Do you remember the myth of Compassionate Conservatism?
No? Well, here’s a reminder: tired of the argument that the right was interested in profits above people, the right came up with a response. Compassionate Conservatism the theory that they could help the poor while still allowing for conservative principles. One of the main components was the concept that the government could give “Block Grants” to the states and let the states care for the poor.
The problem here is that by giving money to the states without direction on how to pay for it, you empower the states to help (or ignore) the poor as they would. Thus empowered, the states took on whatever stance they chose to, based on the political bent of the parties in power. Some states used the grants to help the poor; others… well, not so much. Some simply squandered the money and did nothing to help the poor.
I bring this up because of the introduction of the “new” attempt to deprive millions of Americans from healthcare: The “Graham-Cassidy” bill. In the waning days of the ability to push through without review or collaboration a bill, the powers that be in the US Senate have decided to bring forward yet another “replacement” for the ACA. The most transparent indication that they don’t want to fix the problems with the ACA, but get rid of it altogether, is that the states who would do worst under Graham-Cassidy are the very states who embraced the ACA and expanded their health care coverage to the largest percentage of the poor. Like many of its predecessors, Graham-Cassidy also cuts the personal mandate. This undermines the financial requirements of providing health care and is likely to bankrupt the system – leaving millions without access at all.
I say “…likely to…” because unlike its predecessors, the leaders of the push to repeal your access to healthcare have decided to move forward with this bill without getting the bill reviewed by the CBO. Granted, the Congressional Budget Office has been wrong in the past – but an analysis of the bill is still preferable to no analysis of the bill.
The Right is always saying that they want to increase “access to health care” but introducing bills that do exactly the opposite. Unless by “access” they mean that health care will be there if only you could afford it (and we are going to do nothing to help you afford it). It is almost as it the right doesn’t care if the poor live or die.
So much for “Compassionate Conservatism.”
Wherever you are today, I hope that you will remember the wisdom I read somewhere once:
“Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”
~ Matthew 25:45 (KJV)
Don Bergquist – September 21, 2017 – Lakewood, Colorado, USA
