This is written for the weekly newspaper column I do that some Georgia papers run. Thus the references to columns as opposed to posts.
I haven't had many columns about politics lately. I would say that it's because there are many probably tired of hearing about it, and although I respect that, I respect more that we live in a democracy where people are supposed to engage with and discuss the relevant issues of the day. No, what's making it difficult is that there are so many moving targets right now, where events are happening so fast, that it can become outdated by the time it sees print.
The events surrounding Russian influence on our election, and to what degree the Trump campaign was actively involved in that, is one of those topics. Stories are breaking every day, and by the time this sees print, many more will probably have broken. I shake my head at everything I hear, but ultimately, I'm hoping that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller will be able to come to a conclusion that helps clear things up for everyone. So, although I realize how dire it all is, I am holding my fire for now.
I want to say more about the Republican's efforts to fundamentally alter our health care system, but it's hard to be too definitive when their bill proposals change almost daily, and much of the process of formulating them is done in secret. By the time this sees print, the Senate may have passed something, or it may have all fallen irrevocably apart.
Even if the Senate passes a bill, it will have to be worked out in conference committee with the House. That may be more difficult than they're suggesting, as both bill versions will have passed with razor thin margins, and the movement away of just a handful of Republicans could scotch the whole thing.
Whatever the final shape of the bill, this central principle seemed to be hard-wired into all versions - that the taxes built into the Affordable Care Act (ACA) be eliminated, and that this be paid for by massive cuts to Medicaid. The primary goal of the bill appears not to be health care and improving availability and access, but to remove those taxes, as a preliminary to a tax reform bill to follow, that will further reduce taxes for the top income groups and corporations.
They may damage the ability to be affordably covered with pre-existing conditions (or even being able to get any coverage at all). They may endorse junk insurance plans that seem cheap, but when crunch time comes, really don't cover much of anything. If you're young and healthy, you may pay less under their proposals. If you're older and sicker, you may pay more - a lot more.
I really don't think the vast majority of people, even Republican voters, believe these are great ideas. I'm pretty sure that's not why they had problems with the ACA. Most polling shows the Republican proposals at record low support, and at the same time, finally and ironically, the ACA increasing in support.
Although there are extremists on both sides, I think the vast majority of people would like to see the two sides come together and actually strengthen and improve the system. Common sense would show that the best thing to do is to continue with the base framework of the ACA, and tweak it to correct its flaws. Some of these solutions may be conservative. Some may be progressive. But all should be pragmatic in helping make thing better.
What is centrally important to me, and to many who care about their fellow man, is that the correct number of people who lose health coverage because of any health care bill. should not be 22 million, as determined by the Congressional Budget Office scoring of one version of the bill. It should not be 18 million. It should be ZERO. We should be adding people, not subtracting.
At a minimum, we should be following the lead of Republican Governor Jon Kasich and other concerned governors throughout the country, who understand how many of their citizens will be hurt by what the national legislators are proposing. and join their efforts to strive to make things better, not worse.
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