The American Human: What Kind of Country Takes Away Healthcare?? (Right, that would be the U.S.)

Thursday, June 29, 2017

What Kind of Country Takes Away Healthcare?? (Right, that would be the U.S.)

Through chicanery, gerrymandering, mastery of messaging (no matter how untruthful), and the corralling of white nationalism -- and a helping hand from conniving Russia -- the GOP now rules the roost. So what do they do? Wreak havoc on the government.

The Trump administration is destroying the government -- and the U.S. by extension -- with cuts and curbs and deletions all over the place. It's healthcare that's in the barrel right now.

To help the destruction along, Trump commits a classic manipulation of data. Here's his fake Twitter graphic from this morning:

Democrats purposely misstated Medicaid under new Senate bill - actually goes up. pic.twitter.com/necCt4K6UH
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2017

Trump "gets" it wrong, and Vox puts it right. Plus, if Trump is misinforming by making a drastic cut in Medicaid look like an increase, then what he says the Democrats did is also a blatant lie. Oh well, it was for Trump's base, who'll believe him to the grave. (Oops, they might get there faster under Trumpcare.)

By way of explanation about the data manipulation: If my new lease says my landlord is raising my rent $500 a month, and I pay him only $200 a month more, I can't say, "But I am increasing my rent to you!" and not expect to get evicted pretty soon.

If healthcare costs are going up by 100% over ten years -- and the population in need of help goes up 10% -- raising healthcare spending by only 30% doesn't get you there. You can't say, "But we're spending more than we used to!"

The GOP is actively seeking a way to throw people off health insurance and uses the savings for tax cuts primarily for the rich. What kind of country does that? The GOP answers, "America, does that."

Very bad answer, but true.

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My General Principles

1. Civilized societies require the rule of law.
2. Science is my preferred method for examining and understanding reality.
3. Religion is superstition.
4. An educated society is a healthy society.
5. Democratic governments are by their very nature socialist.
6. Market economies are by their very nature capitalist.
7. Markets are not (entirely) efficient or rational and thus require regulation.
8. Don’t confuse politics with public policy.
9. Civil discourse requires rational argument, even if yelling or stomping your feet or name-calling is more fun.
10. If you consider making stuff up a viable tactic, you are disallowed from civil discourse.
11. Puritanism is America’s original sin.
12. Income redistribution is good for society, hoarding is not.
13. Everybody, from time to time, needs help.

About the American Human

The American Human is written by Calvin Ross, a retired teacher who at various points in life has been a musician, woodworker, restaurateur, narrator, English teacher in Japan, novelist, technology journalist, and private tutor to Japanese children here in the U.S.

Happily residing in the wine country of Sonoma County north of San Francisco, Calvin has lived in the Philippines, the Netherlands, and the aforementioned Japan, as well as in Chicago, Colorado, Georgia, and many different towns in California, including, of all places, the Mojave Desert.

Calvin, you may note quickly, is a liberal progressive who doesn't think being called a socialist is all that bad, especially since he sort of would like living in Denmark if it weren't so cold. He blogs because he can.