Free Parking

I was in famous company in the slip and fall category this week. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter died after falling in her bathroom at home. Her family and friends and constituents are mourning her death. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton broke her wrist in a hotel bathroom in India. I’m sure the hotel took great care and paid all the bills and probably apologized a thousand times. I slipped in a shower in a city facility and because of torte immunity laws I was treated with unconcealed boredom by the staff after I fell and broke my foot.

I am so grateful to have Medicare! Without insurance I would have had to pay for the hospital emergency room visit, medical equipment along with treatment from my personal physician. While Medicare is not free, it is great insurance and it’s a comfort during convalescence to know that I only have to heal my body without worrying about all the medical bills.

Paul Ryan, along with our congress critter Steve Womack, is once again attacking our fragile healthcare system with new plans to cut Medicare and Medicaid; Arkansas now has a work requirement to receive healthcare. Of course, you and I pay for Congressional members’ most excellent insurance.

Behind the mental whiplash that Trump’s daily multiple lies produces, Republicons in both houses of Congress scheme to steal the rest of our money through more banking deregulation, tax “reform” scams and exploding the national debt to $21 trillion.

The chaos unleashed by our unhinged president conveniently provides cover for massive corruption by him and his cronies; and in their insatiable greed, Republicons may also destroy our children’s futures and our planet by deregulating industries that exacerbate the climate crisis.

I hope we join together and use our voices to change the way our government is being run and use our votes to elect people who will represent us all, not just the oligarchs.

I fear that like that frog jumping into warm water that turns hot and then boils to death, our complacency will keep us from noticing the water is getting hotter.