Monday, December 29, 2025

Let Republicans Be…Democrats?

 In other words:

“I saw a stat the other day, median household income went up ten times since 1970 but health care costs have gone up 42 times, so this is a major issue that the Republicans need to address," he added. "If they do [address it], that is just one other issue people want, affordable health care, and that can bring the Republican base and independents to our side for those elections.”

Health care costs for millions of Americans are set to more than double on Thursday with the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which Democratic lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to extend amid the recent government shutdown before caving to Republicans’ demands. An estimated 4 million Americans are also expected to lose health insurance with the expiration of the subsidies.

Rather than extending the subsidies, some Republicans have instead backed a plan proposed by President Donald Trump to send Americans $2,000 checks so that they can purchase health insurance on the private market, though no serious legislative effort has been mounted to put Trump’s plan into action.

Other Republicans have backed the idea of establishing and funding health savings accounts for Americans, a proposal not dissimilar from Trump’s, which would allow Americans to purchase health insurance on the private market. Backed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), the proposal, however, lacks the support it needs to advance in Congress.

And yet, despite Republicans having no clear plan to prevent a health care cost hike for millions of Americans, Eberle appeared to remain optimistic that his party could still deliver on lowering health care costs for Americans.

“If we have these results on the budget, on health care, on other items, we can do alright,” he said.
Let's see: healthcare premiums start rising in 4 days. $2000 checks won’t go out until God knows when. HSA’s take years to accumulate. And they won’t pay for ER visits, or surgeries. So, sure, those will change minds. The same way Biden’s Anti-Inflation Act made everyone forget about inflation. I’ve been binging “The West Wing” on Netflix. The season I’m on is full of discussions about health insurance, and how many Americans are uninsured. 44 million is the number tossed about. Oddly enough, that’s the number tossed about now, 23 years later. The number who stand to lose insurance. That’s a lot of “poor.” Maybe we should rethink the genius of the American economic system. Or we could be like Crenshaw, and just implicitly blame the people. “Well, we gave ‘em money! What’d they do with it?”

This really is the GOP plan. And they can’t figure out why voters won’t go for it. And wonder why tax cuts for billionaires is not popular, rather than just the rich serving their self-interests (something that taints government actions when non-billionaires are the beneficiaries).
Wish in one hand, piss in the other; see which fills up faster.  Case in point:
Bannon then told anti-immigration activist Rosemary Jenks that Trump should implement "a 10-year moratorium on immigration."

"No immigration!" he insisted. "Not just getting rid of the H-1B visas, but moratoriums across the board on no immigration for a decade until we get this mess sorted out."

"I think most Americans would say, yeah, okay, what's wrong with that?" Jenks replied. "Nothing at all."

"We're done. It's over. We're not doing this anymore. We are not paying taxes so that you can throw our money away. We need a moratorium," she added. "It would go probably longer, for 10 years actually."

"You got to get rid of H-1Bs today and ship them all home and give those jobs for American citizens," Bannon agreed. "And then a 10-year moratorium on every other program."

"That's how long it's going to take to take this thing back to the basics and reconstruct it."
Steve Bannon is a political genius the way Trump is. Bannon thinks Trump just has to say it, and it’s written in stone. A 10 year ban on immigration? Even if the Sinister Six let Trump declare it on his own authority (and Trump would never nix H1B visas), the Congress would override it by, oh, January 2027. Or the next President would rescind the EO in January 20, 2029. Ten years? Don’t be absurd!
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1 comment:

  1. jim, some guy in iowa1:23 PM

    Single male in good health, soon to be 59. $2000 is a month, maybe a month and a half's- worth of "good" insurance. These people are operating completely outside of reality and when you look at Trump's bandaged hands and constant testing for god knows what being paid for on our dime.... one gets kind of angry. I'm beginning to think there should be a "means test" for insurance, and if you're a Republican elected official, you can't qualify.

    It would be a start, anyway...

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