Extra! Extra! Read All About It! June 25, 2017June 26, 2017 THE POLITICAL CRIME OF THE CENTURY Just 26% of Republicans believe that Russia interfered in the Presidential election. That compares with 78% of Democrats, 53% of independents — and 100% of America’s 17 intelligence agencies. Think what that says about Putin’s and Trump’s ability to manipulate American public opinion. According to the lengthy Washington Post story that so many have been talking about: In political terms, Russia’s interference was the crime of the century, an unprecedented and largely successful destabilizing attack on American democracy. Yet our commander-in-chief, like the honey badger, he don’t care. After all, the Kremlin isn’t run by commies anymore. It’s run by a multi-billionaire kleptocrat. A lying, journalist-murdering, opponent-murdering former KGB agent — what’s not to like there? — who has our commander-in-chief wrapped around his finger. (You disagree? Then tell me this: If Angela Merkel or Kim Jung-Un had asked Trump to invite their top ministers into the Oval Office, would he have said yes? And allowed only the German or North Korean press in with them? And seemed so truly relaxed and happy to have them there?) Our commander-in-chief is focused on more important matters than Russia’s sustained attack on our democracy. This week, he and his party are focused on shifting hundreds of billions of dollars from ordinary people’s health care back to the millionaires and billionaires who control the Republican Party. On that score, I have friends who buy the notion that the Republicans are being no more heavy-handed in rushing through Trumpcare than Obama was with his bill. There are two things to note about this. First, it’s spectacularly untrue. If you doubt that, Claire McCaskill nails it in under three minutes. (And here is Seth Myers taking a more flippant, circuitous route.) Second, Obama’s motivation is passing the Affordable Care Act was to help tens of millions of Americans get better health care; relieve all Americans of the worry they might one day develop a pre-exisiting condition or run into a lifetime cap; and launch reforms to make care more efficient and bend the health care inflation curve down — much of all this paid for by adding 3.8% to the tax millionaires pay on investment income — an extra $3.8 million on every $100 million they realize. Whereas Trump’s and the Republicans’ motivation in rushing through Trumpcare is to repeal that tax. See the difference? You can argue the top 1% are over-taxed (though the rate on investment income when Ronald Reagan left office was higher) — oppressed at the hands of the bottom 80% of Americans mostly struggling to get by from paycheck to paycheck. Good for you. But I’m with those who opposed the “mean” House health care bill — only 17% favored it. (It was Trump himself who called the House bill mean, after celebrating its passage.) And who will oppose the Senate version, in much the same ballpark of wrong-headed cruelty. Doug S: “After having read about the abomination that is Mitch McConnell’s healthcare bill, I — as a resident of a high-tax state — say enough of tax welfare for the other states: what about legislation that mandates that no state shall receive more from Uncle Sam than it pays to Uncle Sam? Oh, but that would benefit the blue states to the detriment of the red states? Hmm, gosh, that is a shame. I’d also advocate for Congressional health care be set equal to the least generous healthcare plan available by any state (or the average of the worst three). Since the Republican Congress is clearly waging war on the 99%, it is time they live with the consequences they seek to impose on the rest of us. Fuming in New Jersey.” Call your senators and ask them to oppose Trumpcare. Instead, they should improve Obamacare: Allow negotiation of prescription drug prices. It’s nuts that under current law, the Federal government must accept whatever price the drug companies set. Trump is supposed to be a good negotiator. Start negotiating! Add 2% to the tax on income above $1 million in order to lower deductibles and co-pays for those struggling to get by. Stop sabotaging it — discouraging people from signing up and insurers from making it work. Doing so would go a long way toward making the Affordable Care Act a success and the country more healthy.