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Labor Reform
Bob Lorinser believes there is no such thing as an unskilled worker. As a product of the rural working class, he knows all labor has value. Hardworking Americans, from factories to classrooms, ERs to farms, are the engines of our economy.
Investing in workers yields profit. Cutting social programs neglects our economy's greatest asset: people.
Bob knows rural workers in Michigan's 1st District embody the grit to reignite the American dream. To truly progress, Bob wants to lead a political paradigm shift that empowers and grows the middle class.
The CEO-to-worker pay ratio is now 399-to-1. In 1965, it was 20-to-1. Trickle-down economics doesn't work, has never worked, and will never work.
Bob believes workers are people first, and then, they remain the main driving force that moves the economy forward. To progress, we must care for everyone.
There's a direct correlation between worker satisfaction and worker productivity. Workers are happier and better at what they do when society meets workers' needs — unions, family-sustaining wages, healthcare, education, housing, and childcare.
Trickle-down economics is a myth designed to benefit the ultra-wealthy. To help all Americans thrive, Bob will tirelessly invest in everyday hardworking people and fight for labor reform.
Universal Healthcare & Medical Debt
Dr. Bob's #1 policy is to create a publicly financed non-profit, national health insurance program to fully cover all medical costs for every American citizen. His campaign is also one of the only Congressional campaigns in the Nation to embark upon the transformative journey to wipe out America's medical debt.
No one should have to fend off debt collectors when they're battling cancer. Bob has made it his life’s mission to serve low income patients, because he believes sick and vulnerable people need to receive medicine, not collection notices.
Bob believes healthcare — including dental, optical, mental health, reproductive, and palliative care — should be a fundamental human right. Dr. Bob seeks to wipe out all medical debt in the US, starting with collections to cancer patients. He has already passed a resolution with the Michigan Democratic Party to make it a priority. Next stop: Congress.
The United States is the most developed nation in the world, yet we are one of a few top 50 countries where citizens face significant financial limitations in accessing quality care.
Dr. Bob will lead Congress to pass Medicare for All.
Bob Lorinser believes all people must have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. Dr. Bob will champion initiatives that provide United States citizens the full range of essential health services they deserve – from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, mental health, and palliative care.
Lorinser says the expansion of healthcare initiatives must include the following:
- Accessibility to high-quality health services
- Receiving necessary health services without suffering financial hardship
- A robust and skilled healthcare workforce
- Strong, people-centered primary healthcare
- Care rooted in the local community, including rural accessibility.
- A focus not only on preventing and treating disease and illness but also on wellness and quality of life
- Full-spectrum of essential, quality health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care across the life course.
- Equal treatment for all health issues, including behavioral health issues (Substance use disorders, mental illness, etc.)
Protecting people from the financial consequences of paying out-of-pocket for health services reduces the risk of poverty due to unexpected illness. Often, hospitalization and essential life-saving medicine require citizens to use their life savings, sell assets, or borrow – destroying their futures and sometimes burdening their children with massive amounts of debt.
Is it socialized medicine?
No. Critics often mention "socialized medicine" in conversations about universal coverage, but Dr. Bob believes US citizens must recognize the difference. In a socialized medicine system, the government pays for healthcare, operates hospitals, and employs medical staff.
Veterans Affairs (VA) is the closest we have in the US, and the VA is unique.
- "Do I think the government should direct all medical care? Absolutely not." – Dr. Bob Lorinser
Dr. Bob Lorinser supports
- The VA
- The total expansion of Medicare and Medicaid
- Privately operated employer-directed medical care facilities like the Mayo Clinics or Cleveland Clinics
Dr. Lorinser says that in the next 30 years, healthcare may exceed 30% of the GDP. He believes the United States must do something to address medical costs and that healthcare and education should be two essential services affordable to all payers.
Why is Dr. Lorinser so passionate about healthcare?
Bob Lorinser has been on the frontlines trying to fix a broken healthcare system for 40 years. Dr. Lorinser has three advanced medical, social work, and public health administration degrees. He worked as a social worker in a VA hospital and a physician for the American Indian Health Service in the Navajo Nation. Dr. Lorinser then spent 30 years practicing and teaching family medicine in Marquette before the hospital's for-profit sale.
Dr. Lorinser has served low-income families, children needing behavioral health services, and patients suffering from substance abuse, alcoholism, and addiction. Administratively, Dr. Bob also worked to help Upper Peninsula citizens access Medicaid and Medicare for essential care.
After three decades in family medicine and as a hospitalist, Dr. Bob served nearly 10 years as a regional medical director in the United States State Department. Stationed in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Korea, North Africa, and Iraq, Dr. Bob oversaw American service members' diplomatic and administrative medical needs across millions of square miles in dozens of countries.
Dr. Lorinser returned to Northern Michigan and continued his service as the medical director of the Marquette County Health Department to help citizens stay safe and healthy during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I am passionate about being a leader in Congress to make this happen," says Dr. Bob. "Nothing is free, and there are multiple ways of achieving universal coverage, so we need to explore all avenues. I support many plans to address this issue and move our country forward. No one should suffer because of their ability to pay for medical care."
