ARE REPUBLICANS KILLING US?

            Governors challenge Medicaid expansion, members of the U.S. House of Representatives vote against infrastructure spending, members of U.S. Senate filibuster’s a reasonable fire arms bill, tea party supporters in Congress, do not end  sequester cuts that effect all programs including those for the poor, conservatives continue to deny climate change and the list goes on and on.  What do these brazen acts have in common?  They are killing us.

            Take the Medicaid expansion as part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Under the act, millions of people will now have medical care coverage, some people for the first.  But some governors are against coverage for all.  Look at the great state of Louisiana.  Thousands are uninsured but Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s continues to deny needed coverage to thousands of people. And he is not the only one. There is Christie in New Jersey, Scott in Florida and the list goes on.  So for republicans, it’s more important to deny coverage to millions than to give President Obama a victory. Republicans say ‘repeal and replace’ but they haven’t come up with the replace part but yet Americans continue to die.       

            Then, there is infrastructure spending.  Yes, it’s needed.  There are major bridges falling down like those in Minnesota and Washington State just to name two. There are sink holes in Florida and the list goes on and on.  The American Society of Civil Engineers in its 2013 Report Card gave the United States a D+ grade on its infrastructure and estimated $3.6-trillion (U.S.) in spending is needed by 2020. This amount will only increase over time.  People are dying and the republicans do nothing.     

            Now, there is the matter of gun safety. In an Aurora Colorado movie theatre, in a grade school in Connecticut, on streets of Chicago, or in a shopping mall in Arizona, there are 12.000 plus people killed by guns each year.   This is in stark contrast to death by guns in other industrial countries.  

            But because of these insane gun laws, we now have ‘stand your ground’ laws. These stand your ground laws are coupled with allowing anyone to carry a concealed weapon. This can only create more killing.  The Trayvon Martin killing in Stamford Florida shows us that these laws are trouble for all of us.  

            Thus, do republicans care that the sequester cuts are hurting ordinary people.  Do they care that people are not getting their needed cancer medication. Do they care that battered women have no other place to go but to shelters to escape the abuse. Do they care that these needed services and many more are not being provided due to sequester cuts. Do they care? No!

            Lastly, despite tons of evidence that stares republicans in the face, they continue to deny climate change. There are wildfires in the west that burn uncontrollable because there was so little snow and moisture during the winter months. Therefore, these fires have more fuel and burn more intensely.

            And we know that hurricanes get their fuel from warm waters.  We are use to hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico but as the earth warms resulting in warmer water, we will see more hurricanes in New England.  Hurricanes Irene and Sandy was just the beginning of more extreme weather on earth.

            Therefore, can you imagine more tornados in the northern states? As the air warms, it clashes with cold air from Canada to form funnel clouds or tornados.  And as the planet warms, these clashes will happen further north.  Can you imagine Tornado Alley moving north to, lets say, Iowa or Nebraska?   

            Consequently, from governors declining funds needed for healthcare coverage to representatives not providing funds to fix crumbling roads and bridges to senators voting against sensible gun safety to the tea party influencing the continued devastating sequester cuts to congressmen denying climate change and on and on. But one thing is clear, republicans are killing us.