Senate Death Panel: 13 Old White Men
D. S. Mitchell
It’s nice to say, “Hi,” when you pass a person in the hall, or when seated next to each other at a luncheon, but what would really be a good thing is for the Democrats and the Republicans to stop the bullshit, and hold their noses if they have to, and come together for the benefit of this country.
If it is a big piece of legislation such as the health care law, let’s take our time, let’s have some hearings, let’s find out who will feel the brunt of this new proposed bill. The looming behemoth TrumpCare legislation will effect 1/6 of the United States economy and reportedly force 24,000,000 or more people completely off of health care.
The Republicans screamed that the Dems shoved the ACA down their throats. That is an absolute lie. There were months and months of hearings, all the while President Obama and his surrogates stumped the country selling the program. So, if you don’t believe me, go back and check the records yourself. With the 24 hour news cycle, we often forget what happened just a few days ago, much less 7 years ago. In fact, I truly believe a little less conversation would have been beneficial for the ACA. There was fatigue, overwhelming fatigue, by the time it was all said and done. Hell, it wasn’t until the Republicans threatened to repeal ObamaCare that people even figured out what a great deal it was.
Now that the Republicans are in power, Mitch McConnell has picked 13 old, white, men to his own secret Death Panel. I use that term with caution. But, quite honestly, I can think of no more appropriate name. If you collapse in the street they will haul you to the hospital and they will do emergency care. Period.
I worked as an RN for thirty five years and have seen the situation pre-Obama and post-Obama, and I would not be able to work, ever again, in a system that tells people their cancer won’t be treated because they have no insurance. Or, to know that a child’s broken leg could literally be the straw that sends an uninsured family that is already financially challenged toward a spiral of bankruptcy.
President Trump hauled all the Republican House members over to the White House by bus the day they voted the AHCA (TrumpCare) out of the House and sent it to the Senate. Despite the smiles and back slapping that day, President Trump, last week called the House Bill “mean” and said he wanted to see “heart” in the new Senate Bill. If it was “mean” why was Trump celebrating its passage? Such craziness is beyond my comprehension. Have we moved into a parallel universe. No, I have decided, what we have going on is; a crazy man is running the country from a rejected TV script and no one is able to stop him.
The Republican demolition of the ACA by direct attack, strangulation, and starvation is scandalous. Forcing a working health care system into chaos is unconscionable, but the Republicans intend to destroy everything in their path on their way to awarding a handful of millionaires and billionaires a tax break. What happened to working for all the people? Not just a few people? And who decided that the richest Americans needed a tax cut that was borne on the backs of 24,000,000 Americans.
So, if the TrumpCare legislation is voted into law, Medicaid will be slashed, and we can expect to see a lot of old folks in wheelchairs parked along the road side, because they were just booted out of their nursing home beds. Trump said he didn’t want the world laughing at us, well they won’t be, they will be shedding tears over our fate.
People are frightened, and rightly so. If you voted Republican because you believed Trump’s promises “you’ll be able to keep your Medicaid, your Medicare and your Social Security” was something you could hang that MAGA hat on, I would throw that hat out with the trash.
Lastly, I guess I need to address the title of this post. I’m an old white woman, and I love old white men. The point of my title, obviously, is to highlight the fact that this country is a vibrant, diverse place. Why, when discussing health care for 340,000,000 people is there so little diversity in the panel writing the bill. I promise you, my health needs are often, not always, but often, different than those of my “old, white men” friends.
Dar
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