Healthcare is the number one issue facing all Americans. We need an experienced family doctor in the House to move the nation forward.
Veterans
Less than one percent of Americans currently serve in the military, and the other 99 percent of us owe them the secure futures they have earned.
Many Veterans living in rural areas have limited access to medical care and providers. Only one V.A. Medical Center in Iron Mountain exists across 25,000 square miles of the entire 1st District.
Approximately 62,000 veterans of all ages and ranks live in Michigan's First Congressional District. We must repay and protect our veterans and active military members for their sacrifices for our country. Our service members deserve our appreciation, and we must recognize all servicemembers for their actions to defend our freedoms and keep us safe from harm.
Less than one percent of Americans currently serve in the military, and the other 99 percent of us owe them the secure futures they have earned. More than 18 million veterans are in the United States, and today's veteran population has needs that the V.A. has never addressed before.
This issue is reflected in the growing interest in "anywhere, anytime" healthcare service models and our increasing understanding of behavioral health challenges, the harmful impacts of burn pits, environmental toxins, traumatic brain injury, and the devastating epidemic of opioid addiction and suicide. The VA must adapt to meet the ever-evolving needs of the veteran community.
As MI01's Congressman, Dr. Bob will strive to restore the V.A. as the premier agency for ensuring our veterans' overall well-being by:
- Providing Veterans World Class Health Care to Meet Their Specific Needs
- Driving Progress to Eliminate Veteran's Homelessness and Bring Down Suicide Rates
- Creating Meaningful Employment and Educational Opportunities
- Improving VA Management and Accountability
Dr. Bob will:
- Promise to listen and to learn to improve services to our Veterans.
- Will work faithfully to restore public trust in the V.A. so that no one in the military community or beyond will ever again question whether the United States of America keeps its promises to those who serve our country.
- Support comprehensive, integrated veteran programs that address veterans' medical needs and educational, employment, and housing concerns.
- Support modernization of the deteriorated infrastructure of V.A. hospitals and clinics and repurpose older facilities to meet new needs, such as assisted-living facilities and long-term care alternatives.
- Stand against privatizing healthcare facilities, including V.A. hospitals, but support veterans receiving medical care through private medical resources as desired.
Support improving V.A. Management and Accountability
The V.A. management needs to be operating under updated management tools and practices. Our veterans deserve the best services available. Improve coordination with the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), state agencies, and the thousands of non-governmental organizations that support this vital community.
Support Improving Mental Health Services
Twenty veterans and service members die by suicide every day, and among some groups, the rate of suicide is rising alarmingly. The VA must continually strive to improve services and outcomes for veterans, especially in the areas of pain, polytrauma recovery, substance use disorder (SUD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and general behavioral health, in the most effective and cost-efficient way possible. Bob supports expanding mental health treatment options for veterans to seek innovative therapies to combat PTSD, treat and prevent substance abuse disorders, and address homelessness and other mental health issues.
Other issues:
Support veterans addressing disability claims and those needing legal and family support.
Prevent military sexual assault and harassment. We must treat those harmed and hold accountable those assaulting our service members.
Improving veteran services, accessibility, and non-discrimination for women
Dr. Bob also supports the expansion of the National Guard and Military Reserves and recognizes how fortunate we are to have Camp Grayling and multiple other National Guard Units throughout the First District.
Why is Bob so passionate about Veterans' services?
Bob was a social worker at a V.A. hospital in the '80s. He provided medical care for numerous U.P. Veterans. For nearly 10 years, he served alongside military personnel in hot spots in North Africa and the Middle East - in Islamabad, Peshawar, Baghdad, Kabul, and more. Corporate for-profit healthcare lobbyists will never influence Dr. Bob's Veterans policy.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee passed a measure to invest $18 billion to fix or replace dated V.A. medical facilities and boost staffing at the Veterans Affairs Department. Bob's opponent, Jack Bergman, voted "No."
The average age of private-sector hospitals in the U.S. today is about 11 years, and the average age of V.A. hospitals is roughly 58. This initial $18 billion would be spread over modernization and new construction projects to provide better facilities for V.A. medical care.
$18 billion in infrastructure spending is a fractional down payment on the work needed to expand veterans' healthcare access, estimated at over $50 billion.
Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and nearly all veterans groups support the recent investment to upgrade and build facilities, but the 1st District Representative does not. Why?
Bob's opponent is a known supporter of several initiatives to privatize Veteran healthcare. By contrast, Bob believes that until we can accomplish bipartisan agreement on universal healthcare, veterans should have the option of private care. Still, he opposes the privatization of V.A. hospitals. Bob says, "It is just a bad idea."
Rep. Jack Bergman has long lauded outsourcing V.A. services to private healthcare facilities, a divestment that would exacerbate Veterans' problems when seeking medical care.
For-profit healthcare lobbyists heavily influence this strategy. It will send veterans out into a private system that is more expensive, less accountable, and unable to meet their particular needs.
Bob supports veterans and this critical infrastructure spending because he understands the issue as a former V.A. social worker, healthcare provider, and someone experienced in the medical needs of U.S. service members. Lorinser was a social worker at a V.A. clinic early in his career. As a family physician, many of his patients were Upper Peninsula veterans. While serving in the State Department for nearly a decade in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, North Africa, and Korea, Dr. Bob oversaw the care of deployed American military personnel at U.S. embassies and consulates.
