A legal reporter from one of the cable news stations (I believe he was from CNN) described yesterday's hearings on the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act as a "train wreck" for the Obama Administration. Intense questioning from the five conservative members (actually four since Clarence Thomas appartently never asks any questions) made it clear that the law was in danger of being struck down.
Today, the last day of hearings, the court expanded on the theme of invalidation of the law. Specifically, if the personal mandate were to be declared unconstitutional, would the entire law need to be declared invalid? Or could separability be invoked as it often is in commercial contracts? (A separability clause ensures that if one section of the contract is declared invalid, the remaining sections still remain in effect.) Further, would the law be viable without the individual mandate? That is, could the system of health benefit exchanges function and could the affordability of health care coverage be ensured without the individual mandate?
What's at stake? A good summary of the health care reform act can be found at the senate.gov health reform bill webpage. Among its immediate effects (2010), the law eliminated lifetime and unreasonable annual limits on benefits, prohibited the voiding of health insurance policies, provided assistance for those who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition, prohibited pre-existing condition exclusions for children, required coverage of preventive services and immunizations, and extended dependent coverage up to age 26. Other elements of the law are aimed at simplifying the purchase of health insurance, making it more affordable and assisting those who cannot afford it. The act would add between 30 and 40 million people to the ranks of the insured.
So there is a lot at stake. (Or in the memorable words of Joe Biden "This is a big f***ing deal".) Make no mistake about it - mortality is affected adversely by poverty and other social factors The inability to get health care costs lives. Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health analyzed 47 studies published between 1980 and 2007. These studies provided estimates of the relationship between social factors and adult all-cause mortality. The researchers' meta-analysis produced some stunning results: "The investigators found that approximately 245,000 deaths in the United States in the year 2000 were attributable to low levels of education, 176,000 to racial segregation, 162,000 to low social support, 133,000 to individual-level poverty, 119,000 to income inequality, and 39,000 to area-level poverty.
Overall, 4.5% of U.S. deaths were found to be attributable to poverty..."
There is probably no other action more immediately helpful to the lives of those living in poverty than to provide them with adequate health care. This makes the poll results reported today on Yahoo's Daily Ticker, disturbing: "A new poll by CNN/ORC International finds that the majority of Americans do not want the high court to completely overturn the current law. Nearly 25% of Americans want the Supreme Court to leave the bill untouched; 43% of respondents believe some parts should be overturned and 30% want the bill completely overturned." (Emphasis added,)
Who are these 30% that would deny people the ability to access adequate medical care? Are they ignorant of the effects of poor medical care? Are they driven by a free-market ideology that clearly has failed in the delivery of health care to those living in poverty? Whoever they are, let's hope that SCOTUS ignores them and does what is right for the American people - uphold the law as passed by Congress. If the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act is struck down or if it is made inviable, it will be another generation before we will have the opportunity to address this most important issue again.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Hate and Other Groups
Lost amidst the political news of the past couple of weeks - the never-ending Republican primaries, Rush Limbaugh's loss of advertisers, the Republicans ridiculous and fact-free blame game on rising gas prices, the contradictory general election polling numbers that reverse direction weekly - was a sobering report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Per their website, the SPLC "monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the United States and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media and the public."
The number of active hate groups identified by SPLC in 2011 rose slightly to 1018, continuing a decade-long trend. But what was really eye-catching was what the SPLC called the "stunning" incease in the number of so-called "Patriot" and militia-type anti-government groups. Since the wrath of these groups is directed towards the government and not towards an ethnic, racial, religious or other minority group, SPLC does not list these as hate groups per se but gives them a separate category. Now here's the math: in 2008 there were 149 of these groups; in 2011 there were 1274. Hmm, I wonder what caused the rise in these groups...well, they may or may not be haters but they sure don't like somebody.
I wonder if the motorcycle rider that I encountered on the highway just after Obama's election became a member of one of these groups. I was driving home from work when a leather-jacketed, bearded, sunglassed rider raced up to the side of my car. He apparently noticed my "Obama '08" bumper sticker. At first I thought he wanted to share the moment of hope that all the rest of the world was feeling with the ouster of the Republicans and with the end of the era of "W" and the neocons. I gave him a thumbs up when he pointed at my car. But then he started gesticulating, waving his fist, screaming something - all at 65 mph on a motorcycle. He was positively nuts - whether with anger or hate I don't know. Fortunately, he didn't lose control of his bike and when he realized I wasn't going to continue our "discussion", he roared off towards the setting sun.
