Call to Action

Let’s see what is transpiring. Not all set as yet, but the movement is underway and intentional:

• Healthcare legislation is set to remove Affordable Care Act features and access
• Uninsured citizens will once again soar; estimates are 20 million and possibly much more
• Poor, elderly and those with pre-existing conditions will lose healthcare coverage
• Remaining coverage will have higher premiums, reversing the decline and then stability of recent years
• Cost savings to the federal government have not yet been estimated; indeed, it is thought the costs might skyrocket; and all for less coverage!
• Insurance companies once again come out ahead
• Death panels feared by republicans prior to the Obama presidency will be back but in the form of both republican congresspersons and insurance claims administrators

And this is just on the health side of things!

Other items to consider:

• Freedom of religion executive order gives rights to churches to teach their political ideology and urge congregations to vote for specific candidates up for election and for referenda and other measures appearing before voters
• Religions now have complete freedom to act as they wish among their own; and even proselytize among non members; but with more freedom they have the right to lobby for legislation to enforce their religious beliefs on everyone else in the name of not restricting them in their own beliefs
• Access to education is lessened by reduction of scholarships and lower aid to educational institutions thus making them all more expensive
• Tariffs on foreign goods will raise the price on all goods in the marketplace, thus beating down free trade opportunities
• Tariffs will help preserve current domestic manufacturers and employers but those industries are already dying so their demise is just a matter of time; the tariffs will have been used for what, then?
• Without Planned Parenthood healthcare for women – especially those with lower incomes – will be restricted; unwanted pregnancies will once again rise and overload existing social services
• Women continue to lose freedom over managing their own bodies so that others gain freedom of their religious beliefs; this is the new face of freedom!
• National Institutes of Health have funding cut so research in disease and breakthrough medical treatments is reduced, even stopped in key research areas
• Pharmaceutical industry has all trade and regulatory restrictions removed; they now can charge whatever they want and can sell anywhere they want for any price they can get; all while not having oversight protections for the rest of us 

These are only the surface items so far ‘gained’ by the trump administration. All of these things benefit his supporters – remember the disenfranchised middle class suffering from slights in the past? – in what ways?  Seems they are among the worst affected by the new regime. Their prices will be higher; their jobs will disappear just the same; their educational preparation for adjusting to change will be made more difficult to find; etc. Remind me why they supported trump? Seems to me they will be the biggest losers.

Power and politics. Ideology and ‘free enterprise system’.

Unrestricted free enterprise in America has a long history. It didn’t work then. Corporations took advantage of customers back then; ethics and values were not used; only profit motives were served. Greed and danger to the public good was in full force. We learned our lessons. Regulations were written to bring order and justice to the marketplace. Standards of living rose but corporate profits declined.

All in all reasonable results came into being. Now the rush is on to undo all of that. In 1999 the Glass Steagall Act was rescinded; the great recession in 2007-08 was a direct result of that action.

What other horrors lay before us with the antics of this Congress and this president?

One trembles at the prospects. These are unintended consequences brought to you by people who simply do not understand the nature and role of public policy.

Fools all. It will take at least one generation to recover from this nonsense if global warming doesn’t get us first.

Thanks trump supporters. You now have what you said you wanted. But are you sure what that is? Exactly?

Seems to me all opposing views now have a need to take action to preserve and protect the United States of America. Who out there is up to this job? Who wishes to lead it? Who among us will support this Call to Action?

May 12, 2017