During a recent U.S. Senate hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders posed questions to Budget Director Mick Mulvaney about the Republican plans to replace the Affordable Care Act (labeled Obamacare by Republicans to discredit it) with some plan. The House has passed a plan; now the Senate is considering its plan which has not been revealed. Sanders’ questions were about the details in the House plan which was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
“I want you to answer one question, and I want you to tell the American people why you think it is a good idea to give three trillion dollars in tax breaks to the top one percent, at a time when the rich are becoming richer?
While at the same time you are going to throw seventeen million children in this country off of health insurance because of the unconscionable cuts you are making to Medicaid?
While you are going to throw seniors in the state of Wyoming or the state of Vermont off the Meals on Wheels program – maybe the one nutritious meal they get a day?
While you are going to throw women and low-income babies off of the WIC program, at a time when infant mortality rates in this country are already high:
You really think it’s a great idea to tell a low-income pregnant woman that you’re going to take away the WIC program, take away nutrition programs from children, in order to give a massive tax break – a fifty-two billion dollars to the Walton family?
Please explain your logic to the American people.”
The Gazette usually has opinions about local topics, but the current drive to replace the Affordable Care Act is local. There are many seniors in Wake Forest and nearby who rely on Meals on Wheels. There certainly are many children and adults who rely on their health care through Medicaid. Medicaid pays for the care and delivery of over half the babies born in North Carolina.
Both North Carolina senators, Senator Richard Burr (1-202-224-3154) and Senator Thom Tillis ((1-202-224-6342), have said they want to replace the Affordable Care Act. Since they have not held open public meetings to hear from ordinary people, the only way to tell them how Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act have helped in your lives. Call them.
Ask them another question. Why in the richest country in the world do we have to rely on volunteers to make sure children and teens have regular meals during the summer months? There are federal funds but they go unused except when counties or individuals provide the services needed to turn the funds into meals in a community
5 Responses
Thank you for bringing up these topics for us to think about. I hope more will respond with their thoughts. We need to understand each others’ situations.
I have a couple questions of my own.
At what point did Americans come to the conclusion that the government should be responsible for our health care?
What if there were no such entities as insurance companies?
How’s the VA (government run health care) doing for our brave veterans?
How are the economies of those countries that offer “free” health care doing?
What gives the federal government the right to ignore our immigration laws and confiscate my hard earned money, then hand it over to those in this country illegally (via a constant growing number of “social programs”) for the purpose of buying votes?
Why is the Affordable Care Act forcing me to subsidize recreational sex and abortions?
How much more money would Americans have to donate to worthy causes of OUR choice (such as WIC, Meals on Wheels, etc) if the federal government wasn’t confiscating so much it to pay for THEIR chosen causes?
Why does a rich man like Bernie Sanders get to lecture me on how MY money should be spent?
Bernie: How much of YOUR money have you donated to the causes you claim to be stumping for?
John S – Amen brother! What ever happened to our right to “life, liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness”? Now, it seems in this nanny state, that some people have a “right” to take away from the fruits of your labor and give to someone where it is very apparent that they are pursuing nothing more than a government check. What every happened to personal responsibility, self-worth, and self-respect? Bernie never really had a job, except for the one he had doling out welfare. It is reported that he tried carpentry but it was too much for him!
Is is also fair to consider the 10’s of millions of Americans who do pay for insurance, can not afford the deductibles, and can not afford the co-pays, and have their diagnostic procedure codes be non covered and they go without health care. Those people are equally as important, they do include children, and to ignore their health is wrong. The ACA was what caused them to go without health care, not without health insurance but without the larger evil – no health care.
Thank you for these informed, thoughtful, and compassionate words. Peace.