I fear most of what I think will occur in 2014 will be things I wish would not happen.
The Republicans will continue to distort the truth about the Affordable Care Act, and gullible people will buy their rubbish as in 2013. It’s not government-run health care. It’s simply government regulating health care insurance; Making insurance more affordable to more people and covering much more than it had in the past. It will help many who could not before get insurance at any cost. It’s not Medicare for all. Too bad it isn’t. We will still be arguing this when 2014 ends. The only question is; How many times will the Republican run house vote to repeal the ACA?
Tragically, sometime during 2014 some school children and teachers will be shot at school. Some deranged young person will get hold of his parent’s guns and use them to kill classmates he/she doesn’t like. Or some deranged adult will buy firearms of mass destruction and kill many. A good law would be to make parents responsible for the acts of their children if they fail to keep their firearms locked up and out of the reach of their children.
Democrats will again call for background checks, but the Republicans will do nothing about keeping crazy people from purchasing guns. The coming year will end exactly as this year, a year without any meaningful regulations about who can and can’t buy guns.
Guantanamo Bay prison will still be open when 2014 comes to an end. Yes, President Obama promised to close this monstrosity, but the Republicans and some Democrats just won’t allow it. It would have been closed in 2013 if Congress had passed the legislation allowing prisoners to be held on U.S. soil. Those opposed to this seem to think because they are in Guantanamo it somehow means they are not our prisoners. Kind of dumb, don’t you think? So we will continue to spend millions more than necessary.
Unfortunately, major tornadoes will rip through the heartland causing millions, maybe billions in damage. Congressional representatives and senators representing that part of the country will demand government assistance, claiming tornadoes are different than the hurricanes which hit New Jersey and New York in 2012. They voted against government help for the residents of those liberal states.
In 2014 huge icebergs will continue to breakup into the ocean, drought and famine will plague the world, unheard of storms and inclement weather will occur in parts of the world which before had not been impacted. It will get hotter and colder and the weather will become less predictable than ever.
Yes, climate change will continue as the Republicans laugh at the idea of global warming having anything to do will the 7 billion or so people now crowding and polluting our planet.
The poor will get poorer and the rich will get richer, continuing the trend of the last 40 years. The Republicans’ answer will be to cut more benefits, such as food stamps and healthcare for the poor from the budget. Single parent households will be hit hardest.
The Republicans will deny they are at war with the women in this country while they continue to battle them on every issue women consider important. States controlled by Republicans will continue to close health care clinics, ban nearly every form of abortion, and stop women from attempting to prevent unwanted pregnancies by using contraceptive medicines. The GOP will continue to fight women’s’ attempts to receive equal pay for equal work and equality in the workplace in regards to promotions. They’ll continue to deny it, but, make no mistake, they are at war with women.
The president will again call for financial support for college students and policies that ensure equal opportunity for all young people to go as far as hard work and intelligence will take them in this world. The Republicans will continue to battle the president on this issue.
I haven’t much hope we will see meaningful immigration reform during 2014. The Tea Party will push the Republicans into a policy which calls for the deportation of about 10 million immigrants. Not only is deporting that many illegals laughable, and a physical impossibility, it would have serious negative impacts on our economy.
There will continue to be wars around the world, as in 2013, although we may have a couple new ones in 2014.
The Republicans and a few nitwit Democrats will continue to ignore the consequences of the ecological destruction of our planet.
It’s the same old same old for 2014 unless we oust the Republicans.
Glen McAdoo, a Fallon resident can be contacted at glynn@phonewave.net.