Let Them "Eat Cake"

After Obama's 52 year old mother was diagnosed with cancer, overwhelmed by medical bills, and died before she turned 53, his mission was to make healthcare affordable. Once in office, this was his priority. But any remaining Obamacare subsidies are set to expire this Dec 31, making our already unaffordable healthcare impossible.

        The current and continuing Congressional fight is over where money gets spent. Republicans comprise both the Senate and House. They propose reducing federal spending altogether instead of continuing healthcare subsidies for 90% of Americans. Simply put, because of this fight, Trump has threatened to stop instead of postpone SNAP food benefits to the poor although there are billions set aside to cover SNAP emergencies. (If it sounds illogical, it is.) In turn, 25 States are suing the administration. Meanwhile, over 30% of the population worries they won't have food in November.

        Congress is grandstanding, playing games while their constituents worry and suffer. It seems doubly unreasonable and cruel for Trump and his administration to increase the problem by threatening the poorest.

        The US has never had a real safety net like Nordic and European countries. It lacks their social benefits and income redistribution. But now in the US with wealth increasingly skewed to the top 10%, the imbalance is so great, something has to topple.