THE 114th CONGRESS IS OFF TO A ROCKY START

…The not so bright, Mo Brooks (R-AL)

 

If what we have seen so far is what to expect going forward, we are all in very big trouble.

 

According to the Democrats in the House, the Republicans have tried 62 times to repeal Obamacare (ACA).  But not to be out done, in the first action of the second session of the 114^th Congress, they have tried again to repeal the ACA and they also took a stab at defunding Planned Parenthood again.  Using a new legislative tool, this attempt which passed, will now go directly to President Obama’s desk where it will quickly be vetoed.

 

So, here a question for you.

 

If you were asked what you would describe as the definition of the “best health-care system in the world”, would that system include the following criteria:

 

·       Lifetime limits on the pay-outs of the insurance coverage

 

·       Bans on coverage because of your preexisting medical conditions

 

·       Discrimination against insuring women except with higher premiums

 

·       Inability to carry your health insurance from one job to another

 

·       Young adults unable to stay on their parents’ policies after age of 21.

 

It may just be my guess that your idea of the “world’s best health care coverage” would not include any of these items.

 

However, according to Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL)  “If we repeal Obamacare, the very first thing that happens is we go back to the best health-care system in the world.  We had health care six years ago, and it was the best, and that’s where I want to go as a starter.”

 

So, if Rep. Brooks were to get his way, all the criteria that I have listed above would once again be the rules-of-the-road for everybody in the US that has health care coverage.

 

All those Americans that had applied and received coverage through Obamacare, would no longer have any health coverage as the Republicans have totally dropped their “repeal & replace” mantra, and it’s now just, “Repeal the whole program”.

 

Even with Obamacare, compared to other nations that offer health care for all, America’s health care is at least twice as expensive and we pay the most of any nation for prescription drugs.  According to all the reviews, US health care is somewhere around ninth or tenth place among other industrialized nations.

 

But we must just ignore the Republican Rep. Brooks as he is well known for being rude and many times very wrong.  Brooks became best known when back in 2014 he declared that Democrats were engaged in a “war on whites”....?

 

I never did understood what he meant by that, but it wasn’t the first, nor last comment he has made that has caused a lot of us to scratch our heads.

 

As to how well the 114^th Congress is doing in other areas, it has declared the sedition and takeover of a federal wildlife facility in Oregon by armed men to be, “Civil disobedience of a peaceful takeover of an empty wildlife facility”.

 

Being a long ago protestor of the War in Vietnam, I am aware that real, “Civil disobedience is when people break laws they think are unjust and then they peacefully face the legal consequences.”  As was stated in the Washington Post: “The takeover of a federal wildlife facility in Oregon by armed men is sedition.”  In addition, not one of the 10 Republican House members criticized this armed takeover of a federal facility.

 

Even though North Korea is testing nukes and Saudi Arabia and Iran are plunging the Middle East deeper into conflict, the congressional Republicans will not be distracted from their agenda of going after Obamacare and Planned Parenthood.  Even though the majority of the American public has now agreed that they want what Obamacare offers.  Also that nationally, Planned Parenthood is favored by over 60% of all Americans.  But the Republicans in Congress will not stop their efforts against these programs.

 

Add to this, these lawmakers, that are sworn to uphold the Constitution, they applaud those who have taken up arms against the US government.

 

I guess I can now fully understand why the current Republican Congress has the lowest ever public approval rating of 9%.  Also what to expect in the future from the 114^th Congress.

 

Copyright G.Ater  2016