by Leo Sell, Legislative Committee Chairperson
If you aren’t, you probably should be. At this point, here in Michigan, it appears that costs for uninsured people will continue to be covered indirectly by the insurance premiums for your medical insurance and mine. Expanding Medicaid, as envisioned by the Affordable Care Act, is supposed to help alleviate that cost to hospitals (which ultimately adjust their charges against medical insurance to reflect un-reimbursed care costs). The expansion didn’t happen in a timely manner, and quite likely won’t happen at all.
Add to that efforts across the country to reduce women’s rights and voting rights. The Supreme Court effectively finding that racism is not an issue anymore and vacating the key provision of the Voting Rights Act, is heinous. But the decision plays into the hands of those currently with redistricting power in the states.
Add attitudes from the uber-wealthy, like Charles Koch, who sit upon their billions of dollars and state nonsense about how elimination of the minimum wage would be beneficial to the poorest of us.
Wealth has gone up in this country, but average income has been declining notably. The income disparity is larger than ever. And those with wealth and power appear to be controlling the outcome. We have only our vote – for now.
I hope you are paying attention. Every election is an important one, from the minor school and municipal ones, to those that elect our state and national legislators. We all need to be paying attention to actions, positions, and our own collective best interest as we consider which candidates to support and vote for.
MEA’s political activities are oriented toward identifying those candidates who are most supportive of our interests as parents and educators. You can get involved in those efforts. I’d be happy to help you.