In the past week, someone accessed a blog I wrote from 2010. As is my custom now, if it was written before 2020, I open it to verify that it has been updated to a larger font. This particular one needed that process.
While reviewing it, I was impressed with what I wrote, so much so that I decided to copy and paste it in its entirety, rather than provide a link. Here it is. Again, this post is from 2010, two years into Obama's first term.
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As
I have said many times before, I read the Philadelphia Inquirer with special
concentration on the commentary/opinion section. One opinion columnist
that I respect and admire is Trudy Rubin. She demonstrates a strong
understanding of our efforts and policies in the Middle East and,
generally, maintains equanimity in her evaluation of the administration
in charge, regardless of political party. The following is an email
which I sent to her today.
Ms. Rubin,
While I agree
with you that the anti-Muslim rhetoric is dangerous, I think we need to
blame liberals as much as conservatives for the escalation, or more
precisely, liberal politicians who are more concerned about winning an
election than they are about stating the truth.
It is easy for
you and I to write/blog that the current anti-Muslim trend runs contrary
to our respect for individuals rights (freedom of religion) and the
constitution (separation of church and state). But rather than taking a
strong stand with facts and clear cut points of reason and fairness,
many Democrats are straddling the line for fear of losing their seats in
November. Even the President has waffled in his public statements on
the issue.
The truly sad part is that this current
blame-the-Muslims-for-everything is just another version of the
blame-the-gays from the 80's which resulted in the anti-gay marriage movement or the
blame-public-employees trend which pits everyday working Americans
against their neighbors (who make about the same amount of money).
When
an economy is struggling, it is easy to gain a following if you can
find a scapegoat, so all of these dramas exist to distract Americans
from the real source of our problems. The fact that our deficit is
growing due to the Bush tax cuts that reduced our national income, the
unfunded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the shift of income from the
middle class to the very rich and the aging of our nation is ignored
because that would require us to face the hard truths about capitalism's
problems, the militaristic streak of our politics and the notion that
we have a divine right to an ever increasing standard of living.
You
mentioned President Reagan in today's column. He is considered the
saint of conservative politics yet everyone forgets that his approval
ratings in his first term were even lower than President Obama's are now
and that he doubled the national debt during his eight years in office.
However, he slayed the communist dragon so today's
conservatives/republicans have taken a page from his playbook, replacing
the evil Soviet empire with today's bogeymen. It is clear that they
will not only not work with President Obama but will do everything in
their power to see him fail. And the Democrats, rather than standing up
to them are caving because, unfortunately, they are really not that much
better as they too are more concerned about staying in power than they
are about governing.
Finally, the real fault lies with the
American voter. And again, you won't hear many politicians or pundits
blaming us. We cheer speeches that anoint us as the greatest nation in
history then disprove that point by denying our fellow citizens the
basic need for access to adequate health care and by encouraging
legislation that defines marriage in a way that prevents some of our
population from enjoying the emotional and economic fruits of this
institution. We have such compelling issues to address and the best form
of democracy in which to address them, yet we are lucky to see 30%
turnout at primaries and get all excited if we reach 60% for November
elections.
Anyway, this turned out to be longer than I expected.
If you are interested, I have included a link to my blog of 9/12 and
perhaps I will use this email to you for today's blog (I hope that is
not a problem for you).
Thanks for whatever feedback you might provide,
http://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2010/09/testing-strength-of-our-freedom.html
Regards and respect,
Joe Pugnetti
---
A few points here.
First, as I have mentioned a few times, I not only don't see much progress since I penned that post, but regression.
Let's look at some specifics.
I mention that the blame-the-Muslims rhetoric of the time was just another version of blame-the-gays from the 80's; correspondingly we now have blame-the-illegals. No real basis in reality, just another boogeyman to hold in front of the cameras, or in the social media world of clickbait, both as red meat for a political base as well as an excuse not to look in the mirror for the real culprit behind America's present downward spiral; the electorate.
This is not to say that my favorite boogeyman, the ultra rich, whom I believe are most responsible for the decline of the standard of living, or more precisely stated, the purchasing power for the middle class, are off the hook. No, they are the ones controlling so much of the narrative via the ownership of all the large media companies, not to mention the favors they are granted due to their deep pockets during the election cycle.
Still, I blame us, the voters, for falling for so much baloney. For believing that poor people are the problem, that environmental regulations aren't necessary and that climate change is not real, that livable wages are somehow bad for business, that CEO's must be paid hundreds, even thousands of times the salaries of those who work for them, just to name a few.
But mostly, for convincing ourselves that politicians are the problem, even though we elected them, then pretending that we want accountability from them even though we don't demand it from ourselves.
How else do you explain electing a convicted felon with a history of massive exaggerations, if not outright lies (they are eating the cats and dogs!), a man who spews gibberish and word salad statements, IN ALL CAPS, daily on his social media account, a man who was convicted of sexual assault, openly bragged about grabbing young women's genitalia, cheated on all three of his wives, yet is the darling of the religious right.
But it runs deeper than that.