Our current Representative and his colleagues referred to the funding as an "unnecessary distraction" and mocked the bill's supporters, claiming they took a premature "ready, fire, aim" approach. Unlike Bergman, Dr. Bob realizes the investment is long overdue and vital.
"We have been ready for a long time," said Dr. Lorinser during a recent speech on the campaign trail. "Our aim is dead-on, Our veterans have been ready for upgrades, and they need us to act now. We should have fired years ago."
Corporate for-profit healthcare lobbyists will never influence Dr. Bob's Veterans policy. His commitment to honor and serve Veterans is eternal, starting with caring, listening, and enacting better policy.
Environmental Protection
"As our Native American colleagues tell us, our decisions today – legislatively and individually – should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future," says Dr. Bob Lorinser. "I support sound environmental policies that protect our future and, especially for us, our Great Lakes."
Environmental policy at the federal, state, and local levels protects the environment and conserves natural resources. It is also essential that environmental initiatives stimulate economic growth, employment, affordable energy, and businesses' and individuals' rights.
Greenhouse Gas Reductions
Global temperature increases pose existential threats to our lives. As climate change worsens, it endangers human health, livelihood, food security, water supply, and economic growth. The United States can address the global climate threats of greenhouse gases while creating stable, good-paying jobs and boosting our economy. It is not one or the other but a win-win.
- Dr. Lorinser will support initiatives to achieve a 100% clean energy economy and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050 by working with local, state, regional, and national partners.
- We must enact a national strategy to clean energy and long-term community investment.
- Lorinser supports renewable, carbon-free sources of energy.
- Dr. Bob supports carbon fees that place a monetary price on the "real costs" imposed on our economy by greenhouse emissions and the global warming they cause.
- He will push initiatives to keep the United States the world leader in clean energy research, investment, commercialization, manufacturing, and exports.
- We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources, including household activities, factories, agriculture, and transportation.
- The United States accounts for only 15% of global emissions. Lorinser also hopes to be a Congressional leader in enforcing international agreements to reduce emissions and a worldwide ban on fossil fuel subsidies.
Bob supports:
- The Clean Air Act — sets national air quality standards and reduces air pollutants and their sources of ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter.
- The Clean Water Act — establishes wastewater standards and makes it illegal to discharge a pollutant into navigable waters without a federal permit.
- The Endangered Species Act — prohibits taking any action that would result in the destruction or adverse modification of any federally listed species or its habitat. It prohibits an action that causes the taking of any listed species.
- The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act – reduces hazardous pollutants at uncontrolled or abandoned waste sites and created the Superfund program.
- The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act — engages in hazardous and non-hazardous waste management and oversees the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal. It requires waste to be minimized and disposed of in contaminated lands. The EPA also oversees underground storage tanks for petroleum and other potentially hazardous substances as part of the agency's storage tank program.
- The Safe Drinking Water Act — maintains water quality for above-ground and underground drinking water sources.
Dr. Bob Lorinser will champion, fund, and work closely with the following Federal agencies which carry out and enforce environmental policies.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — protects human health and the environment.
- The U.S. Department of the Interior — manages natural resources.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) — to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
- The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — manages federal land to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Education
Dr. Bob will fight for public education, the pay and dignity teachers deserve, universal Pre-K, trade schools, community college, and access to affordable secondary education without insurmountable debt.
Educator & School Staff Support
Educators in rural Northern Michigan and the U.P. must have the resources they need to provide the same boundless opportunities to our students as anywhere else in the nation.
When faced with uncertain contracts, compensation pitfalls, budget constraints, and the unsung heroism of shaping our futures, education professionals remain true believers. They are our guiding lights — America's optimists, and it is the profession that shapes all other professions.
We must recognize all that school faculty and staff do and acknowledge the hard work they have selflessly dedicated to our community. The world our students are entering - and currently living in - is complex. We must recognize all the fantastic work educators do to guide our young people throughout their education journey. We can recognize their efforts through fair contracts, collective bargaining empowerment, and improved compensation.
Staff shortages, decreased pay, and distance learning make being an educator more difficult than ever before. Administrators, teachers, and school staff shape our future and deserve safer classroom environments, better pay, and an advocate in Congress.
Educators have been present for our children throughout it - working hard to build meaningful connections with students and their families. They remain a source of stability and assurance for our youngsters and assist our high schoolers in preparing for their post-secondary education adventures.
So many of us have a teacher that has inspired us, led us, and made us think differently about the world. Universally, we are grateful for their hard work, dedication, and passion.
- So, it is time our policies reflect our appreciation.
Early Childhood Education
It is abundantly evident that students will be most successful if they start their education early. Early childhood education is the best investment to eliminate the opportunity gap for our incremental tax dollar.
Early childhood education is not a privilege for the elite. We must provide equitable opportunities for parents struggling to make ends meet, not simply because it will be good for the economy, but because it is just. It is time policymakers and the public considers all the evidence regarding the cost-benefit analysis of providing high-quality pre-K and other early education programs.
