Tag Archives: Affordable Care Act

My, O, My! How things (don’t) change

Posted on by
Reply

Returning from a week with thoughtful speakers from The Nation magazine, including Vegans Dennis and Elizabeth Kucinich, took this  guilty but yet-to-repent meat-eater back to a guest commentary that aired on Minnesota Public Radio inelizabeth_harper_kucinich 2010.

Back then, the Affordable Care Act had just become law. My, O, my, how things do change! And not always for the better, although Elizabeth still hopes it’s a matter of time before the world wakes up to the industrial agricultural devastation that contributes to climate departure. As for health care? Who knows?

Click Commentary: Processed foods making us sick to listen to MPR’s “All Things Considered” guest commentary of May 22, 2010 when we assumed believed passage of the Affordable Care Act had put the national health care issue behind us.

  • Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, Winter Solstice, December 21, 2016

 

 

 

National Health Care

Posted on by
8

health_care_reformMuch of the fuss over The Patience Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) could have been avoided by a genuine national health care system. The insurance industry is still running the show and doing very well by it. The debacle is NOT about national health care. It’s over a hybrid.

Real national health care is an expression of democracy (“government of, by, and for the people” – ALL the people), not its enemy. Built on the foundation of the old private insurance company system, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was destined from its inception to be a mess.

Do I hear a “Yes!”? A “No!”? A yawn?

ObamaCare

Posted on by
2

They want you to believe that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a sinister plot. They do not call the Act by its name. They call it “ObamaCare” after the man they love to hate, President they paint as either a secret Muslim or Socialist or Communist. We’ve seen this kind of demagoguery before. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it.

This 1954 video of Joseph Welch brought the tsunami of demagoguery, led by WI Senator Joseph McCarthy, to a screeching halt. An exasperated Welsh, Chief Counsel for the Army in the Army-Senate Hearings, finally put the question directly to McCarthy: “Have you no decency, Sir?” The same question pertains to the Right Wing ad scaring the public about a lecherous Uncle Sam (government). Views from the Edge posted that video an hour ago.

Lecherous Old Uncle Sam

Video

4

There is nothing quite like sexual brutality and fear to scare people to death.

In this TV ad a lecherous, sadistic, evil Uncle Sam substitutes himself for the doctors for a young women’s gynecological exam and a young man’s annual prostate exam. This is the definition of demagoguery. When and where will the Right Wing stop? The actual name for “Obamacare” is The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It was enacted by Congress after many compromises. Demagoguery is leading the populace, in this case the American public, by appealing to prejudices and emotions.

“Love your neighbor” NOT unconstitutional

Posted on by
6

Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center in Philadelphia sent this email regarding the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act.

The Supremes have decided:

“Love your neighbor as your self”

is NOT unconstitutional. 

Mazeltov to them and to all of us that, when push came to shove, the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court mostly reaffirmed the notion that fellow-human beings and fellow-citizens owe loving-kindness to each other.

That we owe each other food when we are hungry, a place to live when some bank takes our home away,  money to tide us over when some boss or some bank  takes away our job.  And health care when we are sick.

That notion is rooted, thanks be to God, in our ancient religious traditions.  But over and over, it’s up for grabs.

And I do mean “grabs” –-  grabs of the merely wealthy to be super-wealthy, grabs of the super-wealthy to invest hundreds of millions in campaign ads and lobbying,  to grab still more power…

Even this decision treated some neighbors as not quite worthy of the same respect and loving care as others. This one gave the states a way out of their Medicaid obligations  — to the very very poor. No surprise. If somebody’s gonna be left out, who else?

It’s also true that this Supreme Court has done some terrible damage — that ironically misnamed decision “Citizens United,” worst of all.  And yet I’m tickled that this time Chief Justice Roberts did what his appointer, President “W,”  would not have wanted. The history of Justices whose lives turn out to have a tiny taste of freedom tucked away —  it’s delicious.

So there is still more work to do.  In the New Declaration of Independence from Corporate Domination we sent yesterday in honor of July 4, we mention Medicare for All.  That’s still the fully decent answer.

But for now, take a deep breath, grab your sweethearts and dance a dance of joy.

In the Passover Seder, there is a really strange song. It says, “If we had reached the Red Sea but it had not split, Dayenu! – good enough! If we had reached Sinai but there had been no Revelation, Dayenu! – good enough!”

At one level, this makes no sense. At another, it makes EVERY sense. If we want to transform the world, then we must celebrate each step on the journey, even if it’s only half a step. We know there must be another step; the song has many verses. But if we refuse to celebrate, we will burn out before we can take another step.

Today, right now, rejoice. Tonight, tomorrow, on the FOURTH itself, begin to plan the steps we still must take.

Enjoy the fireworks. They are celebrating one small step of Independence from the Corporate King George.

And — fly the Flag of Freedom. It’s right here.

Blessings of justice and joy —  Arthur