North Carolina GOP Internal Battles Stall Short Session

By Mildred Robertson

A Herculean battle is raging in North Carolina as opposing forces struggle for domination in the North Carolina Legislature.

You might think it is the Moral Monday demonstrators who have been a thorn in the side of the Republican-led legislature since the 2012 elections; calling for voting rights, women’s rights, Medicaid expansion and a number of other social imperatives.

 Or it is possibly the North Carolina Public School teachers who have been both lauded and reviled during this legislative session by those who think that many, perhaps most, are unworthy of their pay, or should work harder for it, or don’t need extra hands in the overcrowded classroom.

No, you say, it must be the women of North Carolina who must give over their health decisions to their bosses and travel half-way across the state to find the health services they need.   Or could it be environmentalists who are appalled at the slipshod manner in which the legislature has moved forward with plans to begin fracking in the state.

Surely it must be the unemployed struggling to hold on to their homes and feed their children while their weeks of eligibility are whittled away.

Well, recent polls by both the conservative group Civitas and the left-leaning Public Policy polling say none of these groups have great love for the 2014 North Carolina Legislature. But the battle between these groups and the Republican-led legislature pales in comparison to the battle within the ranks of the NC GOP itself. A three-way tug-of-war between the House, the Senate and the governor have all but paralyzed the state.

While one would think that a party that controls both chambers and the governor’s mansion would whiz through the short session, piling up victories as the opposing party gnashes its teeth and beats its chest in defeat, not so in North Carolina. In fact, the Democrats have ordered popcorn and a coke as they watch the GOP implode.

The short session, which has languished into July, has produced few victories for the GOP as they battle each other with the vigor of mortal enemies. A budget battle has positioned the GOP in opposition to educators and state workers. The move to use lottery earnings to fund teacher pay raises has enraged many on the religious right. The GOP appears baffled as to how to address Medicaid issues. They cannot even decide how much of a short-fall to anticipate, much less how to rectify it.

It would seem that the NC GOP would be relishing its victory over redistricting, voting rights restrictions, budget cuts, reductions in unemployment benefits, and the taking of both chambers of the legislature and the Governor’s mansion. But let us not forget—they are the party of “No.”

 It turns out they know how to fight much better than they know how to legislate, and so they fight one another.

What Does it Take to Be a "Traditional" North Carolinian?

Guest Commentary
By: Brad Thompson, President BTA Public Relations

It seems that after 400 years, more than 250 of those in slavery, and almost 50 years since the passage of the Voting Rights Bill, and after the Savagery on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, after the loss of life of courageous Americans in not only the Civil Rights struggle but the Wars in which we participated, we still have not earned the right to be considered "American". How far do we have to go before we can be recognized as "traditional"?

House Speaker Thom Tillis has again let the "cat out of the bag" on his thinking on who represents the "true" North Carolinians. And make no mistake about it, you (minorities) are not included. No pretty words can cover the fact that "traditional" means "white only".

That offends and should not be taken lightly.

I am happy Rev. Earl Johnson and the RWCA in Wake County called attention to this with a Press Conference. They should not be the only voice heard in response to this thinking. It is understandable why the General Assembly is able to enact such repressive legislation with the "leadership" thinking as it does.

 We have come too far to turn back. "Forward Ever, Backwards never".

Brad Thompson is President, and Principal Consultant for BTA Public Relations. A former Mayor Pro-Tem of Raleigh, NC and State Director of the Office of U.S. Senator John Edwards, Brad brings to the team more than 25 years of marketing, outreach and political organizing experience. He has successfully managed marketing programs and political campaigns at the local, regional and state levels. He has extensive awareness of and relationships with principals and organizations throughout North Carolina and the Southeast and is often consulted on strategy and major policy issues, particularly those affecting the African American community. Brad specializes in new market and partnership development and in team building. Brad is a graduate of NCSU in Engineering Operations where he was a Herbert Lehman Scholar.
  

 

HEALTHCARE IS NOT A PERK--EXPAND MEDICAID NOW!

