Caley Seaton
Staff Writer
An alarming number of Americans seem unperturbed by the fact that we have allowed our governmental system to become completely disconnected from the majority of the population. The growing divide can be traced back to the deep pockets of a few close-minded, rich, white men who use their wealth to externally control Congress via lobbyists and the financing of certain congressional campaigns.
For example, an anti-abortion group known as “Americans United for Life” has successfully pushed for pro-life legislation that requires women to receive an ultrasound if they plan to obtain an abortion. Variations of the bill have passed in 24 states, and AUL’s success has inspired its Vice President, Bryan Slater, to launch a new project titled “Generation Opportunity.” The program encourages college students to boycott health insurance under The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. It is funded by the Koch Brothers, who are two oil tycoons recognized by Forbes as the sixth richest men in the world. According to MSNBC, they have donated over $2.6 billion to political candidates, all Republican.
This past week, Generation Opportunity sponsored a tailgate event at the University of Miami that consisted of flashy cars, scantily clad females, booze, and some anti-Obamacare propaganda. The Huffington Post shed light on the campaign tactics, and noted that petitions were handed out asking students to pledge they would “Opt Out” of health insurance. GO’s slogan also appears in the “Creepy Uncle Sam” commercials that sway young adults to “not let the government play doctor.”
There are a number of things wrong with this situation. The sheer irony of throwing a boozy tailgate party for college students to prove they don’t need health insurance is hilariously hypocritical. While college students as a whole are less likely to need regular hospital visits, they are also the poster children for unforeseen accidents. According to collegedrinking.gov, alcohol related incidents include 696,000 assaults, 599,000 injuries, 97,000 sexual abuse cases, and 1,825 deaths each year. Yet the Koch Brothers think a tailgate party best proves that our generation is better off with no insurance at all than being covered by the government. Keep in mind that the campaign encouraging us to “not let the government play doctor” is run by the same guy who successfully passed legislation that forces women to pay for unwanted ultrasounds.
Furthermore, the commercials are simply ridiculous and provide no factual information about the Affordable Care Act or these “better options” that are allegedly available to us. They only prove that rich old men can produce disturbing commercials that get the uninformed to agree with their opinions without actually providing any factual evidence. That, in turn, makes us look gullible and easily manipulated. It’s this type of false advertising that continues to divide our two parties and further confuse our generation, even though one day we will be cleaning up the gigantic mess our current government continues to make of seemingly every situation.
The sad truth comes down to the simple fact that our government is completely disconnected from the people, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 24, and both liberal and conservative parties are at fault. Everything relates back to ideological warfare, and we’ve reached a point where both parties are guilty of literally making up information to gain the support of the general public. What’s more is that we allow these members of Congress to misrepresent us by either electing them, or worse, not voting at all, thus allowing people like the Koch Brothers to use their money to beat the system.
The Affordable Care Act is without a doubt flawed, but convincing our generation that we are invincible is not the solution to fixing it. Since Congress is so up in arms about phrase like “socialized medicine,” nobody is taking time to actually look at the facts and create legislation that benefits the population it’s supposed to be representing. Why? Because the people running the show are externally controlled by wealthy radicals like the Koch Brothers, who have their own political agendas in mind. Speaking as a member of the misrepresented population, it’s time for the government to quit with the ideological nonsense and get a grip.