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Indiana Black Expo; IPS Teachers; Online Health Care Forum - July 17, 2009 Print
Dear Friend,
Thank you for reading another edition of my e-newsletter, the Carson Courier.  For additional information on these and other topics, please visit my website at http://www.carson.house.gov.
 
In this week’s Carson Courier:
Indiana Black Expo’s 39th Annual Summer Celebration
Putting Teachers Back in the Classroom
Online Health Care Forum
 
INDIANA BLACK EXPO’S 39TH ANNUAL SUMMER CELEBRATION
Today, I am pleased to once again congratulate the Indiana Black Expo as they kick off their 39th Annual Summer Celebration—our nation’s single largest ethnic and cultural event.  Each year, the Summer Celebration is a cause for great excitement across our city, as hundreds of thousands of local residents and guests from around the country converge to celebrate African American culture and heritage.  This year, guests will have an opportunity to see live performances from national recording artists, attend life-changing workshops and discussions, participate in job training and entrepreneurship seminars, and meet new individuals who share their aspirations for the African American community.  Surely, our city and state are extremely privileged to once again host this truly unique event.
 
As always, I look forward to attending the Summer Celebration this weekend and hope I have a chance to speak with many 7th District residents.  I have set up a booth where local residents can learn more about my work in Washington and receive assistance from my office on a variety of federal and state concerns.  I encourage all Indianapolis residents to come together with their friends and neighbors across our city to attend this phenomenal event.
 
PUTTING TEACHERS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM
Over six months after it was signed into law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is continuing to deliver noticeable benefits to Indianapolis Hoosiers.  This is especially apparent in the case of the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), where this past spring budgetary problems required them to lay off 300 experienced and well-qualified teachers.  Many of these teachers taught core subjects like Math and Science—subjects that are especially important in our transforming global economy—yet lost their jobs because of this economic downturn.
 
Being married to an Indianapolis educator, I have seen firsthand the detrimental impact that teacher elimination has on students.  With each teacher who is lost to budget constraints, students see a marked increase in class size and a corresponding decrease in personal attention that they receive from their teachers.  These students frequently perform at lower levels and drop out more frequently than their counterparts who spend their school days in small classes.
 
Just a few months ago, it looked that IPS would not receive the financing necessary to keep these critical educators in the classroom.  Fortunately, the ARRA fulfilled its purpose of saving and creating jobs, delivering the timely help that these laid off teachers so desperately needed.  As reported by the Indianapolis Star this week, an ARRA grant has allowed IPS to not only rehire laid off teachers but create an additional 100 vacancies across the school district (see article here).  As IPS students prepare to return for a new school year, I am pleased that they will have an opportunity to learn from hundreds of rehired and new teachers, who will facilitate more nurturing and productive classrooms.
 
ONLINE HEALTH CARE FORUM
Recent statistics have shown that as our economic downturn continues, an additional 36,000 Indiana residents, or 700 a week, will lose their health insurance between now and 2010.  Meanwhile, 46 million Americans are already living without health insurance.  As unemployment rises and health care costs skyrocket, it has become clear that the number of uninsured Americans, both in Indiana and across the United States, will continue to grow without action immediate action in Congress.
 
This week, House Democrats introduced the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, which seeks to make insurance premiums more affordable and increase access for individuals and families who are otherwise unable to confront the high cost of health care.  While the discussion over the best way to reform our broken health care system is far from complete, this legislation is a strong start that I hope will help to facilitate greater input from the American public, whose stories and opinions provide the best and most informative ideas about the necessary goals of any future legislation.
 
That is why I have created a new online health care forum.  I want to hear your story about the experiences you have had with our current health care system—both good and bad.  I also need to hear your ideas about what we can do to improve health care.
 
Please submit a video or written testimonial of your health care experience, and we will begin posting some of these responses on our website. Please email your story or video to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
I encourage you to visit my website where you can already view many of the submitted stories and opinions.
 
Thank you for reading the Carson Courier.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and concerns.  I value your views and your input which help me to better represent the people of Indiana's 7th District in Congress.
 
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Post-9/11 GI Bill
The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress last year, is the most extensive educational assistance program authorized since the original GI Bill was signed into law in 1944. These benefits provide every eligible Veteran, Service member, Reservist, and National Guard member an opportunity to receive an in-state, undergraduate education at a public institution at no cost. Provisions of the program include payments for tuition and fees, housing, and a books and supplies stipend.
 
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