WISCONSINREPORT.COM (11/10/2009) - Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chairman Mike Tate is disappointed with the votes of some Congressional Representatives from Wisconsin in the U.S. House last Saturday. Tate says the votes of Congressmen Tom Petri (R-WI) and Paul Ryan (R-WI) against the Affordable Health Care for America Act highlights the growing divide between their stance on the issues and what their constituents want.

During debate in the House of Representatives on major health care reform legislation Saturday evening, Representative Tom Petri warned that the legislation would disrupt the economy, raise taxes, and cause health care premiums to skyrocket.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chairman Mike Tate says last November voters in the 1st and 6th Congressional Districts voted to change the direction that the United States was headed.

Instead of supporting the failed policies of the past and continuing to neglect those in need, voters in both districts helped elect President Obama with a mandate to get our country back on track, according to Tate.

Representative Thomas Petri is more concerned with how much the Health Care Reform Act might cost the country.

"Here we are, being asked to vote on a bill which will radically alter and disrupt one-sixth of our economy, hit businesses with costly new regulations, ratchet up monstrous Medicaid mandates on the 50 states, raise taxes on job creators, impose skyrocketing insurance premiums on individuals and families, and destroy popular Medicare Advantage plans," Representative Tom Petri said.

“Petri and Ryan have made it clear that they will tow the party line instead of doing what is best for their constituents and the rest of Wisconsin,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate.

"The choice is not whether or not you’re going to stick with your party leaders," Representative Paul Ryan said. "The choice here is what side of history do you want to be on? Will you be on the side of history where you stick with the people and the principles that built this exceptional nation? That is the choice we face," Ryan said before the vote Saturday.

"This bill replaces the American Idea with a European-style social welfare state. This bill – more than any other decision we are going to make in this body – will lead to millions of Americans becoming dependents on the state rather than being dependent upon themselves," Ryan said.

"This is not about health care policy – if it were, we could pass a bipartisan bill to fix what’s broken in health care without breaking what’s working in health care. This is about ideology," Representative Paul Ryan said.

“Wisconsinites voted for President Obama, in part, because they knew that the need for meaningful reform that provides every American with quality, affordable, stable and secure health care coverage was real,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate pointed out.

Tate says the Affordable Health Care for America Act provides reforms that were long overdue in the health insurance industry while protecting Wisconsinites.

This historic legislation will rein in the worst practices in the industry while extending coverage to 36 million Americans and cutting the deficit by $104 billion in the next ten years, according to Tate.

“Petri and Ryan chose to stand with the insurance industry lobbyists and the Republican Party of No instead of representing the people of Wisconsin,” said Tate.

"When you expose this bill’s budget gimmicks, does it increase the debt and deficit? Yes," said Ryan. "Will it take coverage away from seniors, raise premiums for families, and decrease health care innovation? Yes," Ryan continued.

"Will it raise taxes on small businesses and workers, and cost us nearly 5.5 million jobs when our unemployment rate is 10.2%? Yes. Does this bill mean the government will take over running our health care system? Yes", said Ryan.

"Covering more Americans, while reducing the deficit, is exactly the kind of change their constituents voted for," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Tate said.

"If Petri and Ryan continue to stand with the Republican Party instead of their constituents, voters in the 1st and 6th District will not stand with them next November," Tate suggested.