Independent since 2002 Issue No. 1102 Week of November 7, 2026 Get the free email dispatch →

Commentary

Unemployment, the Absence of Universal Health Care, & Continued War

By Larry Pinkney Editorial Board

Even as the Wall Street barons received undeserved trillions of dollars of the people’s money, the people themselves are massively losing their jobs & homes nationwide, receiving no universal single payer health care, and continue to be the cannon fodder for the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the other hand, the U.S. corporate…

March 12, 2009 3 min read Free to read

Even as the Wall Street barons received undeserved trillions of dollars of the people’s money, the people themselves are massively losing their jobs & homes nationwide, receiving no universal single payer health care, and continue to be the cannon fodder for the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the other hand, the U.S. corporate news media is shamelessly urging people to “spend, spend, spend” the relatively miniscule so-called “stimulus” checks that some are receiving in order to supposedly jump start a failing U.S. economy, which economy has already been greedily gutted by the corporate / military elite at the expense of the everyday Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow folks of this nation. Nevertheless, like an ostrich with its head in the sand, the onslaught of the actual nature of the unprecedented impending economic tidal wave is being distorted by the same Republicrat (i.e. Republican and Democrat Party) corporate and political blood suckers who are in fact responsible for this systemic havoc in the first place.

Why has the need for single payer universal health care been virtually removed from the agenda, narrative, and the discussion by this current regime and its cohorts? Why have no substantive actions been taken to bring U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan back to the United States?

It is important not to be fooled by the misleading rhetoric of so-called ‘affordable health care’ since so-called affordability is ultimately determined by the corporate insurance companies, and it is most certainly not single payer universal health care. This tactic is similar to the smoke and mirror ploy of using the term ‘redeploy,’ as if ‘redeploy’ necessarily and automatically means bringing U.S. troops home, when in fact (as is presently being demonstrated with certain U.S. troops being ‘redeployed’ from one combat zone to another in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan) and not being returned home; being ‘redeployed’ certainly does not have to mean returning the troops home to the United States. Misleading rhetoric is already a hall mark of the Obama regime.

The people must have single payer universal health care and not the misleading rhetoric of so-called ‘affordable’ health care. Moreover, and by the same token, the U.S. troops must be brought home to the United States, not merely redeployed to some other area of combat.

It is the duty and responsibility of the government to serve the people – not bail out the corporate criminals – who live off of the people. Had there been systemic change back in November of 2008, both single payer universal health care and removing U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan would be substantively well on their way to being a reality. But there was no systemic change. It’s more of the same in a different garb, and its going to get worse – much worse.

So let’s not miss the forest for the trees. The tell tale signs are all around us and there is something that can be done: Hold the Democrats and Republicans (i.e. the Republicrats) accountable and seriously organize for systemic change, not more of the same. It is after all up to us – the people.

© 2002–2026 BlackCommentator.com

Free to reprint with attribution and a link to our home page.

Join the conversation

Commenting is for Members

Reading is always free. Become a member to add your voice — comment on every column.

Liked this piece? Get the next one free.

A new issue, most weeks, straight to your inbox — no strings.

$ $ Contribute $ $