Meltdown Mike Bost has already bailed on one debate so far this year. In tonight’s debate, will Bost be able to defend his 20 year record in Springfield of supporting the special interests and the wealthy at the expense of the middle class without bursting into another tantrum? Ahead of tonight’s debate, here are three questions that Meltdown Mike Bost will struggle to answer.
You disputed a police report that said your .357 magnum was used to threaten another man’s life. Why should people believe you over the police, given your frequent meltdowns and lengthy police history?
- Bost Suggested Police Report was Wrong. In 2014 The Southern reported: “Bost said he believes the gun was taken by the boyfriend of a young girl who had been staying at the Bosts’ house. Bost contends that a life was not threatened with the gun. Rather, he says, the boyfriend bragged about it to a friend, who told police about it when he got in trouble for something unrelated.” [The Southern, 10/6/14]
- Bost did Not Know Stolen Gun was Missing Until Used to Threaten a Man’s Life. The Huffington Post reported: “In 2006, Bost’s nickel-plated special edition .357 Rossi revolver was stolen from his gun safe. According to police records, Bost did not know about the theft until police showed up at his door to inform him that the gun had been used to threaten another man’s life. Bost led investigators to the safe, and the firearm was indeed missing.” [Huffington Post, 9/26/14; Murphysboro Police Department, 7/10/06]
You embraced a budget that raises out of pocket Medicare costs on Illinois seniors in order to cut taxes for the wealthy. Is that why you decided you would rather campaign with Congressman Paul Ryan than attend a debate sponsored by AARP to discuss questions from Illinois Seniors?
- Bost Criticized Congressman Enyart for Opposing the Ryan Budget. In June 2014, the Bost for Congress campaign released a piece of literature hitting Congressman Bill Enyart for his oppositionto H Con Res 96, Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget. [H Con Res 96, Vote #177, 4/10/14; Mike Bost Facebook, 6/2/14]
- Republicans Budget Proposal Would “Reduce Taxes for the Wealthy.” “House Republicans will revive Rep. Paul Ryan’s lightning-rod proposals to slash the federal safety net, beef up military spending and reduce taxes for the wealthy in a budget unveiled Tuesday — an election-year calling card that Democrats are poised to use against the GOP.” [Los Angeles Times, 4/01/14]
- Republican Voucher Plan Would Increase Medicare Premiums for Seniors by 50 Percent. “While Rep. Ryan uses a different formula than in past budgets to set the value of the voucher, it would still make traditional Medicare increasingly unaffordable for senior citizens. Higher out-of-pocket premiums for traditional Medicare would force seniors into private plans, where they may not have access to the doctors they want to see. The Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, previously found that under a premium support plan, premiums would increase by 50 percent for traditional Medicare.” [Center for American Progress, 4/01/14]
- Reopening Prescription Drug Doughnut Hole Could Cost Seniors Up to $1,700. “Here’s how the gap works: Medicare covers prescription drug costs, minus a deductible and co-pays, until total costs reach $2,850 for the year for a beneficiary, in 2014. A beneficiary would then have to pay the full drug costs out of pocket until total out-of-pocket expenses reach $4,550. At that point, a senior’s drug costs are again covered, minus a 5 percent co-pay. The full cost of this gap in coverage for a beneficiary would be $1,700, the figure the ad uses […]And by 2020 that gap in drug coverage could be wider than $1,700, if the ACA provision were to be repealed. The Department of Health and Human Services estimated in a 2012 report that beneficiaries who reached the doughnut hole would save an average of $1,734 in 2020 and $1,969 in 2022 due to the closing of that coverage gap.” [FactCheck.org, 4/17/14]
- Bost Declined to Attend the AARP Debate. In 2014, the Belleville News-Democrat reported: “AARP communications director Gerardo Cardenas said the AARP is not a special interest group. AARP and the Illinois Radio Network invited Enyart and Bost to debate in October. Bost declined and Enyart was cooperative, Cardenas said.” [Belleville News-Democrat, 9/25/14]
- Bost was Accused of Calling the AARP a “Special Interest Group.” In 2014, the Belleville News-Democrat reported that Bost’s campaign did not respond to the accusation that he called the AARP a “special interest group.” [Belleville News-Democrat, 9/25/14]
You have said raising the minimum wage would actually “hurt the middle class” – what do you believe the minimum wage in Illinois should be?
- Bost Said the Minimum Wage would “Hurt the Middle Class.” In 2014 Bost said, “I know this might not be a popular statement, this is the way I feel. You cannot lift up the middle class by to continuing to have over burdensome regulations on the job creators. That’s one. Two, as they try to push forward with a minimum wage, that minimum wage will actually hurt the middle class.” [Bost Tele Town Hall, 7/16/14; Capitol Fax, 7/23/14]
- Headline: Bost: “minimum wage will actually hurt the middle class” [Capitol Fax, 7/23/14]