Prentiss Smith 10:01 a.m. CT April 8, 2017

Prentiss Smith(Photo: Courtesy photo)

Obamacare is the law of the land, and its going to remain the law of the land for the foreseeable future. Those are the words of the second most powerful politician in Washington D. C., Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan. Mr. Ryan, who reluctantly became Speaker of the House when no one else wanted the job, has staked his political reputation on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act or as it is widely known, Obamacare.

Ryan, a self-described Ayn Rand devotee, has been described as a policy wonk, which is political speak for someone who gets into the nuts and bolts of policymaking. He is also a devout Catholic, which makes his devotion to an atheist like Ayn Rand all the more troubling. It is well known in Washington that he wants to privatize Social Security and Medicare and block grant Medicaid back to the states, which many people believe would leave a lot of Americans vulnerable. He ought to be ashamed of himself, but he is not. He should work to fix the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.

And who is Ayn Rand you might ask, and why is she relevant in this discussion. Ayn Rand was a self-described atheist and the Russian born author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, both of which became best selling novels for her. She is relevant because of her political influence on conservative politicians and intellectuals like Paul Ryan, who adhere to her belief that the government should not be in the business of helping Americans who may fall on hard times. She often railed against Social Security and Medicare because she believed they were a precursor to Socialism and Communism, which she abhorred. Paul Ryan has said that her writings are required reading for his incoming staff members. There is little doubt that she would have been against the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare as is Paul Ryan

Yes, the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare is a flawed, and yes, the premiums and the deductibles are too high under the law, but the reality is that millions of Americans have signed up for it, and they don't want it taken away. They want it fixed. They don't want millionaire politicians like Paul Ryan and his Republican cohorts to take it away from them, even though it is flawed. That is the message that he and his fellow lawmakers received from millions of Americans who have benefited from the law. Mr. Ryan lost this round, but he is still bound and determined to eliminate the bill, and throw millions of Americans off the healthcare rolls.

As I said earlier, they all should be ashamed of themselves, but they are not because they have no idea what regular Americans must go through when they can't take their children to the doctor or when an elderly widower can't afford to buy medicine or when someone who has a pre-existing condition can't get healthcare because of that condition.

U. S. Congressmen and Congresswomen are paid a minimum of 15,000 dollars a month. Each one of them also receive millions of dollars for staff and other perks that go along with being a U. S. Representative. They have the best health care in the country that is supplemented by you and me, which is why they should be the last people trying to keep people from having access to affordable health care.

A person's wealth should not determine whether one can take a sick child to the doctor, but it does. In other words, a persons wealth should not be the determining factor for any American to get medical care. Access to affordable healthcare is vitally important to all Americans. It is the number one issue that parents deal with when raising their children. Millionaire politicians like Paul Ryan and his Republican cohorts, who have the best healthcare in the world, should not be following the ideology of a mean-spirited atheist like Ayn Rand, who ultimately had to use the same Social Security and Medicare that she railed against for so many years. Her hypocrisy and the hypocrisy of Paul Ryan, who also received Social Security payments when his father died, shows that everybody falls on hard times sometimes, and may need a hand up. Mr. Ryan should be ashamed of himself for what he is trying to do with all the safety net programs that millions of working class Americans depend on in this country, but he is not.

Whether some politicians, and we all know who they are, can understand it or not, most people believe healthcare is a right and not a privilege. Many Americans know that it is the worst thing in the world when they can't take their baby to a doctor when he or she is sick. Many Americans know what it's like to lose everything they own because they had to file bankruptcy over medical expenses. It is a sad commentary when an elderly person must make a choice of whetherto buy their medicine or buy food. America is the richest country in the world, and we can do better by our people. These same politicians, and we all know who they are, should stop their war against the Affordable Care Act, and fix it. And thats my take. smithpren@aol.com

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Prentiss Smith: Paul Ryan ought to be ashamed, should work to fix Affordable Care Act - Shreveport Times