By all accounts, Thursday was a momentous and notable day. The Supreme Court of the United States upheld President Obama's Affordable Care Act, thereby paving the way for millions of Americans to obtain insurance coverage, and millions of others to remain on their plans without fear of being kicked off for simply becoming ill. After decades of working to push for health care reform, progressives saw this President and his signature legislation become the literal law of the land.
But June 28th will also be remembered unfortunately as the day when a sitting Attorney General of the United States was disrespected in the most egregious way. By voting in favor of contempt against AG Eric Holder, Rep. Darrell Issa and others proved that they are not on the side of the American people. And just like obstruction against health care reform, these insulting and outrageous efforts at defamation will be defeated in due time.
When Sen. Mitch McConnell said his top priority was to make Barack Obama a 'one-term president,' he set the tone for many in his party. But despite the enormous attempts to prevent passage of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama pressed forward. Even when members of his own party said it wasn't the right time, our Commander-in-Chief used his bully pulpit for the greater good. And after more than two years of wrangling, Tea Party opposition and legal proceedings, the Supreme Court has made health care reform a Constitutional reality for us all. The ruling was a testament to this nation's ability to do the right thing even when astonishing amounts of money have been funneled in to prevent it from happening. After the screaming matches in towns and cities across this nation, and concerted organized efforts to misrepresent what this legislation does, the American people were victorious.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 17 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage, and 6.6 million young adults have the security of coverage on their parent's plan until the age of 26. At a time when so many young people -- including college grads -- are having extreme difficulty obtaining work (let alone health insurance), this provision provides some relief for both parents and their children. Another 12.8 million Americans will benefit from rebates by August because their insurance company spent too much on administrative and wasteful costs. And these are just the immediate benefits. By 2014, insurance companies cannot discriminate against anyone with a pre-existing condition, and the use of annual limits will be banned. Most importantly perhaps, millions of uninsured, hard-working Americans will finally have the ability to purchase affordable coverage for themselves and their loved ones.
Although it took this President most of his term in office to get this legislation to become law, no one can deny its impact. The biggest lesson we as a collective can learn is that of perseverance. As we watch Rep. Issa push so vigorously to hold AG Holder in contempt, let us remember that when all is said and done, the good guy can and will win. Issa's preposterous attempts at disparaging this AG and the Department of Justice are an outrageous and meaningless use of Congressional time and money for partisan political means.
A program that began under the Bush Administration, Fast and Furious was actually ended by AG Holder. After providing thousands of documents and appearing before the House committee several times, AG Holder was treated like some sort of criminal and berated by a group working to score cheap political points. Never once did Issa or the committee meet with the former AG -- Michael Mukasey -- nor did they meet with any member of the Bush Administration. And they refused to hear testimony from the person who actually ran the ATF.
AG Holder has been hard at work fighting voter suppression efforts across this country, including in the always controversial state of Florida. In an obvious ploy to distract, delay and deter his efforts, those who voted to hold him in contempt and conduct this ridiculous circus (including the handful of Democrats that gave in to NRA pressure) should take heed from the earlier lesson of the day: justice will prevail. Even though it may have taken some time, and unyielding effort and patience, health care reform is now a reality. Allowing millions to receive insurance coverage is a reality. Progress is a reality.
While AG Holder may have been disrespected, if history -- and the present for that matter -- prove anything, it's that good shall triumph in the end.
Follow Rev. Al Sharpton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheRevAl
Remeber, I said GOOD reason. Not the canned 1-liners you hear in the news.
Video
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Express_Yourself/topic/4846447/1/
He lied to the American people in order to get their vote
Kyrani Eade
We need you. forget the haters ... they date back to the times of Jesus Christ. What we know,beyond a shadow of doubt is that justice, while it seems to move slowly ...is still moving.
Thanks to your leadership, as a nation and as a people... we will get there. Stay strong..we got your back.
Semper FI
Al...you ALWAYS make me laugh.
We the Patriotic Reagan Tea Party Constitutional Conservative people will oppose them every step and inch of the way. If Obama and his army of anti-American liberal Socialist-Marxist Democrats want to run roughshod over the American People and destroy and collapse all that is America, Individual Freedom, Liberty, Democracy, and the Truth, then we will meet them head on as this battle is far from over.
This is not only what "We the People" must do, it is our duty and responsibility to do as we must be the ones to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, Democracy, Freedom, Liberty, and our Republic, and return the govt that was once "Limited" and "Of the People, By the People, For the People".
Quote-
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the "consent of the governed"
~American Declaration of Independence~
More "SOCIAL GOSPEL" rhetoric coming from YOU?
Playing on the "emotion" of Americans, while neglecting the "truth" in the overall picture?
As a "Reverend" you ought to know this verse ... "woe to those who call good evil and evil good" (Isaiah 5:20).
The "good shall triumph in the end" you say ?
What are you referring to here as "good" ?? You are DEMONIZING many of your "fellow Americans" who happened to oppose ObamaCare.
Your "social gospel" apostatizes from the "THE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ", promising a "utopia of social programs and handouts on this earth" based on humanistic ("progressive) philosophy of "entitlements", NOT Christianity.
So you define Socialism and Redistribution (with all their evils) as "good"?
This is simply devlish "Liberation Theology", always trumpeting the "plight of the poor" while TAKING from "hard working Americans" and taking from them the opportunity to help the poor by THEIR OWN VOLITION; not "coerced" by Gov;t. And you feel KNOW SHAME for this?
Such has been your argument in this blog, under girded by your "Social Gospel World View".
You also trumpet ONLY the (supposed) "good points" of Obama Care but conveniently avoiding the truth about its perils.
Forget not Rev. Sharpton, that "truth shall prevail". And the "truth of ObamaCare" and the perils it will bring is a much larger picture than you portray in this article.
Turn of Fox & read the damn thing. This is not a hand-out. Quite the opposite. The hand-outs are breaking the system.The affordable health care act simply makes those who do not currently have coverage get it.No more uninsured getting treated in emergency rooms ,leaving the bill to your insurance company. This law will make your premiums go down.Unless you are one of the freeloaders milking the system.
Great, we agree on "some" things, like mitigating "handouts" and stopping "freeloading".
Yet your statement "AHCA simply".
"Simply" doesn't square with this Bill, complex (2700 pages?). Even many Dems didn't fully read before passing, and NOW handed to the Gov't to oversee?
How many times must we make that same mistake with entitlement programs?
I am aware of ramifications of what this thing is going to do to our "current" HC system, and to YOU. A plethora of new taxes coming on .. medical suppliers, insurance companies, small businesses who choose not to provide HC coverage. The burdens on small businesses are going to further hurt their ability to create jobs.
You think the "middle class" escapes paying more taxes to fund this? Nope. Already the CBO projects it will far more costly than its proponents led us to believe, originally projected at $940 billion over 10 years. NOW? oops! Its doubled ($1.76T). You think that's the final number? Want to bet on that ? Forget not the nonstop flood of "illegals" flooding our emergency rooms who will be "Forced" to treat them.
There is NO WAY to fund all this except to raise taxes (everyone). And remember, "cost controlling" measures originally proposed by Reps for this Bill were ignored by Pelosi and Reid.
How about how this Bill will eventually result in rationing and cause quality of YOUR HC to go down?
On the whole, many will lose far more than they will gain from Obamacare.