Today, unemployment threatens the hopes and lives of millions of Americans. Recent graduates can’t find jobs. Families that need two paychecks are living on one. Households that depended on one paycheck have none. More than nine million Americans who need a full time job are working part-time. Many who have jobs are “working scared.” They haven’t had a raise for years, and don’t dare ask for one. They live with the constant fear that, without warning, they will join the ranks of the unemployed. The economy remains sluggish; there is little hope that the private sector will begin to generate the jobs this country needs.
Over the past two years, many of us pinned our hopes on healthcare reform. If we could just manage that, it would be a sign that we, as a nation, were ready for the “transformative” change that President Obama promised. And, to the amazement of the chattering classes (a.k.a. “the pundits”), Congress did, in fact, pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Nevertheless, many remain wary. Reform’s opponents claim that the legislation will lead to a loss of benefits for seniors, combined with sky-high premiums for everyone else. Deficit hawks argue that the pilot projects will never work, and that Medicare will push the nation into bankruptcy. And even those who embraced the legislation fear that as conservatives take over the House, a new Congress will dismantle the ACA by refusing to fund it.
None of this is true.