as he underwent rehabilitation. In March 2011, he was shot three times in an ambush while serving in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province.

Eventually, Sgt. Hemwall's right leg had to be amputated below the knee after an experimental treatment failed.

Yet, in spite of these hardships, he remains committed to serving our country again after his rehab. As a nation, we must remain committed to caring for Sgt. Hemwall and all our nation's brave servicemen and women.

The recently released Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) September employment report certainly wasn't worth the wait. Delayed because of the government shutdown, September's jobs report disappointed as our economy added just 148,000 jobs, fewer than the previous month's and slower than the average pace of growth within the last year. Perhaps more telling, 136,000 fewer Americans participated in the labor force, keeping the labor force participation rate at its lowest level since the 1970's at 63.2%. That's in addition to the 11 million who are unemployed and actively searching for work.