I'm voting to reelect Congressman John Dingell because of his tireless support of the Affordable Care Act (health care reform).

Here's how health care reform benefits my Mom and Pop downtown business (Downtown Home & Garden). Our business strategy depends on stable, well-informed employees for us to compete with large national box store chains. A comprehensive health care program is the best way for us to attract and keep the good people we need.

But, our insurance costs have risen 300% in 10 years and competition won't allow us to raise prices enough to cover them. Under the Affordable Care Act Act that Congressman Dingell worked to pass last spring, our store will receive a $15,000 tax credit. That's not all the money in the world but it means a lot to us and costs the government little or nothing. 

Here's how it works. Last spring, when the tea leaves of commerce were hard to read, the tax credit gave me the confidence to hire a new full time employee. That employee is now paying taxes and no longer drawing unemployment. That means thousands of dollars going into government coffers and thousands more not coming out.  After a couple of months our new employee had the confidence to buy a $6,500 motorcycle that increased profits for and  tax revenue from the motorcycle shop that sold it. 

There's more. Another employee had been paying nearly $20,000 a year for their family health insurance. Our tax credit gave me the confidence to encourage her to switch to our policy which now saves them over $8,000 per year. That money is going right into a new roof on the house and education for the kids.

From my perspective as a life long small business owner downtown, a relatively small health care reform tax credit helped our company put tens of thousands of dollars into the economy. I see health care reform as powerful economic stimulus that really works and I support Congressman John Dingell because he has devoted a lifetime to making it a reality. I hope you will support him too.

Mark Hodesh Ann Arbor