Friday, September 07, 2012

4 or 50 - or 1 or 2

The Lone Star Family was sitting around the table the other day talking about how close this presidential election is and how much we hope that President Obama will win.  I said that even if - God forbid - he doesn't, after four more years the Republicans won't stand a chance because there will be so many states with Latino majorities and lots of electoral votes and, although you can't really generalize, of course, Latinos usually care too much about the poor and middle class to allow the Republicans to win.  I told the Lone Star Girl it would probably be hardest for her if her young adulthood years were under the pall of a Romney presidency, but to live like a nun for four years if it happened and then we would get our country back.

The Lone Star Girl said that, as encouraging as that was, it would not be only four years we would have to worry about - more like fifty.  If Romney wins, he will probably get to appoint 2 or 3 Supreme Court Justices.  I hadn't really thought about that but she is right - if Romney wins, we can kiss civil rights good-bye for a good, long time...they'd never consider gay marriage or women's rights under a Court like that and I fear that the Voting Rights Act could be overturned as well - terrifying.

Then the Lone Star Baby piped up -  "Four years or fifty, it won't help that little girl."

That silenced us.

She was talking about the little girl whose mother spoke at the Democratic National Convention - the one whose lifetime cap on insurance benefits has been lifted due to the Affordable Care Act.  Her mother said she will need her third open heart surgery in one or two years.  If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, she will reach the lifetime limit of her coverage then.

"What if it was me?"  the Lone Star Baby asked. 


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