Dear Mr. President, Please Let Us Live

I admit to being heartbroken by some of what is both seen and not seen in the Affordable Health Care Act, signed into law by the President and supported by the Obama administration.

Yes, the bill does a lot of good things.  Yes, it is an historic and long-awaited passage of some health care reform.

And the thing about this bill is, even what help it does bring to citizens who are concerned about health care is being vigorously and viciously opposed.  We've got  a harsh climate for efforts to keep the bill from eventually being repealed as well as any hope for making the bill better.  So it is not always easy to criticize those who were involved in the bill's creation.

(But no, I do not think anyone should let the attack dogs keep them from speaking out about what they need and what they think is best for all of the nation's citizens.)

What I did not expect was an attack on Social Security during the Obama administration.  I knew that my own serious problem with the copays and deductibles I need to pay on the Medicare program, which goes with my Social Security Disability, would now continue--and that I would struggle and maybe not survive for this reason.  But I didn't think there was any danger of Social Security itself being in danger right now.

Well, I just wasn't paranoid enough.  Please don't shoot the messenger, but here's the bad news:

http://michaelmoore.com/words/latest-news/whacking-old-folks

I know that a Republican President, with the current incarnation of GOP leaders in charge (who I hope will be getting some complaints at some point from Republicans who have hearts and brains), would be harder on those of us dependent on Social Security.  I also think that a Libertarian would be harsher still. What I want to know is, who would be both sensible and compassionate?  There are a lot more things that could be cut before we stick the knives into the most vulnerable citizens.  Give me the red pencil; I'll do it.  Sheesh.  We are being help captive by some both nasty and incompetent budget-slashers and I for one am getting tired of always having the target painted on my back.

We do have to mobilize, which isn't so easy when you are sick and/or disabled.  I suppose the idea is that others should mobilize for us, but we haven't been getting a whole lot of that lately.

We have to be careful to avoid being labeled as expendable collateral damage in the war against the budget deficit.  By the way, did you bring about that deficit?  Did I?  All by ourselves?  Why are we supposed to feel so guilty for having gotten sick?

I'm in a lot of pain today and my joints in my hands are especially cranky but I'm going to be writing letters anyway.  You know, I'm not asking for an upper-middle-class lifestyle.  I'm asking for survival, for myself and for others who didn't have Lady Luck being a lady in the personal health department.