Dear friends,
I don’t know about you, but I have a whole lot of folk States-side who rely on Medicaid to, you know, live and things like that. In a nation that clings to the concept of healthcare as a profit-making machine (in a world full of nations that provide free health care to their citizens), Medicaid and Medicare are indispensable for the care of millions of Americans who lack access to private insurance. With Medicaid and Medicare (and SNAP!) on the chopping block under the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” (chock-full of completely disgusting money and power grabs) now is a really important time to make a noise for Medicaid for the people you love, and for the complete strangers who will be tragically affected by the threatened cuts.
As this Big-Ass Bill headed to Congress, Heather Cox Richardson was encouraging Americans to call their “congress critters” (in the midst of this reign of terror, HCR models how to maintain a sense of humour). Unfortunately, one Democratic congress critter kicked the bucket and consequently missed the middle-of-the-night vote, and, of course, practically all of the Republican (aptly-named) ‘critters’ fell in lockstep with their ginormous orange leader and voted to rob the poor to pay the rich. The Big Fucking Bill passed in Congress by one vote. Gross.
But the game’s not over yet as the Big Ugly Bill heads to the Senate. NOW is the time to make a mighty noise at your senator, your neighbour’s senator, and any senator you can think of to DEMAND that they stick to their campaign promises to save Medicaid and Medicare. Be noisy. Be relentless.
On May 16th I sent this to the Republican senators:
Dear Senator,
YOU PROMISED NOT TO CUT MEDICAID!
Yes or no – will you be voting to cut Medicaid? If your answer is ‘yes’, I hope you understand that your vote will directly result in the death and suffering of many of your constituents whom you vowed to represent.
Do the right thing!
Jessica
A few days later on May 20th I sent this to the Republican senators:
Dear Senator,
About that so-called Big Beautiful Bill – I reeeeeaaaaallyyy hope you’re not planning on passing it in the Senate. If you do pass it, I’d like to know how will you explain to your constituents who voted for you that you are breaking your promise not to cut Medicare just so the uber-rich can get even richer by not paying their fair share of taxes? How will you weasel your way out of this one when so many of your constituents will no longer have access to healthcare but the billionaires will enjoy even more tax cuts?
From what I’ve read, the “Big, Beautiful Bill” (give me a break!) will actually cost Americans an extra whopping $4-5 TRILLION over the next decade by extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the stinking rich and the greedy corporations. For a party that ran on reducing the nation’s debt, this feels super sketchy to me. And wrong. All kinds of wrong!
I understand that you’re concerned about ‘waste, fraud, and abuse, but I don’t think you’ll find great savings in cutting Medicaid to the single mom working two jobs to feed her kids, or any other individual on Medicaid. Medicare Advantage, on the other hand, seems to be the doorway to all manners of fraud and abuse as it allows private insurers free rein to do a little jiggery pokery with patients’ risk brackets so they can add to their already obscene profits. Speaking of which, did you know that many countries provide free healthcare for people, not for profit? Imagine that! From what I hear, it works a treat and is actually a really humane way to care for society. Maybe we should consider it here someday!
All this to say, Senator, if you’re looking to be re-elected, and if you have any sense at all you will do everything in your power to make sure this Big, Heartless Bill sinks in the Senate.
Jessica
And on May 22nd, I sent this:
Dear Senator,
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about one of my favourite childhood movies. Perhaps you also remember watching Disney’s version of Robin Hood. Of course, I watched it all over again with my own children when they were young, and I was delighted to discover this classic story never grows old. The pre-CGI animation is so sweet. And who doesn’t love a story set in Merry Old England? The dialogue, accents and humour were sublime. And the songs! “Robin Hood and Little John, walking through the forest, laughing back and forth at what the other one had to say…oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly what a day!”
Of course, the thing I think we all loved most about the Robin Hood story, whether told by Walt Disney or Mel Brooks (Men in Tights!) is the overarching message that the hero is he who ‘borrows’ from the rich to help those who are struggling. Every. Single. Time. Robin Hood comes out the hero with his courage and compassion and determination to stop corruption while caring for the poor. What a wonderful role model for children and adults alike.
