Uncivil Rights

I sat on this article for over a week, and the more I read it the more it pissed me off. It is titled, "In High Gear: The GOP Class War" By Max J. Castro, from Progreso Weekly. Now it says THE GOP CLASS WAR. I began reading this looking for how the right is creating/fighting this "class war." Needless to say, again, it was the left that is creating this illusion with their far-from-truthful talking points.

Here is a bit from the article:

While President Bush tries to sell the American people on a bogus plan to solve a non-existent social security crisis, real and present crises fester unattended or are aggravated by Republican policies.

Health is a prime example. More than 45 million Americans lack insurance coverage today - not in 2042 - and the number keeps rising. Latinos, the fastest growing population in the country, is also the least likely to have coverage. That’s a bad omen for the future. What is Bush proposing to do about this crisis? Nothing.

Let's review. We have Bush pushing a bogus plan to solve a non-existent problem, while he ignores the REAL problems. So, what are these REAL problems? Health insurance is the problem according to the article, right? And Bush is not proposing anything to solve this problem...hmmm. Last time I checked, the government couldn't force the consumer to buy health insurance, car insurance - YES, health insurance - NO. So people are CHOOSING NOT TO BUY health insurance, and somehow that's Bush's fault. Apparently, illegal aliens are the least likely to have health insurance...I wonder why...oh I know, IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE HERE ILLEGALLY!
As I read this, I wondered if this idiot owns or has stock in an insurance company. CONCLUSION: no problem, no class warfare, individuals have chosen NOT to buy health insurance, no government intervention, just as it should be.

Next:

But the health care problem in this country is more than just the tragedy of tens of millions of people who lack a basic human right. It’s an economic calamity as well - for the nation and for families and individuals. The United States spends a higher percentage of its Gross Domestic Income (GDP) on health care than any other nation, and the result, as translated into indicators such as life expectancy and infant mortality, are mediocre compared to other rich countries. Yet costs here are continuing to rise rapidly.

Is this guy claiming health insurance is a BASIC HUMAN RIGHT? If you read it again, you'll understand that he's talking about HEALTH CARE, NOT HEALTH INSURANCE. OK, now we have differentiation. The citizens of the US spend A LOT of money on health care AND health insurance, no question. But what is the "health care problem" he's talking about? It seems to me that he is saying HEALTH CARE is a basic human right, and that's the problem here in the US. If this is what he is saying, HE IS LYING. I've never heard of anyone being denied access to HEALTH CARE in this country. Anyone, at anytime, can go to the emergency room at a hospital, or set up an appointment with a doctor and receive health care. So what is the REAL problem he's talking about? I'm still not getting the liberal agenda here.

The problem is not just at the national level either. A recent study found that health costs often spell economic disaster for American families. Half of all bankruptcies in this country result from medical bills. Even more amazing is the finding that points out just how broken the health care system in this country is beyond the issue of having or not having insurance coverage. For many of the people bankrupted by monster medical charges had health insurance coverage.

Now it becomes clear, it's the COST of receiving health care that is the problem. So much of a problem that people file bankruptcy because they can't pay their health care bills. The problem IS NOT HEALTH INSURANCE since the author claims those with health insurance file bankruptcy also.

The study, published in this month’s Health Affairs, estimates two million people annually, including 700,000 dependent children, are affected by medical bankruptcies. "Our study is frightening. Unless you’re Bill Gates you’re just one serious illness away from bankruptcy," said Dr. David Himmelstein of the Harvard Medical School, the lead researcher. Himmelstein said those bankrupted by the high cost of medical care were "average Americans who happened to get sick." Indeed, 75.7 percent of them were insured at the onset of illness. The reality of American health care according to the study is that "even middle-class insured families often fall prey to financial catastrophe when sick."

Here is confirmation that HEALTH INSURANCE IS NOT THE PROBLEM. The problem is the COST of health care. So what is happening, and who does this author blame?

What are Republicans planning to do to help prevent Americans from suffering a financial catastrophe on top of a serious illness? Worse than nothing: They are getting ready to pass a law to make it harder to declare bankruptcy. Doing the bidding of yet another group of corporate cronies - in this case the credit card companies - Republicans in Congress are hoping to parlay their strengthened dominance in both houses into a victory that consumer advocates say would come at the expense of the public.

Of course! It's the Republican's fault! It's a financial crisis. People who have received health care are faced with an enormous bill, and instead of setting up a payment plan or something like it, they file for bankruptcy. If they choose a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, they NEVER HAVE TO PAY THOSE HEALTH CARE BILLS! COOL! But wait! Republicans want to make it harder to file for bankruptcy. HOW DARE THEY! Republicans want to make people PAY THEIR BILLS and be accountable! HOW HORRIBLE!!
But what happens when these people file for bankruptcy and don't pay their bills? That's right, it INCREASES THE COST OF HEALTH CARE, making it that much harder for people to pay their raising health care costs, which increases the amount of bankruptcies, which increase the cost of health care... Do you get the picture?

The author goes on to bash Bush's policies in other areas and cite Paul Krugman, of course. But what of his original thesis? What class war is Bush instigating? None that I can see. It is more of the same from these liberals, steal from the rich and give to the poor, income redistribution, socialism, pure and simple.