And maybe that setting sun is an apt anlaogy for what is happening demographically in this country. The time of total white male ascendancy is over. That is a frightening thought to many. Sure there are desperate attempts to retain power - witness the organized attack on voting rights, to exclude immigrants from the American dream - witness the draconian anti-immigrant laws, and to deny that the US can possibly have a President who is not white - witness the "birthers". But the trend towards an increasingly diverse American society is clear and inevitable.
The sad part about the SPLC report is that we don't have to be so divisive and fearful. We don't have to sink into the "us vs. them" sewer that's been a prime cause of humanity's problems for millenia. I obviously wasn't there but I get the impression that during the Depression, people pulled for one another and understood that they were all in it together. Maybe we can get back to that spirit of common humanity and decency in the midst of difficult times.
Here's a link to Obama's speech on election night 2008. Like I said it was a time of hope. Listen to the first 5 minutes or so of the speech and ask yourself "what did this guy ever do to engender such rabid opposition?" I'll close with two excerpts from the speech..
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."
"It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day."
We should all be able to live with these sentiments.
The number of active hate groups identified by SPLC in 2011 rose slightly to 1018, continuing a decade-long trend. But what was really eye-catching was what the SPLC called the "stunning" incease in the number of so-called "Patriot" and militia-type anti-government groups. Since the wrath of these groups is directed towards the government and not towards an ethnic, racial, religious or other minority group, SPLC does not list these as hate groups per se but gives them a separate category. Now here's the math: in 2008 there were 149 of these groups; in 2011 there were 1274. Hmm, I wonder what caused the rise in these groups...well, they may or may not be haters but they sure don't like somebody.
I wonder if the motorcycle rider that I encountered on the highway just after Obama's election became a member of one of these groups. I was driving home from work when a leather-jacketed, bearded, sunglassed rider raced up to the side of my car. He apparently noticed my "Obama '08" bumper sticker. At first I thought he wanted to share the moment of hope that all the rest of the world was feeling with the ouster of the Republicans and with the end of the era of "W" and the neocons. I gave him a thumbs up when he pointed at my car. But then he started gesticulating, waving his fist, screaming something - all at 65 mph on a motorcycle. He was positively nuts - whether with anger or hate I don't know. Fortunately, he didn't lose control of his bike and when he realized I wasn't going to continue our "discussion", he roared off towards the setting sun.
And maybe that setting sun is an apt anlaogy for what is happening demographically in this country. The time of total white male ascendancy is over. That is a frightening thought to many. Sure there are desperate attempts to retain power - witness the organized attack on voting rights, to exclude immigrants from the American dream - witness the draconian anti-immigrant laws, and to deny that the US can possibly have a President who is not white - witness the "birthers". But the trend towards an increasingly diverse American society is clear and inevitable.
The sad part about the SPLC report is that we don't have to be so divisive and fearful. We don't have to sink into the "us vs. them" sewer that's been a prime cause of humanity's problems for millenia. I obviously wasn't there but I get the impression that during the Depression, people pulled for one another and understood that they were all in it together. Maybe we can get back to that spirit of common humanity and decency in the midst of difficult times.
Here's a link to Obama's speech on election night 2008. Like I said it was a time of hope. Listen to the first 5 minutes or so of the speech and ask yourself "what did this guy ever do to engender such rabid opposition?" I'll close with two excerpts from the speech..
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."
"It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day."
We should all be able to live with these sentiments.
Devils and Dust
Events over the past several weeks have added to the already overwhelming case for an immediate pullout of US troops from Afghanistan. The unfortunate burning of copies of the Koran and the recent rampage by a US soldier that left 16 civilians dead, including 9 children, make it imperative that our soldiers leave now. Occupation does nothing to win the population over - at this point, foreign troops are considered invaders. Occupation sets the stage for atrocities. Bruce Springsteen's "Devils and Dust" is a powerful statement of the impossible situation that soldiers are put in during all wars and especially during occupations.