So, I ask you Senator, what went so horribly wrong with the Republican Party? Not so long ago, your party seemed to genuinely care about the wellbeing of all Americans and worked hard to fight corruption (remember Nixon?). Nowadays, Republicans are known for bottomless corruption, and stealing from the poor to line the pockets of the stinking rich. It’s like you all watched Robin Hood and turned the messaging upside down to serve your own purposes, while destroying the lives of your constituents who are already struggling.
Last night, while America was asleep, your Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives pushed through the Big-Ass Bill, the Anti-Robin Hood Bill that will cut deeply into the social services that are keeping many Americans alive, to compensate for the massive tax cuts for the rich. This Big Odious Bill is NOT about cleaning up “waste, fraud, and abuse”. It is adding to the corruption and fraud that is allowing the oligarchs to destroy this country with their insatiable greed. I know that you can see this and I can assure you that your very worried constituents see it too.
I would like to recommend that before this Big Disgusting Bill moves to the Senate, you and your Republican colleagues host a watch party and revisit Disney’s Robin Hood. The message is clear enough for a toddler to comprehend – when some people have too much wealth while many, many others have too little wealth, we must take from the rich (who won’t even notice a few pennies missing from their vast piles of gold) to make life easier for those who are doing all the work and still can’t afford to feed their children.
I know you and your colleagues love to blame Biden for EVERYTHING, but I’m sure that even you can see that in just over 100 days, Trump has proven to be the most corrupt, heartless, lawless, self-serving and incompetent president in US history. The longer you throw your unwavering support behind him, the deeper we will slide into a totalitarian state. I can promise you, you will not be spared from the violent and illegal whims of this crazed narcissist and his billionaire buddies. And you certainly will never win re-election if you decide to vote in favour of this Big Heartless Bill for Billionaires.
Jessica
As you probably know by now, I email these weasels on the regular, but only a few tend to respond, generally several weeks after the fact. What I’m noticing with my Save Medicaid emails, however, is that I’ve received quite a few immediate responses, and not just from the usual guys (nothing yet from my pen pal Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Senators who have not once replied to my nearly 50 emails sent so far are hopping online and responding to my concerns. Senator Curtis (R-UT), Senator Daines (R-MT), Senator Lummis (R-WY), Senator Lankford (R-OK), Senator Risch (R-ID) Senator Sullivan (R-AK), Senator Murkowski (R-AK). Hell! I even heard from Senator Ricketts (R-NE).
I’m not overly concerned about the content of their responses, which generally blames Biden for everything peppered with lame attempts to justify stealing from the poor, but my interest has been piqued by the fact that so many responded so quickly. I feel this is an indication that they know they’re in deep shit if they vote to cut Medicaid and Medicare, and they're worried about this. While a few senators are showing hints of genuine concern about the adverse effects on the majority of their constituents if they vote to cut these services, I think their primary concern is that this might lose them their position of power and they will be voted out if they fuck this up. It’s our job to assure them that these concerns are valid and they better smarten up. Whatever is making them squirm, our pressure is working. Let's keep it up!
I know that the general rule of thumb when trying to make our voices heard is to call or email our own representatives. I say, screw that! Call and email as many senators as possible. We are all affected by their actions, whether we are watching our loved ones lose their healthcare (from the safety of a country with universal health care), or we are worried sick about how sick people will survive if Medicaid and Medicare are cut. In my mind, we are ALL neighbours, and neighbours look out for each other and speak up for each other. And the more of us who speak up, the harder it is for them to ignore our demands. If you're feeling inspired to be noisy, here's the link to the handy-dandy spreadsheet I use with links to every senator's contact info. I've also heard that 5 Calls is a useful resource. Whether you prefer emailing or calling, please make sure you make your voice heard in the Senate before it's too late.
Love & solidarity,
Jessica
