Word Misusage: Affordable Health Care Act

Lies, lies
I can't believe a word you say
Lies, lies
Are gonna make you sad someday 
--Lies, The Knickerbockers

I been hangin' around libraries
I been learnin' 'bout books
I been talkin' to playrighters
I been workin' on words, phrases 
Running Back to Saskatoon, 
The Guess Who

________________

Writing from the Piney woods (swamps) of Northern Florida, Ranger will give a perspective on local politicos and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). It is another installment of Ranger's, Misuse of Words series. And who better to suss out sneaky word usage than a former snake-eater?

Obamacare is a damnation in local parlance. It is what got former Rep. Allen Boyd (D) booted from office.

The congenial 7-term, former Vietnam veteran Mr. Boyd was generally well-liked (as a local boy he understood the needs of his often abject constituents; he helped bring telephone dial tone to his entire region -- a fairly recent accomplishment), but he could not survive his vote for Obamacare. We sat in his office and heard his assistant telling voter after outraged voter that he would in NO circumstances vote "yes", when in fact he later did, such is the dastardly game of politics.

His inevitable replacement, Rep. Steve Sotherland (R), runs local adverts swearing that he is protecting North Floridians from the evil Act. However, since O-care is the law of the land, and Mr. Southerland is sworn to uphold those laws, this does not jibe.

Aside from any merits of Obamacare, it is a linguistic abomination, for it has nothing to do with "affordable care". It is an insurance act, which is not the same thing as health care. It surely does not ensure health care will either be more affordable or accessible; in fact, it may produce the opposite effect.

The Affordable Care Act is another support program for corporate insurance programs. How will this corporate bonus program enhance the healthcare of the less literate among us who cannot discern the fine print of their proposed coverage? The government will not protect the "little men" from predatory insurance scams.

The priority given the law does not correspond with the reality of middle American life. Before health acre and insurance issues can be addressed, the dire economic situation of the middle class needs to be addressed. Unemployment, underemployment and rising costs are more pressing issues for this group than having them pay for mandated health insurance -- which will not guarantee that they can actually pay for their medical care.

Universal health care is the answer to the need. What the U.S. needs and deserves is a socialized national medical program based on the Department of Veterans Affairs template to bring us into the 21st century with our fellow industrialized nations. Funding could arise from a number of sources, including ceasing foreign wars, reducing our defense budget, scrapping the majority of our nuclear carrier groups and properly taxing corporate interests.

The New York Times reported today that the Pentagon Plans to Shrink Army to Pre-World War II Level. That's a start.