May 032005
 

The Ragged Edge, an on-line magazine on disability news and culture, did a short list of disability-related blogs. It’s a good list, except for one thing. I’m not on it. A simple clerical oversight, I’m sure. I suppose I should send a polite request to the editors to include me in the next version of the list. I’m not always comfortable promoting myself, but I’m good enough for the BBC, and that’s a whole different country.
Last week, Congress passed a budget resolution that included $10 billion in Medicaid cuts. It also included $106 billion in tax cuts. I’ve said before that I’m open to some kind of Medicaid reform. But I don’t get the impression that Republicans in Congress, based on these budget priorities, are terribly interested in reform. They are so hellbent on slashing taxes that they are willing to gut services that won’t cost them points with their political base. At some point, the Dems are going to have to find the balls to talk openly about taxes and their role in a civil society. If people understood that funding these services now (like health care) actually saves us all money in the long term, they might be less inclined to exhibit the usual knee-jerk hostility to government services. It will take years to reframe the issue and Dems cannot be their usual pontificating, condescending selves. We have to convince people that it’s better to pay a few dollars more in taxes than $500 monthly health insurance premiums or a second mortgage for your kid’s college education. If it’s framed in a way that actually addresses the daily budget challenges of the average American, I’m convinced we can start pushing back against the GOP’s slash-and-burn style of governance.

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