Investing in our young children under 200% Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPL) will substantially impact our budgetary spending for the better, and it will provide a net saving on P-12 expenditures.
K-12 Education Curriculum
Debates between educators and parents in the K-12 community education community persist, and unresolved conflict impedes student progress and hampers outcomes for children and families. As a result, many successful models in education fail to meet their full potential, hindered and distracted by many false dichotomies presented to the public.
America requires a nuanced and balanced approach to our education systems to build consensus around the one thing everyone can agree on — our children deserve the highest quality educational experience we can provide.
This shared ideal can serve as a starting point for building. By grounding our work in the students, we need to develop a rubric to evaluate and determine what should be funded and expanded versus curricula that should be curtailed or capped.
Dr. Bob is committed to balancing urgency with thoughtful and systematic processes of change to catalyze a conversation about what is in the best interests of our children.
Trade schools / Community College
Bob supports expanding and promoting trade schools to help future electricians, carpenters, and plumbers build the middle class. In addition, Bob is a proponent of community colleges, relieving some financial burdens on college graduates with paralyzing debt.
Bob believes a Congressman owes it to their constituency to advance policy that would eliminate 'brain-drain' from our communities so Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula can utilize an educated workforce, fulfilling employment demand and family-sustaining jobs.
Accessible, affordable education and training without insurmountable debt for the next generation of engineers, doctors, musicians, teachers, and many other professions is essential to improving our workforce.
Low-Income Education Opportunities
We must provide students with an affordable education that does not burden them with unmanageable debt. The exponentially rising costs of education are unsustainable. Investing in our young children under 200% FPL (Federal Poverty Guidelines) will substantially impact our budgetary spending for the better and will provide a net saving on P-12 expenditures. It is time we stop treating education as a privilege for the elite and invest in giving students a quality education that does not break the bank.
Low-income students should be able to gain further education based on their parent's income. Providing a quality education for all students is an expensive public investment. However, quality education for all students significantly benefits public and private industries. Unfortunately, many school systems fall short of the resources and capital required to deliver on the promise of public education. Dr. Bob supports community organizations that offer mentoring, internships, apprenticeships, vocational programs, and career-related education for students in secondary schools and state-supported higher education.
Bob believes every child has a right to quality public education that puts them on a path to compete worldwide. Investing in our future as a community requires us to provide our children with a 21st-century education. This effort includes early education, STEAM programs, colleges that do not leave students in paralyzing debt, and continuing education that retools adults as technology changes.
Standardized Testing
The impetus behind standardized testing was to assess where students are relative to where they need to be and pay particular attention to those most likely to fall through the cracks. However, after years of implementation, our current standardized testing model has many things that could be improved.
Bob supports improvements by incorporating social and emotional learning assessment measures to understand true strengths and weaknesses. In addition, he supports limiting punitive high-stakes consequences for students, teachers, and schools who are making bold, yet often unrecognized, attempts to get results.
For students, there is a significant correlation between test scores and socioeconomic status, paired with the parent's level of education. We must pay attention to this correlation if we genuinely desire to educate all children in our district. Many students exceed expectations due to strategic effort and teacher excellence. Dr. Bob strongly believes the dynamic between the teacher and the student is the critical X-factor that often changes the odds and alters outcomes.
Alternative Education
We must advance and sustain new models of alternative education for non-traditional students, those with individual education plans (IEPs), or those who respond positively to different learning methods. We must enable public school systems to provide students with individual, flexible, and structured educational experiences to enhance their academic growth and foster lifelong learning.
Quality Choices (Trade Schools)
Parents want and deserve the ability to make wise, informed decisions. However, supporting alternative educational options (i.e., trade schools) should not equate to handicapping public schools. Initially, the founders of alternative education intended to build systems that benefit traditional public schools. The aspiration was to do something extraordinary on which our public schools could build.d
Trade schools should be innovation hubs, and Bob plans to ensure the current debate is productive for our youth. Traditional public schools will remain the primary means by which quality education options for all students are delivered and ensured.
Infrastructure
After the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package passed through Congress with bipartisan support, Dr. Bob Lorinser committed to focusing on what the investment could do for the area. The federal funding will be the most significant single infusion into our country's infrastructure in over a decade.
This investment is desperately needed to create family-sustaining jobs, advance careers, and help small businesses grow. We must upgrade crumbling infrastructure. Rep. Jack Bergman opposed the bipartisan agreement, which will ignite the economy and put money in working families' pockets and food on the table, all without raising taxes.
The most recent report card on Michigan's Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state an overall GPA of D+. Michigan's civil engineers studied 13 infrastructure categories. Of those 13, nine infrastructure categories are in mediocre condition, and four are in poor condition.
Bob says this could be a "game-changer" for the First District. It could help Northern Michigan build a robust energy grid, advance public transportation, provide access to clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands, and start to meet the broadband needs of rural Michiganders, many of whom live in the First District. It is truly a transformative, historic bipartisan investment.
