When a Presidential election year becomes focused in an individual, who is thoroughly evil to the core, it’s far too easy to lose sight of the fact that Trump is nothing more than a an unfiltered reflection of Republican policies and values. In reality, there are Republicans at every level of government who are just as cruel, making every red state an open wound in need of repair. Fortunately, we have Paul Krugman to point out such things.
Something terrible has happened to pregnant women in Texas: their mortality rate has doubled in recent years, and is now comparable to rates in places like Russia or Ukraine. Although researchers into this disaster are careful to say that it can’t be attributed to any one cause, the death surge does coincide with the state’s defunding of Planned Parenthood, which led to the closing of many clinics. And all of this should be seen against the general background of Texas policy, which is extremely hostile toward anything that helps low-income residents.
There’s an important civics lesson here. While many people are focused on national politics, with reason — one sociopath in the White House can ruin your whole day — many crucial decisions are taken at the state and local levels. If the people we elect to these offices are irresponsible, cruel, or both, they can do a lot of damage.
This is especially true when it comes to health care. Even before the Affordable Care Act went into effect, there was wide variation in state policies, especially toward the poor and near-poor. Medicaid has always been a joint federal-state program, in which states have considerable leeway about whom to cover. States with consistently conservative governments generally offered benefits to as few people as the law allowed, sometimes only to adults with children in truly dire poverty. States with more liberal governments extended benefits much more widely. These policy differences were one main reason for a huge divergence in the percentage of the population without insurance, with Texas consistently coming in first in that dismal ranking.
And the gaps have only grown wider since Obamacare went into effect, for two reasons. First, the Supreme Court made the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid, a crucial part of the reform, optional at the state level. This should be a no-brainer: If Washington is willing to provide health insurance to many of your state’s residents — and in so doing pump dollars into your state’s economy — why wouldn’t you say yes? But 19 states, Texas among them, are still refusing free money, denying health care to millions.
Beyond this is the question of whether states are trying to make health reform succeed. California — where Democrats are firmly in control, thanks to the GOP’s alienation of minority voters — shows how it’s supposed to work: The state established its own health exchange, carefully promoting and regulating competition, and engaged in outreach to inform the public and encourage enrollment. The result has been dramatic success in holding down costs and reducing the number of uninsured… [emphasis added]
From <NY Times>
I’ve been using the joke, "Please don’t Californicate Oregon!" for around thirty five years. That needs to be updated: "Please Californicate Texas!!!"
Every Republican in office is
one Republican too many!
15 Responses to “Goal: 50 Blue States”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I can imagine the rate of women dying in Oklahoma has risen the same way as Texas, sadly. They say "as Texas goes, so goes OK". That is one of the sadest statements that could be made right now.
Thanks for the post, TC. This is one that is sad beyond words.
Such a sad, sad state of affairs!
I'm all for Blue!! and by ALL means, "Please Californicate Texas!!!"
Thanks, Tom.
"If Washington is willing to provide health insurance to many of your state’s residents — and in so doing pump dollars into your state’s economy — why wouldn’t you say yes?" At risk of counding like a broken record (remember those?), if you believe that poverty is the result of personal failures and that the only way to get people out of poverty is to PUNISH them unti they SHAPE UP, then of course you would not accept those Federal funds. Doing so would hurt the poor, because they would remove one incentive for the poor to SHAPE UP. It would also be shameless stealing from the VIRTUOUS WEALTHY, since those dollars are largely made up of their tax dollars. Now that I have explained it, however, I am at a loss to know how to get it corrected. It's pretty ingrained.
I also would like to point out, really more for Care2 than PP, that this is not an issue of corruption. It kind of remonds me of Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence. Tuppence once said to Tommy, "I always did think I'd rather marry a liar than a fool." When he said he didn;t see why it has to be one or the other, she just looked at him pityingly. But if in politics it comes down to, would you rather elect a liar who is smart enough to write good policy, or a fool who is so wrong about what works that he/she undermines the country (state/ county, municipality) at every turn (and who might also be a liar – nothing says one can't be both – well, I know where my vote will go.
JD, that is the Republican mantra, if you are poor it is your fault. I still don't understand why so many agree.
I agree. It's a matter of fascist ideology. Wanting to convert Medicaid to a block grant, which they can then spend on the rich is a matter of corruption.
Kentucky was one state that joined and formed a great service to its citizens under Gov. Steve Beshear. Then, Kentuckians went crazy and elected a Republican, Matt Bevins, whose first act was to dismantle kyconnect. He inserted a clause that all who receive Medicaid must either work or volunteer somewhere to qualify. Makes no matter that many are not able to work and the lack of jobs is the reason so many are on Medicaid. It is costing the state millions of dollars to exit the program, but he insists those dollars will be made up by all he saves by cutting programs. He has also dismantled most of the boards that oversee costs for these entities and appointed his cronies to those boards. Please make Ky at least purple again! The loss of coal jobs has made it much easier to make people here vote Republican because they are saying what people want to hear. The fact that they have never and will never do anyting for this state goes unnoticed. Witness, McConnell and Paul, who only notice us when they are campaigning for reelection.
Hillary has a plan to help disposessed coal miners, but they won't believe it.
I know she gave a speech about that and said there "are going to be a lot of coal miners who lose their jobs" and that is the one line the Republicans keep repeating over and over in their commercials.
The midterm elections didn't bring things around in red states, and may in fact worsened the political situation in general when so many Democrats never got to the voting booths. Since then the situation for the poor and disenfranchised have only gotten worse in many states. However, with the bankruptcy of the GOP culminating in the nomination of the worst candidate in history, this may lead to people looking to the situation in their own states too and seeing the candidates and their own power to change the outcome in a new light. Many people who had no medical insurance before, have now experienced having one through the ACA, but even more people have seen others receive it, but have theirs rejected by their state governments who see them as disposable, not worthy of receiving aid unless they drag themselves out of their misery by the hair in some miraculous way.
Bernie Sanders has awakened many people to the unfairness in the way their state governments treat them and, strangely enough, Drumpfs blatant disdain for anyone but white middle class males may not only drive people to the voting booths to vote against him and prevent him from becoming the next president, but also to vote against the Republicans in their own states who are out to perpetuate their dire circumstances. Let's hope that this one (and the only one) Drumpfian effect is one we can thank him for later 😈
The lazieness of US voters in midterms is a national shame.
VOTE BLUE ALL DOWN THE TICKET!!!
This is the only way to put "We the People" up front, especially with things like medicare/medicaid, social security etc.
Amen Squatch!
I saw that recently, and forwarded it to family living in Texas. Sadly, from Maine to Florida, and too many places in between, your point is spot on. All to often, people who are driven by greed, selfishness, and the like, are also driven to politics. And, by dint of their rapaciousness, rise to positions of power. As Governors go, New Jersey's own Pignoccio, is one example, with Brownback, Scott, and others in the crowd, as well.
PIGnocchio is a national disaster!
Thanks all! Hugs!!