I have a great and lifelong respect for the teachings of Jesus Christ. I was raised Lutheran. I loved Sunday School. I even mostly enjoyed the long sermons by our charismatic but long-winded pastor. When I was in junior high school, I took it upon myself to read the Bible. Yep, the whole thing, cover to cover (New Testament, that is).
I was curious. I wanted to know what it really said without it being run through the prism of a pastor, priest or televangelist.
While I was already having serious doubts about the whole Jesus-as-God notion, I must tell you I was blown away by the good book. What struck me, no pun intended, was the goodness of Christ. His words. A little heavy handed, sure. And a bit too much with the “worship me” stuff. But so poignant and powerful. What an amazing person Jesus was. God or not.
I have great respect for my Christian friends, too, even though the notion that this man who showed up in a backward land in a backward time with no mass communication is God is far-fetched at best. Most Christians I know are believers for the right reasons. And they get much good out of the church and the Bible.
The general philosophy Jesus touted is of course a no-brainer. The Golden Rule. Kindness. Loving thy neighbor. Doing good deeds. Taking care of the sick and the poor. Never worship material things. Respect others. Really good stuff. Jesus was, of course, a classic liberal.
His words are profoundly relevant, always, but especially now that Republicans in the Senate are trying to pass another healthcare bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, which is the only reason people like me who have cancer and are self-employed have health insurance at all.
From what I've learned of this new Cassidy-Graham bill, it’s the worst one yet. It's laughably bad and downright cruel to so many innocent Americans. And it comes from the folks who insist their political party is the party of deep faith, the party of Jesus.
In fact, this bill is light years away from anything having to do with the teachings of Jesus. Where is Lloyd Benson when you need him, saying to Sen. Lindsay Graham, "Senator Graham, I knew Jesus. Jesus was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jesus.”
Jesus would be appalled by this bill, which would repeal the individual and employer mandates, destroy Medicaid, and turn it into a block grant program. States would be given a lump sum of money and would have loads of leeway over how to spend it.
Really bad idea. Many states, specifically those in which Medicaid was expanded under Obamacare, would lose billions of dollars in federal funding, making it impossible for these states to provide adequate coverage or assistance to their residents, especially the ones in most need.
If this bill is passed, each state will have to make hard choices, and it will become an ugly and very sad fight among various groups to get health insurance. There will be winners and losers. And who do you think the winners will be? Ironically, not the poor folks in the states that voted for Trump, or folks in the Southern states that have gone largely Republican, or the folks from the Bible Belt.
A National Disaster
Passage of this bill by would be a national tragedy. While President Trump, who undoubtedly hasn't even read the bill, and members of Congress would celebrate in the Rose Garden, seniors would be left out in the cold, kids with disabilities would no longer get the daily support they need, and sick people would die.
It's plain and simple. It's a matter of fact. A whole bunch of good Americans would suffer needlessly thanks to these Congress members.
Thankfully, Sen. John McCain announced today that he cannot support this bill. This could hopefully be the death knell for this horrible bill. But we’ll see.
Meantime, shame on the Republican party, for which I used to have a great deal of respect. It has gone off the rails and lost its moral compass, such as it was. It has become largely a party of right-wing zealots, bigots and extremists.
This bill is a preposterous and utterly disingenuous piece of crap. It is is the most obscene, immoral piece of legislation I've seen in my lifetime. Hell, even Republican Senators are admitting as much.
This week, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican who supports the bill, said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe” that the plan could indeed allow states to simply get rid of protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Flake said it won’t happen because states would not pass a law that included such a Draconian provision.
"In reality, is any governor or state legislature going to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions?" Flake asked. To which show host Joe Scarborough immediately and rightly answered, “Yes, yes they are.”
Of course they are. This is not even a healthcare bill at this point, but merely a cynical political maneuver whose only reason to exist is to get rid of Obamacare, not serve any other purpose or make any positive contribution to public health.
If passed, it will take millions and millions of Americans off their insurance. And it will not protect pre-existing conditions. The Senators who tell you it will are lying. As a thankfully growing number of Republican governors now acknowledge, the states will lose billions under this bill and be forced to ration care. Millions will suffer.
As Dr. Ford Vox, an Atlanta physician specializing in brain injury, said this week, "The patient is in fact powerless under the Cassidy-Graham bill, which gives the states block grants to administer healthcare for the poor and disabled, under whatever mechanisms they wish, and near complete freedom to enact their own rules with regards to the quality of private insurance plans sold in their states."
Most importantly, Vox added, "states can let insurers charge what they like to cover sicker individuals."
Encouragingly, a sane, bipartisan group of governors including Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is urging the Senate to reject this despicable bill. Leave it to Kasich to once again save his party from going right down the wrong path.
But it isn't just Kasich and a growing number of Republican governors. No one in his or her right mind supports this bill. Every major American health organization from the American Medical Association to the American Cancer Society opposes it. Every person who cares about the fate of less fortunate Americans is against it.
Time For These Senators To Re-Read Their Bibles
The party that wraps itself around the Bible is doing something here that defies and insults what Jesus preached. This is the most un-Christian bill I've ever seen in the United States Congress. This is all about money. Greed. Selfishness. And turning our nation’s back on those who need us the most.
In case you think Jesus would be on board with this nonsense, let’s take another look at what Jesus really had to say about about the poor, the sick, the less fortunate, and about money, profit and greed.
I’m sure most of you remember this classic from Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
That one should be posted on the top of Trump Tower.
Then there’s this gem from Ecclesiastes 5:10, which says, "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”
That one should be tattooed on Sen. Cassidy’s forehead.