By Mildred Robertson

After a valiant fight against lung cancer, on Wednesday, May 21 at about 8 p.m. Central Standard Time, 51-year-old Dwayne C. Cox transitioned from earth to Heaven. His battle had been a long one, even though, much of the time he did not know his enemy’s nature. You see, he had no health insurance and was not diagnosed with cancer until it was too late.

He knew he was sick. He knew it was serious. He sought help, making numerous trips to the emergency room, only to be sent home with some pain meds, and a diagnosis of a pulled muscle, or no diagnosis at all.

Dwayne was one of the masses of people who make enough to live, but not to afford the luxury of a health insurance policy. He was fairly young, robust, and early on, it seemed like a good gamble to choose other expenditures over health insurance premiums.

And the system just was not that concerned about him. 

Months before his death, he decided to make yet another trip to the emergency room. This time, he said, he would not leave until they told him what was wrong with him. He prayed to God to move on his behalf, and his prayer was answered. He was diagnosed with end-stage lung cancer and he finally began to get treatment.

But it was too late. They even enrolled him in a clinical trial to attempt to prolong his life—but, it was too late.   

You see, I do not believe Dwayne had to die right now. Had his illness been diagnosed earlier his life most likely could have been prolonged, or perhaps even saved. Life is not something you should have to purchase. Whether you live or die should not depend upon your bank account. Treatable illnesses should not be turned into death sentences. Unnecessary pain and suffering should not have to be endured because of economic status. Help should not be withheld until the end is obvious and inevitable.

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, North Carolina is among 19 states not moving forward with Medicaid expansion. There are 27 states, including Washington D.C., that are implementing expansion and 5 states in open debate about it.  Missouri, where Dwayne lived, has opted out of Medicaid expansion. Had the benefits of the Affordable Care Act been available to him, would he still be alive?

In my home state of North Carolina there are 168,000 uninsured people eligible for Medicaid; 130,000 of them children. Nationwide, there are 3.6 million uninsured individuals who are eligible for Medicaid, but won’t get it because the state they live in has opted not to expand Medicaid coverage. According to a New York Times Poll, more than half the people in many of those states support the expansion. 

Universal health care is not about politics. It is about people.

Dwayne was a father, a brother, a son, a nephew, a grandfather, who died too soon. That is why state legislatures that stand in the way of coverage for the nation’s most vulnerable are so insidious.  That is why the expansion of Medicaid is so essential.

For Dwayne, it is too late. But for millions who live without the safety of healthcare coverage, there is still time.

Raise your voice. Demand universal expansion of Medicaid coverage.

OBAMACARE OFFERS COVERAGE FOR EMANICIPATED FOSTER CHILDREN

By Mildred Robertson

If you are a former foster child between the ages of 18-26, you may be eligible to enroll in Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). ACA allows young adults coming out of the foster care system to get Medicaid coverage, regardless of income, until they reach the age of 26, just as other young adults are able to remain on their parent’s health plan.

 

According to “Stateline Weekly,” about 26,000 young adults ages 18-22 years leave the foster care system each year. These young adults are left without state protection. But ACA grants these individuals full Medicaid coverage until they reach 26 in the state where they lived when they left the foster care system.

 

The problem however, is that many eligible young adults are not participating in the program. Former foster children many times are transient, relocating to go to school, find jobs, reunite with family, or are simply homeless. According to “Stateline Weekly,” 26,000 young adults leave foster care each year without permanent homes.

It is imperative that we get the word out about the availability of this valuable resource to young adults who sorely need the health coverage. Under ACA, they are entitled to it, whether the state they live in participated in the health exchange or not.

Under the Chaffee option, a provision of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, young adults released from foster care were eligible for Medicaid until they reached 21 years of age. Now, under ACA, that coverage is extended to the age of 26. It is not part of the Medicaid expansion, so the benefit applies in all states, not just the ones that expanded Medicaid.

Lewinsky Irrelevant to Political Discourse

Monica Lewinsky – Really?

