In 2008, Barack Hussein Obama II was elected President of the United States. He brought with him to office the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare health care, that was a bill made into a law. This law is in place to help those who need medical insurance. This law is Obama’s baby, one of the reasons why he ran for the presidency.

Republicans tried very hard to keep Obama from getting elected, one, to keep the Affordable Care Act bill from becoming a law. Two, they didn’t want a man of color running the White House. Well, Barack Obama did become the United States President and Obamacare has become a law. The ACA is really making strides as people in record numbers across the country are going online and signing up. The sad thing is Republicans are so bent on keeping the Act from working that they have managed a government shutdown. And it seems they have no plans to open government in the foreseeable future. This is not good.

Federal workers around the country have been furloughed, people with cancer can’t get a treatment that has proven to work, families are feeling the affects of the shutdown as they aren’t receiving paychecks to pay the bills, our borders are only partially protected as workers have been furloughed, clinics around the country are closed, and kids are out of school. Obama passed a bill that would guarantee health care coverage for those who need it, but because of a great law, we now have a partial government. To add to this horrific fact, the Debt Ceiling needs to be raised by the 17th of this month. If it isn’t there could be a national economic collapse. There may even be a world wide economic meltdown. Can you imagine? I won’t write about the horrors we will face if this happens now, because I’m hoping government won’t allow go as far as to kill the economy and I don’t want to scare anyone.

But let’s take a quick look at the healthcare situation. I know that the shutdown is causing many other problems, but can you imagine not getting any government aide when you are sick. Americans have paid their taxes, fica, health insurance and so on and now the government shut down in the efforts to keep them from getting the care they need when they need it. I don’t know of middle class worker who has money to throw away these days. I don’t know of any parent that wants to allow government to keep their children and parents from good quality health service. But the Republicans don’t seem to think that healthcare is important.

Barack Obama dared to bring with him to office affordable healthcare insurance that I believe is really benefiting the public only to be met with stiff opposition and a threat to do away with government services. There was actually a person speaking about what he thinks the Republicans really have in mind, on his daily talk show. He said he believes that the Republicans aren’t fretting over the shutdown because their real goal is to do away with the Presidency altogether. All this over a health law that passed, and by the way, the President’s skin color. Contrary to Republican belief, Obama actually is an American.

There are so many issues at stake here, so much evil and shame, so much pointing the finger and blame while the American people are anxiously wondering what will happen next. Are we someday going to have to heal ourselves? Go to other countries for medical treatment? Are people going to keep dying because of a lack of medical insurance? Are Americans going to go broke because they have to pay high rates for insurance, medicines, treatment? Do the rich get richer and everyone else fall to the wayside?

I’ve had to give up something and reconsider my future because of a group of men that don’t know how to govern. I’m just one of thousands.

Cedric Robertson