I was curious. I wanted to know what it really said without it being run through the prism of a pastor, priest or televangelist.
While I was already having serious doubts about the whole Jesus-as-God notion, I must tell you I was blown away by the good book. What struck me, no pun intended, was the goodness of Christ. His words. A little heavy handed, sure. And a bit too much with the “worship me” stuff. But so poignant and powerful. What an amazing person Jesus was. God or not.
I have great respect for my Christian friends, too, even though the notion that this man who showed up in a backward land in a backward time with no mass communication is God is far-fetched at best. Most Christians I know are believers for the right reasons. And they get much good out of the church and the Bible.
The general philosophy Jesus touted is of course a no-brainer. The Golden Rule. Kindness. Loving thy neighbor. Doing good deeds. Taking care of the sick and the poor. Never worship material things. Respect others. Really good stuff. Jesus was, of course, a classic liberal.
His words are profoundly relevant, always, but especially now that Republicans in the Senate are trying to pass another healthcare bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, which is the only reason people like me who have cancer and are self-employed have health insurance at all.
From what I've learned of this new Cassidy-Graham bill, it’s the worst one yet. It's laughably bad and downright cruel to so many innocent Americans. And it comes from the folks who insist their political party is the party of deep faith, the party of Jesus.
In fact, this bill is light years away from anything having to do with the teachings of Jesus. Where is Lloyd Benson when you need him, saying to Sen. Lindsay Graham, "Senator Graham, I knew Jesus. Jesus was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jesus.”
Jesus would be appalled by this bill, which would repeal the individual and employer mandates, destroy Medicaid, and turn it into a block grant program. States would be given a lump sum of money and would have loads of leeway over how to spend it.
Really bad idea. Many states, specifically those in which Medicaid was expanded under Obamacare, would lose billions of dollars in federal funding, making it impossible for these states to provide adequate coverage or assistance to their residents, especially the ones in most need.
If this bill is passed, each state will have to make hard choices, and it will become an ugly and very sad fight among various groups to get health insurance. There will be winners and losers. And who do you think the winners will be? Ironically, not the poor folks in the states that voted for Trump, or folks in the Southern states that have gone largely Republican, or the folks from the Bible Belt.
A National Disaster
Passage of this bill by would be a national tragedy. While President Trump, who undoubtedly hasn't even read the bill, and members of Congress would celebrate in the Rose Garden, seniors would be left out in the cold, kids with disabilities would no longer get the daily support they need, and sick people would die.
It's plain and simple. It's a matter of fact. A whole bunch of good Americans would suffer needlessly thanks to these Congress members.
Thankfully, Sen. John McCain announced today that he cannot support this bill. This could hopefully be the death knell for this horrible bill. But we’ll see.
Meantime, shame on the Republican party, for which I used to have a great deal of respect. It has gone off the rails and lost its moral compass, such as it was. It has become largely a party of right-wing zealots, bigots and extremists.
This bill is a preposterous and utterly disingenuous piece of crap. It is is the most obscene, immoral piece of legislation I've seen in my lifetime. Hell, even Republican Senators are admitting as much.
This week, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican who supports the bill, said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe” that the plan could indeed allow states to simply get rid of protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Flake said it won’t happen because states would not pass a law that included such a Draconian provision.
"In reality, is any governor or state legislature going to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions?" Flake asked. To which show host Joe Scarborough immediately and rightly answered, “Yes, yes they are.”
Of course they are. This is not even a healthcare bill at this point, but merely a cynical political maneuver whose only reason to exist is to get rid of Obamacare, not serve any other purpose or make any positive contribution to public health.
If passed, it will take millions and millions of Americans off their insurance. And it will not protect pre-existing conditions. The Senators who tell you it will are lying. As a thankfully growing number of Republican governors now acknowledge, the states will lose billions under this bill and be forced to ration care. Millions will suffer.
As Dr. Ford Vox, an Atlanta physician specializing in brain injury, said this week, "The patient is in fact powerless under the Cassidy-Graham bill, which gives the states block grants to administer healthcare for the poor and disabled, under whatever mechanisms they wish, and near complete freedom to enact their own rules with regards to the quality of private insurance plans sold in their states."
Most importantly, Vox added, "states can let insurers charge what they like to cover sicker individuals."
Encouragingly, a sane, bipartisan group of governors including Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is urging the Senate to reject this despicable bill. Leave it to Kasich to once again save his party from going right down the wrong path.
But it isn't just Kasich and a growing number of Republican governors. No one in his or her right mind supports this bill. Every major American health organization from the American Medical Association to the American Cancer Society opposes it. Every person who cares about the fate of less fortunate Americans is against it.
Time For These Senators To Re-Read Their Bibles
The party that wraps itself around the Bible is doing something here that defies and insults what Jesus preached. This is the most un-Christian bill I've ever seen in the United States Congress. This is all about money. Greed. Selfishness. And turning our nation’s back on those who need us the most.
In case you think Jesus would be on board with this nonsense, let’s take another look at what Jesus really had to say about about the poor, the sick, the less fortunate, and about money, profit and greed.
I’m sure most of you remember this classic from Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
That one should be posted on the top of Trump Tower.
Then there’s this gem from Ecclesiastes 5:10, which says, "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”
That one should be tattooed on Sen. Cassidy’s forehead.
In Hebrews 13:5, it says, "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have." In Proverbs 31:9, it says, "Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy." In Proverbs 28:8, it says, "Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.” In Luke 12:33-34, it says, "Sell your possessions, and give to the needy." In Proverbs 22:16, it says, " Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.”
I could go on and on. Bottom line? My Republican friends need to read a little less Ayn Rand and Wall Street Journal, and a little more Bible.
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