It is time to bring this tragic mistake to an end and to stop the loss of life on both sides. Al-qaeda has long been uprooted from Afghanistan. Even if you buy the argument that this justified the US invasion (and I don't buy it - terrorism is stopped by detection and police action not by war and invasion), the time has come to let the Afghans rule their country and settle their differences without our interference. The Taliban have just exited from peace talks with the US. Karzai has asked the US to confine themselves to bases, stop night raids, and ban private security companies. Karzai's requests make sense and should be immediately agreed to in anticipation of a greatly accelerated withdrawal of troops.
The following web address will take you to the New Security Action petition to end the Afghanistan War:
http://newsecurityaction.org/page/s/enough-is-enough
It is time to bring this tragic mistake to an end and to stop the loss of life on both sides. Al-qaeda has long been uprooted from Afghanistan. Even if you buy the argument that this justified the US invasion (and I don't buy it - terrorism is stopped by detection and police action not by war and invasion), the time has come to let the Afghans rule their country and settle their differences without our interference. The Taliban have just exited from peace talks with the US. Karzai has asked the US to confine themselves to bases, stop night raids, and ban private security companies. Karzai's requests make sense and should be immediately agreed to in anticipation of a greatly accelerated withdrawal of troops.
The following web address will take you to the New Security Action petition to end the Afghanistan War:
http://newsecurityaction.org/page/s/enough-is-enough
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Other America
 |
| Michael Harrington (Wikipedia) |
He exposes the side of America that many Americans were unaware of - the poverty of the rural poor and that of the inner cities. The Other America states that there exists a culture of poverty that prevents those caught in its grip from being able to rise above their state. Harrington's analysis also shows that the poor are poor not because of any personal failure of their own but rather because this is what the general society produced. The programs instituted in 60's and 70's have helped significantly but poverty and hunger are still factors of life for tens of millions of Americans.
The Great Recession, the result of several decades of supply side economics and deregulation, has thrown millions of Americans into poverty. As of September 2011, there were 46.2 million poor - the greatest number in the 52 years these statistics have been kept.
The right have a tough time distinguishing cause from effect. To hear the arguments popular on the right, it is as though the victims of the culture of poverty are actually the perpetrators. Protect the wealth of the richest and attack those who would help those who need it most (e.g., "the food stamp President"). Insist on returning to the policies that led us into the current mess and ignore the Keynesian fiscal policies that kept us out of serious depression for many decades. Focus on the deficit when the real issue right now is jobs.
Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from those that will benefit most and egged-on by the "fear and loathing" of the right wing media echo-chamber, these extremists have hijacked the national conversation . The "Third Way" politics of the center has been an inadequate response to the challenge posed by the radical right and their wealthy corporate backers.
Michael Harrington died in 1989. Since then there have been precious few progressive voices that challenge the conventional wisdom of the center and precious few centrists that challenge the lunacy of the right. And, after yesterday's primaries, there is one less progressive voice on the national stage. Dennis Kucinich was gerrymandered out of his district by Ohio's Republican-held legislature. He ran against a long term Democratic incumbent in another district and lost. I am truly sorry to see him leave Congress. Dennis will be missed - especially in the midst of the Iran debate as we hear the war hawks spitting out their timeless stupidities and as we slowly drift towards what would be another terrible and disastrous war in the Middle East.
Links:
The Lost Decade (NYT)
The Poverty of An Idea (Isserman, NYT)
Rereading Michael Harrington's The Other America (Dissent, 2002)
Note: An earlier version of this post sent you to an out of date website for the Michael Harrington Center for Democratic Values and Social Change.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Alternate Reality Show
Super Tuesday in this election cycle is a lot less super than in previous years. By the time the March 6 votes are counted, only about a third of the delegates to the Republican nominating convention will have been determined. That unfortunately means that we will have to endure several more months of the Republican alternate reality show that their Presidential primary has become. We'll have to listen to more misinformation about Obama and his policies, more attacks against him, and more pandering to the right wing nutters that have taken over the party. The only good thing is that their backers will be pouring a lot more money into the remaining primaries and theoretically that should take something away from what they have to spend on the general election. I say theoretically because Citizens United has unleashed a huge amount of corporate and SuperPac cash.
