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ionelvA lot of non-Americans are upset at ordinary Americans (99+% of all of them) because of US foreign policy, military and CIA involvement in just about every corner of this Earth (with a few small exceptions). So, let me start by clarifying that ordinary Americans have exactly ZERO say in those matters. At most they are pawns used to pull the trigger while the mastermind puppet masters are counting their blood stained gold bars, sipping martinis on their megayachts or at some posh galas or hunting big game on some Safari.
The US Democratic process (I.e. elections, consultations, town halls, sausage making) is a mere rubber stamp on preselected candidates by the moneyed elites, candidates that push their sponsors agenda every single time when the rubber hits the road, and that holds from US president down to the state level representatives.
How can I say this with certainty? It’s easy: follow the money that sponsor those candidates and the laws and decisions they make after election. Let’s talk about the main parties who managed to split public opinion into the lesser of two evils false dichotomy (since they are both corrupt in different ways):
* DEMOCRATS: They talk a good game but ever since 1992 at least, they are just GOP-lite that plays the good cop in this ridiculous game. Their economic justice accomplishments since 1992:
** raise the minimum wage (for some people only) to a level of subsistence, and
** Obamacare (which merely takes money from middle/upper middle class to pay for a risible healthcare insurance scheme for the poor).
On everything else of substance (corporate largesse, immigration, tough on crime, military industrial complex, foreign interference, global wars, crass human rights violations at home and abroad) they are almost indistinguishable from the GOP which brings us to:
* REPUBLICANS (aka GOP, a Reagan cult after 1980, a Tea Party cult bolted on top after 1994, and an additional cryptofascist Gilead-like MAGA cult since 2016): They are the bad cop and all the above plus: autocratic, xenophobic, overt union busting, overtly racist and misogynistic, they wrap themselves in the flag and thump the Bible. They care more about the right to own arsenals of assault automatic rifles and pistols than their own kids lives, will cut their nose to spite their face, rich people bootlickers, give two shits about the bottom 99% economically (despite having a strong support of around 40% of the voting adults), so their entire base is built on cultural overblown divisive issues since their entire fiscal policy is a dumpster fire of selfcontradictions that flares up whenever the US fed govt’s borrowing limit needs raised again over the very loud and mostly performative protests of its Tea Party roots and long-gone fiscal conservatism.
There have been numerous studies that show how US has been busy
* downgrading its social net on every front (economic, pensions, universal and financially-reasonable access to healthcare, universal and state sponsored education, legal protections for minorities, individual rights, freedom of association, protection from moneyed interests and its own govt’s propaganda )
* shifting into a plutocratic oligarchy and
* the chances of its transition into an autocratic state are higher every year as the oligarchs are capturing more and more the levers of power (political, judicial, executive, media corporate consolidation) and keep pushing their self-destructing “Let them eat cake” nationalist agenda.
The US Democratic process (I.e. elections, consultations, town halls, sausage making) is a mere rubber stamp on preselected candidates by the moneyed elites, candidates that push their sponsors agenda every single time when the rubber hits the road, and that holds from US president down to the state level representatives.
How can I say this with certainty? It’s easy: follow the money that sponsor those candidates and the laws and decisions they make after election. Let’s talk about the main parties who managed to split public opinion into the lesser of two evils false dichotomy (since they are both corrupt in different ways):
* DEMOCRATS: They talk a good game but ever since 1992 at least, they are just GOP-lite that plays the good cop in this ridiculous game. Their economic justice accomplishments since 1992:
** raise the minimum wage (for some people only) to a level of subsistence, and
** Obamacare (which merely takes money from middle/upper middle class to pay for a risible healthcare insurance scheme for the poor).
On everything else of substance (corporate largesse, immigration, tough on crime, military industrial complex, foreign interference, global wars, crass human rights violations at home and abroad) they are almost indistinguishable from the GOP which brings us to:
* REPUBLICANS (aka GOP, a Reagan cult after 1980, a Tea Party cult bolted on top after 1994, and an additional cryptofascist Gilead-like MAGA cult since 2016): They are the bad cop and all the above plus: autocratic, xenophobic, overt union busting, overtly racist and misogynistic, they wrap themselves in the flag and thump the Bible. They care more about the right to own arsenals of assault automatic rifles and pistols than their own kids lives, will cut their nose to spite their face, rich people bootlickers, give two shits about the bottom 99% economically (despite having a strong support of around 40% of the voting adults), so their entire base is built on cultural overblown divisive issues since their entire fiscal policy is a dumpster fire of selfcontradictions that flares up whenever the US fed govt’s borrowing limit needs raised again over the very loud and mostly performative protests of its Tea Party roots and long-gone fiscal conservatism.
There have been numerous studies that show how US has been busy
* downgrading its social net on every front (economic, pensions, universal and financially-reasonable access to healthcare, universal and state sponsored education, legal protections for minorities, individual rights, freedom of association, protection from moneyed interests and its own govt’s propaganda )
* shifting into a plutocratic oligarchy and
* the chances of its transition into an autocratic state are higher every year as the oligarchs are capturing more and more the levers of power (political, judicial, executive, media corporate consolidation) and keep pushing their self-destructing “Let them eat cake” nationalist agenda.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-25 01:03 am (UTC)Here is a breakdown of the impact:
Proportion Remained High: Studies published in 2019 and later found that medical issues contributed to roughly 66.5% of all bankruptcies, a figure that remained virtually unchanged from the pre-ACA era.
Insured Individuals Still at Risk: A significant finding is that many individuals who file for medical bankruptcy actually have health insurance. The rise in high-deductible plans and out-of-pocket costs means that even with insurance, patients can face insurmountable medical debt.
Reduction in Overall Filings: Although the proportion of medical bankruptcies did not change, the total number of personal bankruptcies dropped by roughly 50% between 2010 and 2016, a period that includes the full implementation of the ACA. This suggests the ACA contributed to a general, significant reduction in the total volume of bankruptcy filings.
Regional Differences: In states that expanded Medicaid, there was a more significant, positive impact on reducing medical debt compared to non-expansion states.
Why Medical Bankruptcy Remained Common
High Deductibles: While the ACA reduced the number of uninsured, it did not eliminate "underinsurance," where people have insurance but face high deductibles, copayments, and gaps in coverage.
Income Loss: Medical debt is often compounded by income loss due to illness, a factor that health insurance does not cover.
Uncovered Services: Costs for services not covered by insurance can quickly lead to financial distress.
In summary, while the ACA helped millions of people gain coverage and contributed to an overall decline in personal bankruptcy filings, it did not solve the crisis of medical bankruptcy, as the proportion of debtors citing medical bills as a cause did not significantly decline.