Quote of the Day

When a country is willing to sacrifice the health of its own citizens for the sake of a tax cut for its wealthiest citizens, the damage done is to more than just our physical health: it is damage done to a nation's soul.‬ It is a choice for mean-spiritedness and greed as opposed to love and justice; but in my heart, I don't believe that it will stand. We are a better people than this, and all of us are getting the chance to think deeply about what "goodness" and "decency" mean when applied to our collective experience. To me, our national goals should reflect our personal principles: that we wish to succeed, of course, but never ever at the expense of someone else's good. In the words of John F. Kennedy, "We cannot afford to be materially rich but spiritually poor." We must be more than a rich nation; we must be a good nation, and that means good to one another. Wealth created on the backs of the old, the disadvantaged and the poor is not righteous money, and it is a corrupting influence not only on our nation's politics but on our national psyche. It is, quite simply, wrong. And we must do everything we can to make it right. That is the task of citizenship: to extend our love and determination beyond the self, in concern for our common good.

– Marianne Williamson
via Facebook
June 27, 2017

Related Off-site Links:
GOP "Health" Bill: Death, Disaster and Gilded Age Greed – Richard Eskow (BillMoyers.com, June 26, 2017).
Senate Health Bill Slashes Medicaid to Cut Millionaires’ Taxes – Frank Clemente (Common Dreams, June 28, 2017).
GOP Health Care Bill Would Cut Medicaid by 35 Percent Over Next 20 Years – Nathaniel Weixel (The Hill, June 29, 2017).
Twenty-two Million Americans Would Lose Health Coverage Under Senate Bill – Susan Heavey and Tim Ahmann (Reuters, June 26, 2017).
208,500 Additional Deaths Could Occur by 2026 Under the Senate Health Plan – Ann Crawford-Roberts, Nichole Roxas, and Ichiro Kawachi (Vox, June 28, 2017).
Senate GOP's Proposed Medicaid Cuts Would Slash Aid for Special Needs Kids – Darla Mercado (CNBC, June 27, 2017).
This Is What Oligarchy Looks Like: Koch Brothers’ Groups Criticize GOP Senate Health Care Bill for Not Being Conservative Enough – Marina Fang (The Huffington Post, June 25, 2017).
Republicans Call Obamacare a "Failure." These Seven Charts Show They Couldn't Be More Wrong – Michael Hiltzik (Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2017).
Republican Blurts Out That Sick People Don’t Deserve Affordable Care – Jonathan Chait (New York Magazine, May 1, 2017).
Poll: Only 12% of Americans Support the Senate Health Care Plan – Susan Page and Emma Kinery (USA Today, June 28, 2017).
"Resistance Is Working": McConnell Forced to Delay Trumpcare Vote – Jake Johnson (Common Dreams, June 27, 2017).
Despite Delay, Resistance Doubles Down Against Deeply Unpopular Trumpcare Bill – Julia Conley (Common Dreams, June 28, 2017).
I Was Pulled Out of My Wheelchair by Police. It Could Be Worse. Trumpcare Could Pass – Stephanie Woodward (Vox, June 28, 2017).
Urging Democrats to Go Bold, Elizabeth Warren Says "The Next Step Is Single Payer" – Julia Conley (Common Dreams, June 27, 2017).
These Three Movies Will Help You Understand the Republican Health Care Bill – Matthew Dessem (Slate, June 29, 2017).
Understanding Republican Cruelty – Paul Krugman (New York Times, June 30, 2017).
Caring for the Common Good Is What We Should All Have In Common – Leonard Pitts (Press Herald, June 28, 2017).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Quote of the Day – May 4, 2017
• Quote of the Day – March 16, 2017
• A Profoundly Troubling and Tragic Indictment
• On International Human Rights Day, Saying "No" to Donald Trump and His Fascist Agenda
• Trump's Playbook

Image: Molly Adams/Flickr.