Of the various egregious comments made by the contenders (and former and wannabe contenders), perhaps the two most absurd were by Rick Santorum. The first was at a Tea Party rally in Columbus Ohio. Santorum said the “president’s agenda” is “not about you. It’s not about you. It’s not about your quality of life. It’s not about your job...It’s about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology, but no less a theology.” Obama deputy press secretary Ben LaBolt rightly referred to the comments as the “latest low in a Republican primary campaign that has been fueled by distortions, ugliness, searing pessimism and negativity."
If Rick Santorum would read his Bible more carefully, he'd see that concern for the poor is present in both the Old and New Testament. The Reverend Jim Wallis tells a story about some theology students who snipped out all sections of the Bible that dealt with the poor and social justice. The result looked like a large pile of thinly-sliced Swiss cheese. Health care, living wages, the environment, and eradication of poverty are religious as well as political issues. I'm not sure Santorum would get the same result if he cut out the passages dealing with contraception.
The next came when he criticized Obama's apology for the burning of the Quran at the American base north of Kabul, saying that it "showed weakness." Santorum evidently thought that since the burning may not have been deliberate, no apology was necessary. Oh, and when you accidentally destroy something of value, you have no need to apologize? Santorum has a profound insensitivity and misunderstanding of the impact of these actions. But then again. former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey had then Senator Santorum pegged when Santorum first came to the Senate. "Santorum, that's Latin for asshole," Kerrey quipped.
In both instances, Santorum's comments played to the Tea Party wing whose members show up in force in the Republican primaries. This small fraction being almost uniformly old and white, they are not in any way indicative of the general population of the United States. Timothy Egan said it well in a February 16 New York Times Op-Ed piece. "...we know an election of great significance is happening on the Republican side. But it’s occurring in a different place, guided by talk-radio extremists and religious zealots, with only a vague resemblance to the states where it has taken place. From this small world have emerged a host of nutty, retrograde positions, unpopular with the vast American majority." Amen.
Of the various egregious comments made by the contenders (and former and wannabe contenders), perhaps the two most absurd were by Rick Santorum. The first was at a Tea Party rally in Columbus Ohio. Santorum said the “president’s agenda” is “not about you. It’s not about you. It’s not about your quality of life. It’s not about your job...It’s about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology, but no less a theology.” Obama deputy press secretary Ben LaBolt rightly referred to the comments as the “latest low in a Republican primary campaign that has been fueled by distortions, ugliness, searing pessimism and negativity."
If Rick Santorum would read his Bible more carefully, he'd see that concern for the poor is present in both the Old and New Testament. The Reverend Jim Wallis tells a story about some theology students who snipped out all sections of the Bible that dealt with the poor and social justice. The result looked like a large pile of thinly-sliced Swiss cheese. Health care, living wages, the environment, and eradication of poverty are religious as well as political issues. I'm not sure Santorum would get the same result if he cut out the passages dealing with contraception.
The next came when he criticized Obama's apology for the burning of the Quran at the American base north of Kabul, saying that it "showed weakness." Santorum evidently thought that since the burning may not have been deliberate, no apology was necessary. Oh, and when you accidentally destroy something of value, you have no need to apologize? Santorum has a profound insensitivity and misunderstanding of the impact of these actions. But then again. former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey had then Senator Santorum pegged when Santorum first came to the Senate. "Santorum, that's Latin for asshole," Kerrey quipped.
In both instances, Santorum's comments played to the Tea Party wing whose members show up in force in the Republican primaries. This small fraction being almost uniformly old and white, they are not in any way indicative of the general population of the United States. Timothy Egan said it well in a February 16 New York Times Op-Ed piece. "...we know an election of great significance is happening on the Republican side. But it’s occurring in a different place, guided by talk-radio extremists and religious zealots, with only a vague resemblance to the states where it has taken place. From this small world have emerged a host of nutty, retrograde positions, unpopular with the vast American majority." Amen.
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