Blog: The Webster Wire: This 4th of July Weekend

Statement

Dear Friend,

237 years ago, 56 men mutually pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in order to secure the right to govern themselves. Ever since, our nation has marked July 4th as a day to celebrate our independence. In Windermere, I joined residents for their annual pancake breakfast. In Winter Garden, I rode the old fire truck down Plant Street to lead the city's Independence Day parade. In Groveland, we honored the veterans and fallen heroes who "more than self their country loved" and sacrificed to preserve our freedom.

On Monday, I continued my series of meetings with area small business owners with stops in Winter Garden at the Downtown Herb Shoppe, Cave Inn BBQ, Art is in the Air, Authentic European Bakery, R.C. Stevens Construction, Edgewater Hotel, and the Garden Music School. On full display at each visit were these small business owners' aspirations to achieve the American Dream through ingenuity, hard work and risk taking. It is that same entrepreneurial spirit that built America. We can continue to encourage small business ownership with smart regulatory and tax reform and by removing the burdensome taxes and mandates of Obamacare.

On Tuesday, I met with local educators during a breakout session at the 2013 Orlando AVID Summer Institute to discuss the importance of individual teacher involvement for accelerating student achievement and college readiness. Throughout the United States, nearly 4,900 schools are implementing Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) programs to help more than 700,000 students, many of whom are at risk for not completing their secondary education, learn study skills and access academic tutoring and mentoring to prepare for and achieve higher education. It was a pleasure to meet with teachers and administrators from Florida schools to learn strategies that ensure students in our public schools receive the attention they need to graduate college ready.

On Friday, I addressed 2013 convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Orlando regarding the importance of supporting and promoting the independence of people with low vision and blindness. It was a pleasure to provide encouragement to those in attendance who provide access to assistive technology, mobility and employment services for the blind, especially for our veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with vision loss. Recently, I was honored to be named an AbilityOne Champion by National Industries for the Blind, Lighthouse Central Florida, and NISH, a nationwide network of non-profit organizations working to provide employment services for Americans with severe disabilities.

Your servant,
Daniel Webster
Member of Congress

Constituent Corner:

Recently, a constituent contacted our office to report that he had not received his latest Social Security payment. Previously, the constituent had reported an unauthorized change in his direct deposit bank account to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Our office verified that the SSA Office of the Inspector General had been notified of the unauthorized, potentially fraudulent change in the constituent's direct deposit bank. Further, our office worked with the SSA to quickly secure a back payment for the constituent. If you ever need assistance cutting through the red tape at a federal agency, contact my office at one of the numbers below. We are here to serve you.

Share Your View:

On July 1, student loan interest rates doubled because Senate Democrats recessed without completing their work on a student loan fix. The House already passed a plan for a permanent, market-based solution to student loan interest rates.

Do you agree Senate Democrats should follow the example set by the House of Representatives and pass a market-based student loan fix?

Your view: Response to last week's survey question (Do you agree that Congress should penalize the IRS for targeting innocent Americans based on their political beliefs?) No -- 12%, Yes -- 86%

Legislative Update:

This week, the White House abruptly announced its decision to delay for one year the implementation of Obamacare's employer mandate, an onerous provision of the law that penalizes employers with more than 50 full-time employees whose workers do not have health insurance or cannot afford health insurance without federal subsidies.

Postponement of the employer mandate once again draws attention to the numerous waivers, carve-outs or delays of the law granted by the White House, which prove that Obamacare is unworkable, unaffordable and harmful to our economy. Yet as the White House doles out these exemptions to certain special interests, there is no relief in sight for either the families, individuals, or the small businesses who are experiencing huge increases in health insurance premiums.

The simple truth is Obamacare and its taxes and mandates should not be delayed. They should be repealed in order to clear the way for common-sense solutions that are affordable and accessible for all Americans. Americans need solutions that promote access to the care they need, from the doctors they choose, at a cost they can afford. Americans need solutions that promote access to the care they need, from the doctors they choose, at a cost they can afford.

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