Our nation has many serious problems. For the American people, here are some of the their priorities; not those of right wing politicians.

CHIP. The ‘Children’s Health Insurance Program. Nearly nine million children from low-income families are covered by CHIP. This program was initiated by the late Ted Kennedy, and the ancient leftover in the senate, Orrin Hatch. CHIP is vital to the health of children whose parents cannot afford adequate healthcare. Republicans refused to sign the bill which would continue the funding for this program, and Hatch is virtually ignoring this fact. His priority is giving tax breaks to the super-wealthy.

DACA. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. 800,000 young men and women who came to the United States as small children were protected under DACA. They know no other home and have contributed to our nation. Trump refused to renew the program although he was urged to do so by companies such as Google, Amazon, and other corporations which rely on their employment. These young Americans have contributed far more to America’s future than many others their age who are naturally born citizens. DACA doesn’t cost our nation anything; it benefits from their existence. Once again; Republicans are more concerned with giving large corporations and the super-rich additional tax cuts.

Poverty. More than 49 million Americans live in poverty in the United States. This number continues to grow. Trump loves to talk about the unemployment rate which is in truth the result of programs initiated by President Obama, but he has yet to mention poverty. There is no excuse for a single American struggling to survive on a daily basis. A nation which has four percent of the world’s population has the most wealthy individuals in the world. With 585 billionaires and 10.7 million, millionaires there is no excuse for poverty in America. The nation closest to America in excessive wealth is China with 277 billionaires; it has 20 percent of the world’s population.

Trump’s new tax plan will harm Americans making less than $10,000 per year the most. The poverty level will continue to rise. But it guarantees that the ‘rich will get richer.’

Immigration. Trump’s belief in white supremacy is tearing apart American families and deporting hard-working men and women who have lived in our country for decades and have contributed to America. Although they are undocumented, they are citizens. There is no reason to take them away from their lives in the United States other than the fact that their skin is darker than his; they are brown, not orange. Over 11 million Americans remain in limbo, but the Republican focus is on making the rich, richer.

Healthcare for Everyone. Obamacare remains under attack from the right wing. Trump is ripping it apart piece by piece and has no plan to replace it. The United States of America is the only developed nation which refuses to offer health insurance for all of its citizens. The 535 men and women who decide who has healthcare and who does not, receive excellent healthcare and benefits paid for by those who they reject. But the priority on the right is tax breaks for the wealthy.

Drug overdose. Ten long and controversial years in South Vietnam resulted in the deaths of more than 58,000 Americans. In 2016 more than 52,000 Americans died from drug overdose; and the problem is growing. Trump has done nothing to address the situation.

The core of the problem is opioid use. Millions of Americans are addicted to these pain killers. The medical profession is one of the factors contributing to this national disaster. Doctors casually prescribed these drugs without fully understanding the side affects and possible addictive properties of the ingredients.

As the cost of opioids increased, and the availability decreased, millions of Americans turned to less expensive and more accessible heroin.

This serious situation is not going away. However, it is being ignored by Republicans while they struggle to pass their destructive tax bill and, yes, give more tax breaks to the rich.

Please re-post; thank you.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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