Look at the current kerfuffle on display in Washington over the government shutdown.
On one side is the Dems who have finally decided to draw a line in the sand, after being the all-talk but no action party since January.
Now, certainly I give them credit for trying to hold the line at what may very well be a 30, 40 50%, if not even higher, increase in medical premiums for those who purchase their health care insurance from the ACA. Sure, they caved back in the spring (thank you Chuck Shumer), but they are holding firm, so far. (I can't say that I don't expect some kind of capitulation in the next week or two, though.)
But perhaps had they had a spine when Israel began slaughtering Palestinians in the name of revenge, many of those one issue voters who were mad at their reluctance to say no to Netanyahu, wouldn't have stayed home in droves last November.
Or even better, rather than admitting that some of the fault concerning inflation was due to the spending bills they passed, bills I agree with by the way, but which still caused some of the inflationary pressure on our economy, that rather than acknowledging some of the fault, then sympathizing with the plight of the American people, they chose to focus on issues, which again, I support, issues like trans rights and reproductive rights for women, while overemphasizing the fascist tendencies of Trump, a political strategy that does not resonate with an electorate that is struggling to pay the bills. Trump is certainly a wannabe dictator, has even bragged that some people like a dictator if prices ease, crime drops, etc, but that is the point. He knew that the economy was the battle, and the Dems message was too esoteric, certainly true, but harder to grasp.
What is so frustrating is that in the meantime, the GOP, to a person, keeps saying that the Dems are shutting down the government to give free health care to illegals.
Again, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to spend a few minutes researching the issue to understand that this assertion is far from true. I mentioned Reagan in that letter above. Well it was President Ronald Reagan who signed into law in 1986 the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) that mandates that everyone, regardless of ability to pay or lack of insurance coverage, must be treated at emergency rooms throughout our country. Yea, I know, pretty woke.
So, when you see a GOP representative or spokesperson claim that the Dems want undocumented people to get health care at emergency rooms, yes, we do, as that is the law.
In addition, there are some people in America that are "lawfully present". Here is a pretty encompassing definition.
The category of lawfully present individuals is extensive. It includes U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals, who are persons born in American Samoa or Swain’s Island. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), also known as Green Card holders, are considered lawfully present as they have permission to live and work in the U.S. on a permanent basis.
The definition also includes those with humanitarian protections. This group consists of individuals granted asylum, refugees admitted from abroad, and people granted parole into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are also included.
Many individuals with temporary, non-immigrant status also meet the definition of lawfully present. This includes people with valid non-immigrant visas, such as students on F-1 visas or workers on H-1B visas, who have not violated the terms of their admission. The definition also extends to individuals with pending applications for asylum or for adjustment of status to permanent residency while that application is being processed.
Now, we can certainly debate whether all those groups deserve the designation of lawfully present. Heck, Congress can pass a law changing it. But for now, that is the law, so those people are entitled to health care, and yes, even at the expense of the American taxpayer, although, to be frank, I would think that a Christian nation would approve of giving health care to all people, regardless of which boxes they check on any legal list of who should be treated humanely.
Also, here is a definition of who is excluded from this designation.
The primary group not considered lawfully present consists of individuals who entered the United States without being inspected and admitted or paroled by immigration officials. Entering without authorization places them outside the bounds of any legal presence recognized by federal benefit laws.
Another group not considered lawfully present are individuals who entered with a valid visa but remained beyond their authorized period of stay, known as overstaying a visa. Once their period of admission expires, their presence is no longer authorized. An exception exists if the individual has a pending application for a change or extension of status that allows them to remain in the country while it is processed.
Notice that the first group mentioned emphasizes that those who enter the United States illegally are not entitled to federal benefit laws. Nor are those who enter with a valid visa but overstay the terms of that visa. Full stop.
Although, again, even these people must be treated at an emergency room hospital if they show up hurt or dying or pregnant due to EMLATA.
So while one can say that this issue is not as cut and dried as both sides say, as there are some illegal aliens permitted to receive health care, it is not because the Dems want to give it to them out of thin air, but because that is the LAW.
What truly alarms, and sickens me, is when I see the Vice President of the United States say on TV that Americans don't want their tax dollars being used to give "free" health care to undocumented people.
Speak for yourself, sir.
I prefer to be able to say on my Judgment Day that I was OK with paying the health care costs with my tax dollars of someone badly hurt, pregnant, or dying even if they were not born in America while I guess JD prefers to be like the innkeepers who shooed away Mary and Joseph because they didn't have any money, and were foreigners.
And, to circle back, it is all the more mind boggling that so many people believe that we don't have enough money in America, the greatest country in the history of the world, allegedly, to provide health care for all Americans at a reasonable cost, but are OK with the Big Beautiful Bill that made permanent all kinds of tax breaks for the super wealthy, as if they are struggling by on macaroni and cheese and hotdogs every night at dinner. Especially considering that they have all kinds of tricks to hide their income from taxes to begin with.
But at least we will have a new ball room at the White House in the next few years.
health care for the undocumented
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