The Intercept, a semi- independent media organization founded with money from the owner of eBay, has done an expose on the involvement of Congressman Tom Reed and debt collection. This is not the Buffalo News or any local media outlet, but an out of state organization that is investigating a local politician. I have not seen any coverage of this issue at all. There is a reference to Buffalo News investigation on his law practice. Nothi g on debt collection. I do not expect to either given the amount of money they make off of his campaign for commercials during election time.
The company that Tom Reed is accused of having a stake in is called RR Resource Recovery. This company deals with collecting on debts to medical institutions. He owns the property where the business is headquartered and makes $100,000 in rent every year from them.
What I find troubling is that from his perch in power Congressman Reed has worked to undermine attempts to regulate debt collection and helath insurance reform that would protect the constituents he is elected to serve. Attacks in the (weak) Consumer Financial Protection Bureau worked to weaken the agency so that it can not do the work it is required to do- protect Americans from abuse debt collection practices.
Furthermore, Reed opposes a single payer or Medicare for all option that would address the medical- financial crisis that his constituents face. Claiming that it would cost too much and would bloat an oversized government, we do need to remember that he did vote to increase the funding for the world's most expensive military. Where does this money come from? And in all honesty, that money only servrs to protect the profits of the military industrial complex and Wall Street. Neither really help Main Street.
Congressman Reed needs to end this charade and remove himeself either from office or remove the business from the properties he owns. (Signing the properties over to his wife is a lame way around this.) Furthermore, the money made needs to be donated to the constituents in his district that need help with their medical bills.
On top of this, we need real insurance reform. Not the lame "Affordable Care Act" that forces Americans to buy insurance from private firms but a Medicare for All reform that can be funded by lifting the tax cap on Social Security.
The fact that this story is not all over local media shows us the shame of Buffalo & NY media in their coverage of issues that matter to the people of NY.
The fact that Reed is involved in this shows that he has no concern for his constituents either.
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