With all the controversy surrounding the Trump presidency, some issues that seem as if they are drastically important are simply being ignored thanks to the ridiculous amount of situations that are categorically worse for the entire country. Despite the fact that the FBI recently admitted they are actually investigating the Trump administration for any connections with the Russian government, a vast number of Trump supporters are vehemently sticking to their original positions, which basically was born out of a hatred for Hillary Clinton. Those Trump supporters disliked the Democratic candidate so much that even now they are willing to blatantly ignore the worst aspects of the Trump administration.
The healthcare debate is one that has taken secondary importance since the bombshell that there might have actually been cooperation between the Russian government and the Trump campaign to undermine Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning. The GOP, now helmed by Trump, were quick to insult the existing ACA, also called Obamacare, yet their solution is to ‘repeal and replace’ the ACA with a plan that will strip roughly 24 million Americans of their insurance while giving tax breaks to the richest members of the nation.
According to the ACLU, there is one group who will be specifically damaged in permanent and irreversible ways, and that is the disabled community. The GOP healthcare bill currently being debated would completely destroy any chance that disabled Americans have at living a relatively normal life. The new bill, also called Trumpcare, would make it legal for women to be charged more for insurance, it would drastically increase the cost of senior insurance, and it will remove health insurance from 24 million average Americans.
In response to the ridiculously unfair and elitist Trumpcare bill, fifty-four disabled Americans took to the Capital Rotunda in their wheelchairs to stage a protest. There were a total of 13 men and 41 women at the protest organized by ADAPT, an institution that champions the rights and freedoms of the disabled. In what can only be called a glaring example of the military-police state, these 54 individuals were arrested while protesting for the basic rights they have fought so hard to achieve.
The ADAPT organization is a way for disabled Americans to fight back against the injustices they have received simply because of their disabilities. These citizens are accustomed to the idea that others are going to make them fight for independent living, equal opportunity, and the ability to become self-sufficient. Members only want to find ways to help themselves and others like them lead normal, full lives.
Of the 54 members of ADAPT who were arrested, one was arrested by an officer who had literally never made an arrest before. Hopefully that officer thinks long and hard about a career where the first assignment is to handcuff and arrest a disabled person in a wheelchair for demanding the same rights as everyone else.
Bob Casey, the Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania, said that this bill would have the potential to completely erase the opportunities and rights that the disabled have received since the signing of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act.
Keep in mind that there is no randomness in the decision by the GOP to champion such a vile and disgusting healthcare bill. Republicans have a great reputation for ignoring the needs of the many in order to give perks and tax breaks to the few, and this new bill will literally give millionaires, billionaires, and pharmaceutical companies millions in government tax breaks. At the same time, it will make it much harder for women, children, and members of the disabled community to access doctors and vital medical services.
According to Gene Sperling, the bill would give a total of $7 million in tax cuts to the richest 400 people in America. That should come as no surprise to anyone who is at all familiar with the operations of the GOP. They are a party that is basically owned by the wealthiest members of the United States, so of course they are only going to act in the best interests of those elites.