A Historic Investment in Michigan:
- $7.3 billion for highway repairs for Michigan
- $1 billion for environmental protection of the Great Lakes
- $563 million for bridge replacement and repairs
- $100 million to provide broadband coverage and connect at least 398,000 residents to the Internet
The legislation provides $65 billion in investment to improve broadband, with at least $100 million directed toward providing broadband coverage to at least 398,000 residents in Michigan. It aims to lower the price of internet services, create price transparency, and help more low-income households access the Internet.
Investment in Broadband
Jack Bergman has been trying to invite broadband expansion to the area since he took office. However, he is exclusively concentrating on attracting private corporate investment. Although there is undoubtedly a role for private enterprise, Bergman's efforts have failed. Approximately 1.2 million households in the state, many of which are in the district, do not have a permanently fixed broadband connection.
Bob applauds several organizations, specifically Michigan Broadband Cooperative, Connected Nation Michigan, and Center for Change, which are leading the way in advancing the conversation of broadband access in rural Northern Michigan.
At a local level, rural broadband can significantly improve our students' learning. It can assist our daughters in pursuing their passions in STEM programs to become engineers, scientists, and world leaders. It can help our sons realize their dreams of studying international business and communicating globally. Access to consistent, reliable broadband will also enable Northern Michigan residents to work from home, positively transforming our economy and attracting opportunity and investment to the area."
At a state level, the infrastructure bill would provide $100 million to extend broadband coverage and provide nearly 2.5 million low-income Michigan households the opportunity to apply for funds to help afford internet access, a goal Dr. Lorinser champions.
Investment in Infrastructure
Michigan stands to receive $7.3 billion in federal highway aid and $563 million for bridge replacement and repairs, and the opportunity to compete with other states for billions more in bridge and road projects. Bob believes this investment in our infrastructure is vital as our great state has received poor marks for years because of its infrastructure. A report from five years ago stated that much of Michigan's infrastructure is reaching the end of its useful life.
Jobs – "The bottom line."
The way to attract new jobs is to be a place where people can work and live, where healthcare and education are superb, and where we welcome innovation. Infrastructure improvement will help, and thousands of jobs could result from this project throughout our district for years to come.
Unfortunately, the recent Census highlights that the most significant population loss by percentage in our state was in the Upper Peninsula. Jobs, population growth, and infrastructure improvement go hand in hand.
Lorinser commends both sides of the Congressional aisle for achieving compromise. The bill does not represent all that Democrats want, nor everything the Republicans seek. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) stated that the legislation "provides a once-in-a-generation investment in our country's physical infrastructure without raising taxes."
Jack Bergman has mislabeled this legislation and voted no on H.R.3684 – Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Unfortunately, his focus is not on the crucial necessity and positive attributes of the overdue investment. If Bob Lorinser were Northern Michigan's Congressman, he would have voted for this bill because it undoubtedly will help thousands of our citizens economically thrive.
Rural Broadband
Approximately 1.2 million households in the state, many of which are in the district, still need a permanently fixed broadband connection. The lack of broadband availability across Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula is unacceptable.
For six years, Rep. Jack Bergman promised Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula that he would work to expand broadband services in our rural communities. Over half a decade later, still nothing, and he continually votes against it. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which Rep. Bergman adamantly opposed, set aside $65 billion for America's spotty broadband system.
Bob will push for this initiative and similar like it because 68% of people living in rural areas and tribal lands do not have broadband access, according to research by the FCC.
A 2018 U.S. Government Accountability Office report indicates the actual number may be even higher. Previous attempts to invite broadband expansion have yet to be successful, as Rep. Bergman exclusively concentrated on attracting private corporate investment. Although there is a role for private enterprise, all of Bergman's efforts failed.
Bob Lorinser applauds several organizations, specifically Michigan Broadband Cooperative, Connected Nation Michigan, and Center for Change, who are leading the way in advancing the conversation of broadband access in rural Northern Michigan.
At a local level, rural broadband can significantly improve our students' learning. It can assist our daughters in pursuing their passions in STEM programs to become engineers, scientists, and world leaders. It can help our sons realize their dreams of studying international business and communicating globally.
Access to consistent, reliable broadband will also enable Northern Michigan residents to work from home, positively transforming our economy and attracting opportunity and investment to the area.
Investments in broadband increase access and usage to amenities, digital skills, online education, and job search opportunities. It leads to higher property values, increased job and population growth, higher rates of new business formation, and lower unemployment rates.
Broadband expansion also improves health and life outcomes, offering access to remote healthcare providers, online social networks, and educational opportunities.
At a state level, the infrastructure bill provides $100 million to extend broadband coverage and provide nearly 2.5 million low-income Michigan households the opportunity to apply for funds to help afford internet access, a goal Bob Lorinser champions.
- No child should have to sit outside a fast-food restaurant to connect to wifi to do their homework.
The improvements from the Bi-partisan infrastructure plan will be the most significant single infusion into our country's infrastructure in over a decade.
This investment is desperately needed. This bill creates family-sustaining jobs, advances careers, and helps small businesses grow. It upgrades crumbling infrastructure. Jack Bergman opposed the bipartisan agreement, which will ignite the economy and put money in working families' pockets and food on the table, all without raising taxes."
The most recent report card on Michigan's Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state an overall GPA of D+. Michigan's civil engineers studied 13 infrastructure categories. Of those 13, nine infrastructure categories are in mediocre condition, and four are in poor condition.
