Gov. Branstad opposes Medicaid expansion

One of my long held principles is that most people do not act on a problem until it directly affects them. If you have a job that was anything like mine, that was a principle that played out nearly every day. Management would be told by workers that unless THIS was fixed then THAT would happen. Invariably it did, because management’s usual response to the warnings was to ignore the workers. In my particular capacity there were a couple of major computer problems that were never thought of in the design stage. I and others warned and warned, but nothing happened until in the middle of the night that the problems came to a head.

Similar things are happening in our state and country. Rob Portman, a Republican senator from Ohio if you didn’t know, has spent his political career stating the standard Republican line about gays. You know the drill – marriage is a man and a woman, being gay is a choice, being gay is an aberration, gay people shouldn’t get special rights – on and on and on. And he could get away with it because in his world he knew no problems with his stands.

But as you all know, a glitch happened – Portman’s son came out as gay – two years ago. And Dad was there to support him after he made sure that his son’s ‘aberration’ would not hurt him politically. But it was just sad, so sad that Dad Portman couldn’t have done the right thing long ago and declared that a person’s sexuality is really none of his business. And as far as marriage equality goes, citizens should have a right to choose their partners and all should get whatever benefits the state gives to married people, no matter their sexuality.

It was sadder still that Dad Portman didn’t embrace his son publicly after he came out 2 years ago. Instead he had to make sure there was no political fallout. He didn’t have the guts to do the right thing. My children are my children and I love them unconditionally. So does Rob Portman – now – sort of. Will it take every politician (and SCOTUS justice) to have a gay child before they can have their eyes open to what this country is doing to its gay citizens? When you look at what a miserable human being Dick Cheney is, his one redeeming value is his attitude toward gays. But of course that is due to having a gay child.

Similarly, what would it take for a Terry Branstad to realize what a horrible and terrifying game he is playing with people’s lives? Will it take one of his sons to go broke and then be denied access to Medicaid to cover his childrens health? Obviously our governor can’t see beyond the cash in the outstretched hand of the lobbyist or ALEC representative. Certainly there needs to be some event to bring our governor’s attention to the reality of a major portion of Iowa’s citizens. Most of us do not get two large paychecks and live in a mansion.

Back in the day, I believe it was Harry Truman was asked how to get a mule to do some work. Truman said first you take a 2×4 and hit the mule upside the head . That was to get his attention. Sadly, it appears many of our Republican friends need their attention grabbed to understand what real Americans are living through these days. Right now their attention is focused, like Branstad’s, on that wad of cash in the lobbyist’s fist.