On Wednesday, May 3rd, Jimmy Kimmel took an emotional departure from the usual glib banter of his opening monologue to describe the surrounding his new son’s birth.
Kimmel poured his heart out about the emergency surgery, the dedicated medical staff, and most notably, the privilege he enjoyed by virtue of his position and wealth. At the end, with tears in his eyes, he said, “No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child’s life.”
On Thursday, May 4th, the same day Kimmel’s video hit YouTube, by a vote of 217-213 [autoplay warning], Republicans forced the American Health Care Act (AHCA) through the House, sight unseen and finally succeeded in repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Just because the House voted to replace the ACA with TrumpCare doesn’t mean it’s a done deal.
Bills have to go through specific steps before they become law, and those steps include reconciliation with Senate legislation. Not that it matters all that much, because chances are, the Senate version won’t be that different from the House’s draconian shift to Insurance for the Rich.
There’s a dichotomy between these two events that draws a clear line between those of us who see citizenship as an umbrella under which all of our people have the same right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or any other discriminatory feature, and the utter greed and selfishness that belongs to anyone who subscribes to God’s Will. If you read no other link in this post, read THIS: America’s Healthcare Crisis: Is There a Solution? because that’s how we got here.
I’ve had two c-sections. Forget all the other things for which I WAS excluded before I got married. Those alone could put me on the uninsurable list, if insurance companies get to write the rules without restriction or regulation as the Republicans favor. And without those surgeries, it’s safe to say that I wouldn’t be here now and neither would my kids.
With the removal of an employer mandate (which is part of the AHCA) and an impending divorce, given these measures, I will not have health insurance. I’m 53. What are the odds I’ll get sick in the next 10 years?
The Republicans have said, in clear terms and cheering that if you can’t afford the insurance you should just die and decrease the surplus population. Tell me how that is in even the remotest way ANYTHING that Jesus taught, except in desperation at the end of his life, when things got entirely out of control.
That’s where we are now. Entirely out of control.
It’s like the Republicans want to erase every shred of progress in this country since the New Deal. And that’s just what they will do if we can’t figure out how to stop them. See, Rep. Tom Cole and Rep. Mo Brooks have it all worked out for you. But that’s not all.
There’s this little gem:
GOP Bill Could Force Employees To Undergo DNA Tests Or Pay Huge Fines
You want to know what all that genetic testing is for?
Have you watched Gattaca? How about Elysium?
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu miniseries or movie)?
1984?
Where do you think these people got those ideas? Out of the clear blue? Nope.
They read the writing on the wall.
Do your homework. All these movies are available on DVD, at your library or online.
And remember that it’s not just fiction. There’s a ton of history behind the medical industry, much of which goes straight back to Germany in the bad old days. And that’s precisely where the GOP want to take us all.
This is why things are the way they are. Look at the states that chose not to take medicaid expansion. Notice anything?
Right after the Women’s March, there were questions about what the next move should be. It’s far too easy to let these rallies devolve into diluted messages.
It’s Time Network Answers the Question: “What’s Next?” Following Women’s March on Washington
There are a ton of action items. Resistbot is just one artifact.
Without movement outside of rally protest, we won’t succeed. Resistance isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. We have roughly 18 months to push these assholes out of office before they destroy OUR country. Daily, weekly, we are reminded of why things are bad now and getting worse.
Here are some ways you can help:
- We are The 65. (65 million voters, that is. The ones who would have given Hillary Clinton the election, if the popular vote was a thing in this country, that is.)
- Here are five things you can do to strengthen women’s rights.
- 5 everyday actions you can take to support gender equality
- 3 Things You Can Do to Make Women’s Equality Day Really Count
- 6 Impactful Things You Can Do Right Now To Help Women’s Rights
Let’s get cracking.