By Mildred Robertson

 

Okay. I get that keeping the blue dress did not work out like you planned; nor did your little romp under the presidential desk. But do you really think you can be made relevant again because Hillary may run for the White House?

It is sad that Lewinsky can get a spread in a major magazine because at one time she made a horrible mistake and consorted with a married man. It is even sadder that some might consider the ill-conceived affair between Lewinsky and Bill Clinton an issue relevant to whether Hillary Clinton is qualified to be the first female elected to the highest office in the nation.
 

The affair does not reflect on Hilliary’s character, but that of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky—neither of whom is running for president. While Republican opponents will do their best to make Lewinsky an issue; and she will do her best to become fodder for the nightly news, the affair just doesn’t matter as it relates to presidential politics.

The stakes are too high, and the cause too important to let a “reality TV” mentality dictate the nation’s political debate. The nation is currently emerging from one of the most devastating economic downturns in recent history. Heightened racial tension is supplanting the perceived “post-racial” society that many proclaimed upon Obama’s election.  Scientists are telling us that global warming is not a future threat, but one that we face today. Voting rights are being threatened throughout the South and millions of Americans go to work every day, but still can’t afford adequate food or housing.
 

So let’s get to the facts. Where does Hillary stand on the minimum wage; job creation, universal healthcare, education, social and racial justice, global warming and international conflicts across the globe?  These are questions that will determine whether she is fit to lead the most powerful nation in the world.

It is too early for me to determine who I will support in the 2016 Presidential election. I do want to determine how the candidate that I support will address issues of national concern. But I can guarantee that a philandering husband will not be among the measures that I use to make my choice.

No Justice for Jacksonville Teen Jordan Davis

Florida Gun Laws Amount to 21st Century Lynching

By Mildred Robertson
 

Well, it was almost justice. A bewildered Michael Dunn raised his hands in disbelief as a Florida jury found him guilty of shooting into a car of unarmed Black teenagers, and killing one of them. Mind you, they didn’t find him guilty of murder.  The white 47-year-old software engineer started an altercation with the teenagers in a Jacksonville gas station parking lot because he thought their music was too loud. He then fired 10 rounds into the vehicle, killing Jordan Davis.

Dunn claimed self-defense. But what was he defending himself from? There was no weapon found in the car—just a dead child.

It is a familiar story. Young Black males seem to be deemed inherently dangerous just by their existence. It appears that Florida juries find it reasonable for armed grown men to mow down Black youth without fear of repercussion. The Florida gun law is the 21^st Century hangman’s noose where society says it is okay to sacrifice a Black child at the whim of any white citizen. That citizen can be found innocent because any “reasonable” person would have feared for his or her life in the presence of this child.

But where is the reason? Is it not “reasonable” for a young Black man to expect the freedom to walk safely to the corner store for skittles and a soda? Is it not reasonable for Black youth to drive into a service station for gas, without the fear that they will lose their lives because some stranger does not appreciate their tone when they ignore his reprimand?

Just as in the George Zimmerman case, Dunn provoked this encounter. He did not have to address the issue of the loud music with the young men. He could have mentioned it to the store clerk. Or he could have just got his gas, got in his car and drove away. Yet all he had to do to get a pass in Florida was to say that someone in the car threatened him, and he “thought” he saw the barrel of a rifle. In Florida, that will get most white men a “get out of jail free” card. (It did not work so well for Marrisa Alexandar, also of Jacksonville, a Black women who fired into the wall to frighten a known abuser away).

Dunn made the mistake of firing at the fleeing car, which is what could earn him 60 years in prison. Even in Florida, they couldn’t figure out how to make folks in a fleeing car be seen as a threat.

It is good that Dunn was at least found guilty of these lesser charges. Florida has mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for crimes committed with guns. So Dunn faces 20 years for each of the three counts of his conviction. That is likely little comfort to Davis’ grieving family.

It appears prosecutors will retry Dunn on the murder charge. If they do, Florida needs to be aware that the whole world is watching. Because of its racial overtones, the trial has drawn international attention.

