Well, it's official. The US Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act individual mandate under the Taxing Clause, rather than the Commerce Clause. Analysis of the legislation and the decision will be everywhere for the foreseeable future - at least until after the Presidential election.
Of course, the haters who want to deny Obama his signature piece of legislation will argue that Obama has gone back on his promise not to tax all Americans. And they will renew their - so far - ineffectual efforts to repeal the law. The question is: how viable is that dream? Which is the bigger and more vocal group in this country - the people who will now be able to afford insurance coverage under the new rules and the exchanges, etc.? Or the people who object to any new taxes, who want to repeal the law and end the gains made in the past two years?
Roberts' opinion practically invited the legislature to overturn the legislation by saying that the decision as to whether the Affordable Care Act is wise policy belongs to the country's elected leaders. So how about that question my fellow Americans? What are you going to tell your elected leaders about your take on this momentous decision? How vocal are you going to be? The decision you make today and the steps you take with your legislators may decide not only the fate of the Affordable Care Act - but the attitudes and changes that affect the future of Medicare and Social Security as well. It's all of one piece to those who oppose social safety nets.
Think about that as you drink your morning coffee and read the pundits and the political posturing. Obama may have won a battle but the war is just heating up folks. The Koch Brothers and other conservative deep-pockets will not take this lying down.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Maybe Popeye was Right about Spinach!
I know this is the day before the Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision on the Affordable Care Act and every journalist/political junkie is trying to guess the outcome. I'm exercising self-restraint and will wait until the actual decision comes down to discuss that topic.
Instead I want to talk about Alzheimer's disease - or rather the avoidance of Alzheimer's disease. My Mother was a fresh fruit and salad advocate for as long as I can remember. We ate some meat (besides not being able to afford expensive cuts very often, Mother was more of a fish person). Dad is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but Mom made sure we always had salad at every meal and vegetables as a side dish. We ate lots of fish (the kids, not Dad), including tuna, and rarely ate anything fried. Kale and spinach and broccoli and cabbage were all staples in our diet. Of course, we were of part Irish descent, so potatoes graced our table on most nights. I also can remember Mom cutting up fresh vegetables and putting them in ice water in the fridge for snacks along with whatever fresh fruit was in season.
Aside from the potatoes, this kind of diet is supposed to help protect one against Alzheimer's disease. Yet Mom suffered from that debilitating illness for about 5 years before she died of a weakened heart. I suppose the argument may be made that she would have succumbed to the dread disease at a younger age if she hadn't eaten such a healthy diet. As it was, she wasn't definitively diagnosed until she was over 75. Now that I'm in my sixties that doesn't seem so very far away. Every time I forget where my keys are or where I parked in the mall parking lot, I feel the shadows getting closer and closer.
Anyway, why not try a healthy diet to avoid sickness? If it works with other diseases, it seems to make sense that it would work for this disease too. In that spirit, I share this link to the Alzheimer's Association webpage on a healthy brain diet. Read it in good health.
http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_adopt_a_brain_healthy_diet.asp
Instead I want to talk about Alzheimer's disease - or rather the avoidance of Alzheimer's disease. My Mother was a fresh fruit and salad advocate for as long as I can remember. We ate some meat (besides not being able to afford expensive cuts very often, Mother was more of a fish person). Dad is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but Mom made sure we always had salad at every meal and vegetables as a side dish. We ate lots of fish (the kids, not Dad), including tuna, and rarely ate anything fried. Kale and spinach and broccoli and cabbage were all staples in our diet. Of course, we were of part Irish descent, so potatoes graced our table on most nights. I also can remember Mom cutting up fresh vegetables and putting them in ice water in the fridge for snacks along with whatever fresh fruit was in season.
Aside from the potatoes, this kind of diet is supposed to help protect one against Alzheimer's disease. Yet Mom suffered from that debilitating illness for about 5 years before she died of a weakened heart. I suppose the argument may be made that she would have succumbed to the dread disease at a younger age if she hadn't eaten such a healthy diet. As it was, she wasn't definitively diagnosed until she was over 75. Now that I'm in my sixties that doesn't seem so very far away. Every time I forget where my keys are or where I parked in the mall parking lot, I feel the shadows getting closer and closer.
Anyway, why not try a healthy diet to avoid sickness? If it works with other diseases, it seems to make sense that it would work for this disease too. In that spirit, I share this link to the Alzheimer's Association webpage on a healthy brain diet. Read it in good health.
http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_adopt_a_brain_healthy_diet.asp
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)