I mean in the Land of The Free, it is the land where being poor means that you are free to die, but only as long as someone can pay for the expense. The ACA came into effect many years ago and to everyone in Canada it was a no brainer. The Affordable Care Act meant that a portion equal tthe population of Canada was to get affordable healthcare. This was all coming at e time of the financial crises. Health Care in Canada is the single largest budget item and it employs a huge number of people. Doctors, nurses, orderlies, receptionists, hospital buildings, hospital equipment suppliers, heating contractors, grocers who sell food to people, car dealers who sell cars to people, pet groomers who groom doctor's froufrou pets. Don't forget that a dollar spent on healthcare gets spent and re-spent until it winds up in someone's bank account or back in the taxman's pocket. And of course, people get medicine that could never afford it before. The Canadian Economy is run by the money spent on Healthcare, so the idea that Americans could employ all those people too, AND make 30-40 million poor people more productive at the same time; its a no brainer.
But I heard it was repealed last week. And replaced by nothing. The money that could be pumped into the economy, that would be recouped by the government in income tax and sales tax and property tax, employed doctors and nurses and grocery clerks and car salesmen and farmers and the building of new hospitals, all gone. But should I have not expected that. I mean 83% of all expectant mothers in the States do not have Maternity leave. They can't take time off to give birth. They once they do give birth have to be back at work soon after.
For a country that insists that women need to constantly be pregnant, according to backwards religious ideology, they sure make it hard for them to do it. The same backward philosophy tells people that abortion is wrong, but to be poor is not their problem. Planned Parenthood uses a fraction of their funds to perform abortions, that represent the tiniest portion of the work they do and for that people make up fake videos that tell people that they are selling baby parts to genetic research companies. The fake videos are from right wing religious organizations that support the current Trump Administration, who complains about fake news . . ..
The TEDtalk podcast I listened to was worse. Worse than instigating terrorist attacks against an organization that does not sell aborted fetuses to diabolical genetics companies, never did, never will. Worse than that. The talk was about how the poor people of the country are being extorted by the judicial system because they are poor. A poor person is charged for a crime and they are told that they need to post bail that is beyond their means, they have to spend the pretrial period in jail. A wealthy person posts bail and they are out that same day. The back bone of the American Justice System is you are innocent until proven guilty, but in reality it is you are guilty unless you have money, innocent until insolvent. The poor accused criminal is faced with two choices, wait in jail for twice their maximum sentence waiting for trial or pleading guilty and being out in half the time. It is a no brainer and it means that every-time a poor person is charged with a crime they are guilty and then they are more likely to be charged again and they won't be able to be employed very well as an ex convict and will be poor for much longer. That is they way it is. But it is not all. If you are poor in the States you can't break any law or your life will be destroyed. You can go to jail for unpaid parking tickets. As if sending you to jail and forcing you to not work is going to help you pay your fines. I heard that they can spend a lot of time in jail for the smallest things, if you are poor.
It seems that the biggest crime in America is being poor. Poor means that you won't have healthcare, you will spend more time in jail, you will be forced to plead guilty to crimes because you can't afford bail and pleading guilty means you spend less time in jail, well that first time and let's not forget if you are poor there will soon be no services left to help you. If you are poor you can't go to school either, so I don't see anyway out for the poor in America. Glad I don't live there, I would be screwed.
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