Affordable Care Act, President Obama, Medicare, Social Security, Healthcare.gov, Rollout

Bumpy Healthcare Rollout Fuels Critics, Hinders Enrollment
By Mildred Robertson

It is unfortunate. A unique opportunity exists for people who have little or no health insurance coverage in America. That opportunity, however, is being undermined by bad politics (an oxymoron) and a poor implementation plan.

It is unfortunate that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was not properly tested before its rollout on October 1, 2013. That bumpy start gave the naysayers just what they needed to be able to confidently say, “I told you so.” Because of the rough start, many have begun to give credence to the Ted Cruzes and the Sarah Palins of this world who hate all things Obama, and anything that might smack of the government serving the poor. 

Meanwhile, millions continue to forego needed healthcare, or find their way to an emergency room to service healthcare needs that could have been prevented, or treated at a much lower cost. And don’t misunderstand who is paying for the high cost of treating the uninsured. It is you and me. 

President Obama will bear the blame if this social experiment fails. It is not blame that he should necessarily shoulder alone, since he has had to battle an opposing party that has attempted at every juncture to derail universal healthcare for America’s most vulnerable. The plan we have is not the plan he wanted. But it was what he could get from a cantankerous Republican-led House and a skittish Democratic Senate.

The GOP attack has been constant and consistent, while offering no alternative to a problem that must be solved. They have created a pervasive fear in the American public that implementation of the Affordable Care Act will result in the collapse of the healthcare system and will create a drag on the economy.  Even staunch universal healthcare supporters have balked in recent days as the news about the rollout continues to be shaky at best.

The fact of the matter is that healthcare.gov was never intended to meet the needs of citizens in all 50 states. Originally, that was a task intended for each individual state, with assistance from the government. Instead, the federal government had to step in to fill the breach when Republican led states refused to set up healthcare exchanges and enroll Medicaid recipients.

Data indicates that those states running their own healthcare exchanges, as intended, are doing relatively well. It is the 20 or so that did not that have helped to swell the numbers attempting to access the healthcare.gov. website and thereby exacerbate issues associated with the rollout.  

Let us not be naïve. No endeavor of this magnitude could be expected to be without glitches. The implementation of both Medicare and Social Security were no less controversial than the ACA. Those social programs were ultimately successful and should serve to calm the fears of supporters, who admittedly expected better planning and a more precise anticipation of possible difficulties with implementation.

Unfortunately, many have already ventured on the site, and left with a sour taste in their mouth. It may be difficult to get them to give it another try.

Signing up is not necessarily simple, and for those states who offer their citizens no assistance, each must do his or her own research to determine how best to navigate the system, or to find the resources necessary to help them log on and make the best choice for their families. Many who most need the service are the least well equipped to navigate the process.

It is important that all who believe in the Affordable Care Act and support its implementation talk to family, friends and neighbors and encourage them to log on and sign up. It remains to be seen whether ACA is the best legislation for achieving universal healthcare, but it is the best that we could get in this contentious environment.

We should applaud President Obama for fighting for the right of every American citizen to have access to quality healthcare.  We should work diligently to remove the obstacles that hinder the ACA from meeting its full potential. Then we must work to refine it, so that it can provide the health and economic benefits that are possible if we can bring down the cost of healthcare and increase its availability to all Americans.

If you are interested in signing up for ACA but are not sure where to start, there are a number of resources available, even in states that do not offer a healthcare exchange.  To help you learn to navigate the process, go to: https://www.healthcare.gov/get-covered-a-1-page-guide-to-the-health-insurance-marketplace/ or call 1-800-318-2596.

Navigators, who are individuals trained to answer your questions about ACA, can also be found by contacting local churches, nonprofit organizations or health clinics.

REFERENCES:
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/10/28/what-about-social-securitys-rollout/
http://elder-clinic.law.wfu.edu/files/2013/11/2013-11-11-NC-County-by-County-In-Person-Assister-Resource-Directory.pdf