Investment is desperately needed to create family-sustaining jobs, advance careers, and help small businesses grow. It is critical to upgrade crumbling infrastructure that will ignite the economy and put money in working families’ pockets and food on the table, all without raising taxes.
Bob Lorinser says investment in rural broadband could be a “game-changer” for the First District. We must build a robust energy grid, advance public transportation, provide access to clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands, and start to meet the broadband needs of rural Michiganders, many of whom live in the First District. We need transformative, historic bipartisan investment.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment in Michigan:
- $7.3 billion for highway repairs for Michigan
- $1 billion for environmental protection of the Great Lakes
- $563 million for bridge replacement and repairs
- $100 million to provide broadband coverage and connect at least 398,000 residents to the internet
Jack Bergman opposed a bill that would provide $65 billion in investment to improve broadband, with at least $100 million directed toward providing broadband coverage to at least 398,000 residents in Michigan.
Bob will support legislation that lowers the price of internet services, creates price transparency, and helps more low-income households access the internet.
Voting Rights
Whether or not voters cast their ballot for a Republican or Democrat, their right to vote should be protected. This is not a partisan issue. Bob Lorinser will fight voter suppression, expand voting rights, and advocate for the integrity of elections.
Three times in 2022, Jack Bergman stood against voting rights and never honored the people's will in the 2020 election.
Bob Lorinser supports:
- Automated voter registration through the DMV
- Declared Election Day a public holiday
- Allowed 15 days of early voting for federal elections
- Curtailed partisan gerrymandering
- Enforced stronger FEC campaign finance laws
- Required Super-PACs to report their donors
We must protect our elections from interference, dark money, partisan gerrymandering, and voter suppression. It also included compromised provisions clarifying state voter ID laws.
Voter suppression benefits no one. We may disagree with a voter's vote and be displeased with an election result. However, no one has a right to suppress votes or call our free and fair democratic election invalid. As we advance our union, we should ensure safe, secure, and fair elections are accessible to as many eligible voters as possible.
Additionally, Rep. Jack Bergman continues to stand behind his vote against certifying the 2020 election, referencing Antrim County's alleged discrepancies. Arizona — a state where Rep. Bergman objected to election results — conducted a GOP-led audit that confirmed the vote was accurate. Because this result was politically inconvenient for Bergman, he now calls the Big Lie a distraction.
Jack Bergman twice tried to invalidate a free and fair election. His attempts are unjustified and ill-intended.
A Republican-led / bipartisan Michigan Senate Oversight Committee found no evidence of voter fraud. No reputable evidence of significant voter or election fraud exists, as certified by all 50 states' Republican and Democrat election committees. Challenges to the validity of the election have been debunked, and many court challenges support the integrity of the 2020 election.
Here are the facts:
In 2016, our country elected Donald Trump in a fair and free election, and in 2020 we elected Joe Biden. We are a democracy and must allow the people's will — and the votes they cast — to guide us.
- As a nation, we should collectively want all eligible voters to vote. Unfortunately, on average, just over half of all eligible voters exercise this right. We must support efforts to register eligible voters and remove barriers for American citizens to exercise their rights.
- We need to recognize and promote multiple methods of casting a ballot. In-person, mail-in, and absentee ballots are all valid and secure.
- Despite the constant rhetoric from opponents of democracy, we have and will continue to have elections without widespread voter fraud. However, continued investment in safeguarding our elections against foreign influence is vital.
- Gerrymandering to support one candidate over another must end. Bob supports independent, non-partisan redistricting committees to evaluate maps and redraw them fairly and accurately. Maps should not give an unfair advantage to any party, Democratic or Republican.
- Strengthening our governmental ethics and campaign finance rules to protect democracy is necessary.
Our system is not perfect, and Bob supports improvements to our election. The House has passed two bills that would protect our democracy and the right to vote; both would bring necessary improvements and enhancements to our system:
- The For The People Act, H.R. 1, passed the House. Jack Bergman did not vote on the bill. The bill improves access, promotes integrity, and ensures the security of our elections. If Bob Lorinser were in Congress as MI01's Representative, he would have voted for this bill.
- On August 24, 2021, Jack Bergman voted against the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, H.R. 4. This bill aims to protect the right to vote and would strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It would make any voter restriction efforts more difficult for states to implement in the future. If Bob Lorinser were in Congress as MI01's Representative, he would have voted for this bill.
Jack Bergman voted against certifying a fair election. He did not vote on the For the People Act, and he voted no on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
These three positions do not reflect and represent our district, nor do they promote the will of the people. Bob believes our democracy is stronger when accessible to as many eligible voters as possible.
The 2nd Amendment & Gun Violence
Bob Lorinser supports the 2nd Amendment and recognizes the need to address gun violence as a public health issue.
The debate should not be between gun control versus gun rights. We should discuss ways to work together to prevent gun violence and preserve the 2nd Amendment.
This topic engenders strong emotions because so many Americans have been the victims of — or have lost loved ones to — gun violence. Furthermore, gun-rights advocates view firearm ownership as a fundamental American civil liberty.
Bob Lorinser supports the 2nd Amendment.
