Editor-in-Chief
 |
| Nicholas Chupka |
The
Affordable Care Act, frequently referred to as Obamacare, is a health care plan
signed into law by President Obama three years ago in an attempt to provide
affordable healthcare to all Americans. Since its conception, the Affordable
Care Act has been a controversial issue among Republicans, who oppose it due to
the fact that it imposes new taxes for the upper class and in recent weeks,
many members of the House have shown their disdain for Obamacare, even going so
far as threatening to shutdown the government if it is not defunded, an event
that occurred at midnight on Tuesday. The fact that the House GOP managed to shut
down the government because they couldn’t get what they wanted just shows what
childish and irresponsible levels they are willing to submit to, all at the
expense of the American people.
In
an article published by The Guardian,
it is stated that if a government shutdown were to take place, an estimated
800,000 federal employees would not receive paychecks until the shutdown comes
to an end. USA Today claims that just
a few days into a government shutdown could curtail economic growth and that a
3-4 week shutdown could cause “severe economic damage”.
According
to a recent report completed by the Congressional Research Service, during the
previous two government shutdowns the Center for Disease Control discontinued
its research of disease, the National Institutes of Health stopped accepting
new patients, the federal government put over 3,500 bankruptcy cases on hold as
well as many child support cases, and the Environmental Protection Agency
entirely shut down. During the last government shutdown, Washington D.C. waste went
uncollected for 21 days, as the city relies on congress to operate. D.C. Mayor
Vincent Gray announced that he considers all city employees to be “essential”
and refused to shut down operation. Unfortunately, however, the idea was quickly
deemed illegal by D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan.
The Associated Press stated in a recent
article that Obamacare wouldn’t actually be affected in the event of a
government shutdown due to the fact that “the employees who administer such
[healthcare] programs may also be considered essential.” Even President Obama
himself announced that in the event of a government shutdown, healthcare
marketplaces would still operate as planned beginning Tuesday. The shutdown is
already proving to be a complete waste of time. The entire shutdown is a show
of theatrics put on by the GOP in an attempt to get what they want and it
appears to be the climax of the inability for the two parties to cooperate.
In
a recent New York Times poll, roughly
80% of Americans do not approve of a government shutdown. House GOP
representatives are not working in the favor of the people. A shutdown would
not only stop income for hundreds of thousands of working Americans, but it
would not even achieve the Republican goal.
What
do Republicans in the House have to gain from this stance? A government
shutdown would look much worse for the GOP than Obamacare would look for the
left, and if Obamacare ends up becoming a failure, something that definitely
won’t happen, wouldn’t that look better for the GOP? Are Republicans scared that
Americans will begin to appreciate the benefits of Obamacare?
However,
perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the ordeal is the fact that the President’s
paycheck as well as paychecks of the members of Congress will not be affected
by the shutdown at all. In fact, thanks to the 27th Amendment, it’s
actually illegal for members of Congress to receive a pay cut. It shows just how
out of touch they are with average Americans. They don’t realize what the
shutdown will do to hardworking “non-essential” employees. As far as healthcare
goes, the rest of the world is ahead of us, and with the Affordable Care Act we
can catch up. It isn’t fair for the GOP to stand in our way of doing that.
