I'm going with a really radical change of pace in this post. It's going to be a first person thing, almost like a journal. I want to write down exactly how it feels to be in Trump's America. And with that in mind, let's begin.
Today is January 15, 2017. In five days, Donald Trump will be sworn into office as the 45th president of the United States. The Republicans in the house and senate have been busy trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Trump isn't even the president yet, bear that in mind, and they're already working to undo what his predecessor accomplished. And to tell you the truth? I'm fucking terrified.
I am a person with a disability. I am a person who relies on protections set forth by the ACA in order to maintain my insured status and my access to healthcare. If the ACA is repealed, that's all gone. Poof. In the blink of an eye, my safety net goes up in smoke. And I'm not the only one.
My mum relies on the ACA for her healthcare. Prior to the passage of Obamacare, my mother was paying upwards of 400 dollars a month for insurance. And that was just the baseline fee. If she needed any kind of preventive care or screening, that was an extra fee piled on top. She had to go without a mammogram, despite her physician suspecting breast cancer, because it was just too fucking expensive.
I've never known what it is to look to the future and be truly terrified. I've never known the fear of having my home taken or being denied life-saving care simply because I couldn't afford it. Which seems like a load of bullshit to me. Why in God's name are we being expected to fucking pay for healthcare? That's like saying, "If you're rich enough you can live. Otherwise, go fuck yourself."
And I feel like there's fuck all that I can do about it. I call my elected officials. I talk to them until my throat is dry and my voice is hoarse. And then they turn around and vote for some cockamamy plan to pile more cash onto the 1% at the cost of the common man. God I sound like a Republican with that common man shit.
I don't really know what there is to expect right now. I just know that I'm more worried for my country than I ever have been before.
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