At the same time, it is crucial to recognize that gun-related deaths and violence in the US claimed nearly 21,000 lives, and suicide by guns claimed 25,000 last year. We have a problem in this country.
There is also an epidemic of mass shootings — incidents in which a shooter claims the lives of at least four victims. Denying this as an issue does not help the Nation. Nearly one-third of the world's public mass shootings occurred in the US, and 2021 saw 693 mass shooting incidents, up from 417 in 2019.
Mass shootings account for a fraction of gun-related deaths. As the numbers demonstrate, domestic violence, police shootings, gang activity, and accidental deaths make up the majority of non-self-inflicted, gun-related casualties.
Bob's support of the 2nd Amendment — and the right to bear arms — does not exempt him from supporting proven measures to end gun violence. Evaluating our current practices is vital.
- Universal Background Checks for Firearm Purchases
- Over 81% of the Nation supports universal background checks. Congress recently passed HR8, and it sat on the GOP leadership's desk without going to a vote. It should move forward.
- Research on Firearm Injury and Death
- Research is needed to understand better the causes and consequences of gun violence. Identifying, testing, and implementing strategies to reduce these events is vital.
- Safe Storage of Firearms
- Safe storage reduces the risk of unintentional or intentional injuries or deaths.
- Decrease Rapid and Extended Shooting Capacities
- A common-sense approach to reducing casualties in mass shooting situations must effectively address high-capacity magazines and firearms with features designed to increase their rapid and extended killing capacity. These weapons systems should be subject to special regulations.
- Mental Health
- Improved access to mental health care will save countless lives.
- End immunity for firearm companies
- Waiting Periods
- Evidence indicates that waiting periods reduce the rate of death by suicide.
These common-sense, bipartisan solutions are backed by science and data. Bob would defer to nonpartisan gun violence experts to provide further guidance, but he demands action.
Dr. Bob does not support unproven strategies, as suggested by Texas AG Ken Paxton:
"We can't stop bad people from doing bad things. We can potentially arm and prepare and train teachers and other administrators to respond quickly. That, in my opinion, is the best answer."
We know little, if anything, about the effectiveness of arming teachers in deterring gun violence in schools. Moreover, although we cannot legislate morality, we must work hard to stop bad people from doing bad things.
There is disagreement over the legal implications of the Constitution's 2nd Amendment and the ongoing public health crisis of gun violence. In addition, the debate centers on whether restrictions on gun manufacturing, sales, and ownership is unconstitutional and a disagreement over whether or not stricter rules would lower the occurrence of violence.
We need to research the facts — What prevents gun violence?
Democrats and Republicans have been in a stalemate over how to prevent gun violence for years. However, new research could help avoid partisan gridlock and find bipartisan solutions to preserve the 2nd Amendment and save thousands of lives.
Finding common ground on the gun debate
"We've got to get back talking, and right now, we're just throwing out solutions that one side rejects completely, and one side accepts. And all they're saying is, 'When I get the majority, I'm going to force it upon you.' That's probably not the way to pull a nation back together." — Dr. Bob Lorinser, The Daily Mining Gazette - March 2022
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This law is part of our Constitution, and it shall not be infringed. Gun-rights advocates view firearm ownership as a fundamental American civil liberty.
Gun violence like cancer has no single cure or cause. There are many types of gun violence with different risk factors and different prevention strategies:
- Suicide
- Urban gun violence primarily affecting minority young men
- Family violence
- Mass shootings
- Police/law enforcement
- Accidental shooting (children at homes with guns)
Federal gun violence research restarted after nearly 25 years of absence in 2019. Federal money for gun research essentially stopped in 1996 with the Dickey Amendment, which barred the CDC from spending money to "advocate or promote gun control."
Limited research continued at the state or local levels and other branches in the federal government, like the National Institute of Health (NIH), support moving the country forward.
We must move forward together addressing gun violence with the support of science in our decision-making. This is an interesting article for your reading. We can and will work together to address gun violence and its tragic impact on our communities.
It's time to find common ground in the gun debate and move forward, united, together.
Organized Labor
Growing up, Bob was raised in a union family. His father worked on the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. Both were members of unions. Today, as former State Department employees in the U.S. Foreign Service, Bob and his wife, Peggy, are members of the AFSA.
Amidst all the barbeques, fairs, and other celebrations on Labor Day Weekend, we need to take time to recognize the meaning of our celebrations. Through policies that protect our workers, we must continuously recognize the many contributions the labor movement has made to America's strength, prosperity, and well-being.
Unions address an unequal power structure between the employee and employer, and it is one of the most vital roles in our society. Without unions addressing a level playing field, workers, as a collective, would have essentially zero power.
Organized labor allows for negotiations to take place between employers and employees. We must provide a counterweight to corporate influence. Unions can use their 'people power' to match the employer's 'dollar power' and find reasonable solutions and positive outcomes for both parties.
Unions look for win-win results for employers and employees. With this, both will succeed.
Benefits for the employer:
- Improved economic growth and productivity
- Strengthened competitiveness
- Enhanced product or service delivery and quality
- Decreased worker turnover
- Benefits for all employees - unionized or not:
- Improved workplace health and safety
- Higher wages and salaries, and benefits
- A powerful force for equality resulting in decreased gender and racial wage gaps
The benefits to the public are clear because we are the recipients of better products, services, and better wages.
