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Conflicted Slippers

Conflicted Slippers

I don’t think I ever owned a pair of slippers before, but this Christmas, I requested and received these.  Nice, right?  Damn, these are comfy, cozy, and all kinds of aaah.

With the country seemingly on the verge of implosion by capitalism-run-amok, and rising uncertainties about, well, everything, the little things are feeling very important.  Small kindnesses, small comforts.  And then, three days ago, even these ridiculous looking fluffs took on another meaning.  Trump, PEOTUS, tweeted a thanks to Linda Bean for what appears to be a questionable donation, and of course, telling everyone to support LL Bean. ’cause that’s totally what the President should be doing, right? Good grief, is there no respite from this bullshit–even in the privacy of my home, in my goddamned pajamas?  No, no there isn’t.

Which brings me to my point.  This week, as promised, the GOP took their first steps towards repealing the Affordable Care Act.  Oh yeah, they also began clearing the path for future cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.   Needless to say, I and many of my friends have been freaking out.  No, this wasn’t a surprise to any of us.  This is *exactly* what the GOP and Trump said they were going to do.  That doesn’t make it any less horrific, terrifying, and downright immoral.  And it isn’t just us, this “small”  percentage (14%, last I saw) of families who have a child with medical needs.  It’s everyone who has a preexisting condition, might ever develop cancer or other catastrophic illness, might have a serious accident, use birth control, or, yanno, would like to be able (legally and financially) to make decisions for our health–even if we’re women.

It’s true, I’ve seen a few posts and comments here and there from people who voted for Trump who are surprised and unhappy.  Why yes, the ACA is the actual name for Obamacare, so you just voted to cut your own healthcare.  You’d have known this if you read full articles and didn’t rely on memes and rally soundbites as the sole source of your information.  Why yes, the Medicaid you were able to get because of Medicaid Expansion, part of the ACA.  Why yes, your young adult child is able to stay on your health insurance until the age of 26 because of the ACA.  Why yes, you were suddenly able to get health insurance you could afford despite preexisting conditions because of the ACA.  Why yes, you/your child will continue to be insured and receive life-saving treatments that can carry a sticker price of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year because of the ACA–because yes, with the old “lifetime caps,” there were many who exhausted their lifetime benefits within 5-10 years of treatment.  I would like a law that says people who voted for Trump and GOP lawmakers cannot identify as pro-life, they must identify as pro-birth, because they’re happy to watch all those babies die after they’re born.

Oh, I’m sorry, did you believe Trump and the GOP when they said they’d keep the parts you liked?  I can only quote our PEOTUS, “Lies.” That shit was magical thinking, not a binding pledge. But many comments I’ve seen and heard from those on the opposite side of the political spectrum aren’t expressing surprise or outrage.  Quite the opposite, they’re still celebrating, “the swamp is being drained.”  Yes, and as it’s drained it’s being refilled with the raw sewage of unprecedented conflicts of interest, overt greed, racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, possible treason, and plain old hatred of the less fortunate.

Most of the comments I’ve seen and heard are the ones that prompted this post.  They’re the ones that say, “relax.  Being upset doesn’t help. Wait and see, nothing has happened yet.”  Oddly enough these are the comments I’ve heard the most because I’m hearing them from both sides. It’s true, being upset doesn’t actually solve anything.  Very logical, thank you, Spock.  Guess what? Neither does burying your head in the sand.  I’m no political pundit, but I’m pretty sure that philosophy/methodology is what got us here.  You know what else?  As the parent of a child with medical needs, the wife of someone with preexisting conditions, I don’t get to step away from this or wait and see, because those medical needs are every. fucking. day. and things are indeed happening.

The ACA is certainly not perfect, and there are people who have been faced with premiums that are unsustainable long term.  Seems to me logic would say fix it, don’t set that shit on fire. Our social contract is rapidly becoming a social disease.

16 comments

  1. I can see how a greedy gov’t would try to get rid of Obamacare, but I’m gob smacked that they said it out loud and got elected anyway! Let’s hope there’s too much red tape and they can’t do it! ❤
    Diana xo

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    1. Gob smacked is exactly what it feels like. I hope they can’t, but I’m fairly certain they can and will. The disgraceful part is how many will be hurt and support it anyway, because they refuse to pay attention.

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        1. The thing is, he’s never done a thing to help anyone but himself, and he was very clear that he didn’t view the Presidency as public service. I know what you’re referring to, but have little sympathy as the party line was that he would be different if he won the nomination, then we were told he would be different if he won, now we’re told he’ll be different after inauguration day. :/ They took a chance on a long shot, but we will all pay the price, long after he’s gone.

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  2. Further to the issue of the ACA likely being repealed without a replacement is the fact that we can’t even preemptively work to get our children on Medicaid in advance. We must wait for the repeal and then begin the process, which is weeks-months long, and that is only if our individual states have funding for such programs because it will no longer be coming from the feds. This is a cluster fuck of epic proportions.

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  3. Don’t know a county were people do not complain about the government but some countries have more to complain about and right now the U S is one of those countries, many countries also have had clowns running the country Australia included so the fact that the U S looks like they will have a clown running the country is not that a shock, it is sad and scary but not a huge shock.

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  4. Sounds totally crazy that some of the people who put D. Trump in the position to become our next president are also people who need health care. In fact all of us do need health care. And most of us have pre-existing conditions if you think about it. As soon as you take medications, had an accident that left its marks, a bad blood test… Anything is archived and ready to tag you with the infamous “Danger: Person With Pre-existing Condition.”
    It is infuriating to witness our progress and see it demolished. I agree about the high premiums. The current plan wasn’t perfect, especially for samll businesses and individuals who work solo. But it was a huge step forward and I remember being so joyful when we moved forward. I really hope for enough wise senators and representatives from both parties to realize the terrible consequences this change of law would have on the American people. I don’t want to jinx it or to appear naive but it seems that a few have already expressed their concern and even opposition. So my hope is that more will resist and that the people will start to protest loud and clear. Best to you and your readers.

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    1. This is crazy, Evelyn. Of course, how many, even without genetic disorders and catastrophic illness, don’t have a preexisting condition by the time they’re 35. 45. 55. I was hopeful for a minute, when I was hearing GOP senators and reps saying they needed to slow down, but within days that was followed by them conducting those votes paving the way to hurt so, so many of us. That said, it ain’t over til it’s over, so I too, am hoping enough noise will be made to penetrate the halls of Congress, and keep us safe. Wishing you the best, always.

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  5. That sinking feeling I had when I woke up this morning? It’s still here. Alas, I ain’t dreaming. This nightmare is heading our way and I blame every single person who voted for Trump, every single person who voted against Hillary, every single person who decided not to vote at all, out of apathy or ‘conscience,’ whatever the hell that means. This country has made its bed and we’re about to lie in it, all of us.

    Something stinks in this country. People can call it what they want but I know a shitstorm shit when I see one. Can we weather it? Right now, I ain’t so sure.

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    1. It’s a damned bed of nails. I agree re blame, but I also blame the DNC, who ran the single most hated woman in America. Unfairly hated? Sure, but there you have it. Now we will all pay for the hubris of both sides.

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