Union membership has plunged, especially in the private sector, since the 1980s. We should be worried about this since it correlates with rising economic inequality and falling wages.
Bob believes in legislation that advances the labor cause - prevailing wage, collective bargaining, community benefit agreements, worker health and safety protections, and eliminating obstacles for unions to organize.
Today and every day, Bob Lorinser will celebrate and partner with unions. He will celebrate all workers and win-win results that embody unity. Bob believes that when we work together, when we strive to improve our work environments in negotiations, contracts, and positive relationships with our employers, we contribute to mutual success, economic growth, and a better, more productive society.
Saving Social Security
Strengthening Social Security toward solvency keeps hard-earned money in the hands of people who need it most, the elderly, people with disabilities, the middle-class, and struggling rural communities.
Social Security is our Nation's insurance, a sacred promise to hard-workinghardworking Americans, and our country's number one anti-poverty program. Bob Lorinser will fight for long-term solutions to save it.
The purpose of Social Security for retirement is to provide assistance based on the need of persons over 65 years of age. The program intends to complement pensions and individual savings, not replace their entire income. The amount one receives decreases as monthly wage increases, providing higher amounts for the working poor.
Research shows that without Social Security, two-thirds of the elderly would be impoverished.
Is Social Security solvent?
Under current laws, Social Security will exhaust its trust funds by 2034, and unless Congress strengthens the program, payees will see benefits cut by 23% in just over a decade.
Let us look at our simple choices with clarity.
- Many Republicans want to reduce benefits by increasing the retirement age to 70.
- Democrats want to increase revenue to pay for it.
- Some advocate for a combination of both solutions.
What does Bob think?
- Social Security is vital.
- Before crises arise, we need a long-term solution, not short-term fixes.
- We must place problem-solving before political party divisions and listen to what Americans want.
Details worthy of consideration for changes:
- Raising the Social Security payroll tax cap to over $400,000 – and increasing the income level at which Social Security payroll taxes are reapplied – would eliminate 61% of the shortfall.
- Reducing benefits for the top 20% of high earners would decrease the shortfall by shortfall by 11%.
- Gradually raising the retirement age and the savings would depend on the age.
- Increasing the payroll tax by 0.3% would help eliminate 16% of the shortfall. Currently, employers and employees pay a tax of 6.2% of wages, and marginally raising that rate could significantly impact the program's solvency.
- Raising the minimum benefit or indexing the minimum benefit to 125% of the federal poverty line would change the minimum benefit for someone who has worked for 30 years from $951 to $1,341 but increase the shortfall by 7%.
Increasing benefits for beneficiaries over age 80 would increase the shortfall by 5% but ensure they do not revert below poverty levels.
Economists have highlighted that Social Security is an economic stimulus, and strengthening it towards solvency will help grow our economy.
Hardworking Americans deserve a fact-based discussion without rhetoric or hyperbole to determine the best route forward. Both political parties must work together to find reasonable, commonsense long-term solutions before it is too late.
Women's Healthcare
As a family physician for over 40 years, Dr. Bob Lorinser has a strong reverence for life but believes a patient's room is too small for a woman, her doctor, and the entire federal government.
Dr. Bob is a fierce proponent of choice, privacy, and individual liberty. He will support proven measures to reduce abortion but maintain it as a fundamental right for all pregnant women.
Women must have access to high-quality reproductive healthcare, and we should restore federal funding for services like Planned Parenthood. These vital services provide much-needed medical care for millions of Americans, especially those in underserved areas.
Promoting "life" should mean offering everyone a fighting chance with funding for universal childcare, healthcare, and foster and adoption programs. To Bob, promoting choice means respecting a woman's constitutional right to privacy and access to safe and legal abortion.
Bob will champion initiatives such as:
- Supporting children before and after birth
- Programs that assist working parents
- Increasing access to affordable education from Pre-3 on
- Addressing childhood poverty
- Improving and promoting adoption services and foster programs
- Universal healthcare
Dr. Bob will empower all expecting parents to help their babies succeed in life and will work to protect women's reproductive choices and privacy. We need to increase support and options for women faced with the personal and challenging decision of parenthood.
- Codifying Roe V. Wade
- Supporting reproductive services
- Family planning/contraception
- Providing access to safe and legal abortion
- Protecting a woman's right to privacy
- Proper sex education based on consent
Roe v. Wade, a decision protecting a woman's fundamental right to privacy, should again be the law of the land. As Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated, it is "a woman's right to control her destiny, to be able to make choices without a Big Brother state telling her what she can and cannot do."
Very often, religious beliefs are the foundation of anti-abortion views and should not be the basis for the laws of our country. Ultimately, the government should not be the decider on a woman's medical decisions or religious beliefs.
As a physician, Bob understands that no one anticipates or wants to be in the position to decide to have an abortion. It can be a harrowing decision for everyone involved.
If the goal is abortion prevention, making it illegal is ineffective. It only makes it dangerous. Comprehensive sex education and affordable and accessible birth control are proven to work.
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