Affordable Healthcare Act- Midterm Assignment

The research process was initiated when I joined my partner for our topic; the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) and why the government shut down because of it. I had watched some of the news coverage about it and even briefly discussed the issue with my dad, who is feeling the impact of the new law in the union contract regarding his health coverage. All of these factors helped to gather enough information to educate me on the topic and make sure that I understood it enough to share with my classmates. Once we were assigned the midterm prompt, I dug deeper into researching about the healthcare act because I still had a few more questions. There were so many sources to cipher through, but I was able to hone in on a few that proved to be beneficial in gaining a clear understanding of this whole situation. At first I was nervous about how I would include the other topics in my paper; however, in addition to the research shared by my peers, I took the time to research more on the topics that I had chosen to include in my midterm. I created an outline to try and help organize my thoughts so that I could be clear and concise in my response to what was being asked of me from the prompt. Now that I look back, I impressed myself on some of the things that I came up with. A lot of the material that is in my midterm just began to flow when I started the writing process. All the nervousness left me and I was able to just engage in the assignment. I decided to begin with choosing what I wanted to list as my suggestions as to what a young individual needed to engage themselves as citizens, and from there it was easier to plug and relate the topics and from there I was able to provide a few real time examples. Now, without further adieu…the finished product.

Implementing an Effective Approach

by 

Dominique Bobineaux

Young people of today’s America are overwhelmed with the daunting task of trying to establish their livelihood while simultaneously trying to get a decent education (that is becoming increasingly expensive and eventually unattainable), work a low paying job (usually at minimum wage with hopes to climb the ladder to a more lucrative position), and trying to develop into involved and conducive citizens. This is all done to supplement the “American Dream” that has been repeatedly trodden into our subconscious since grammar school as a promise to a better life that is poverty free; a dream, and or promise, that is no longer valid for the American people. “What happened to the American Dream—the one we've heard about since kindergarten, the one we’ve read about and were indoctrinated to believe in—the ever-so-plausible happy ending that could be secured with nothing more than a little sweat and dogged determination?” (33). Young people are expected to have a degree from a 4-year university in order to get a decent job that has so fallaciously been promised, yet tuition has become so expensive and financial assistance so scarce, education itself has become impossible to conquer. Jobs today are in short supply, and because the unemployment pool is so vast, the competition is even more aggressive; as a result, the average bachelors or masters’ degree often times have extreme difficulty finding jobs. “The presumed scenario is that you follow all the rules. Everybody knows you can’t be successful in these modern times without a college education. So you enroll in college…With expectations of a fantastic job that matches your fantastic skills…Then, reality hits; you can’t find a job in this Recession Economy or the one you secured has been snatched away” (33) With the lack of access to good paying jobs, comes the threat of being impoverished and unable to support oneself or one’s family. These issues, among others pose a huge threat to young people attempting to provide for themselves; so much so, that many aren't aiming to become wealthy or achieve this phantom “American Dream”, many are just fighting to make ends meet. Although, arguably enough there are many issues that young people of today face, finding a constructive approach to addressing these issues is another problem. In order for young people to engage themselves as citizens of this country, so that they may act accordingly and beneficially they must ascend upon the issues with a strategic plan and be well prepared.

            As a part of being well prepared, young people must arm themselves with intellectual armor, question the motives of government officials, and strategize a constructive approach towards addressing the issues that face them. Let’s first discuss intellectual armor. In order to address any issue that has a direct effect on an individual or group, the individual or group should be well versed on the issue itself. Knowing what the issue is, who or what is causing the issue, who is already making strides to resolve the issue, and the governments standpoint on and involvement with the issue is all apart of intellectual armor. Intellectual armor ensures that the individual or group is aware of how this issue is causing problems and therefore can effectively offer solutions; in example, addressing poverty in its own right involves many factors, having a complete or in some measure, an understanding of the subject will assist in addressing the matter and eventually contribute to implementing an effective approach. In the book The Rich and the Rest of US by Cornel West and Tavis Smiley, the growing problem of poverty was addressed as well as ideas on how to address this predicament that is affecting millions of Americans on a daily and continuous basis. “To get out of this economic mess, we must thoroughly dissect the missing pieces that placed almost 50 million of us in this calamitous position…Lastly, we must map out a bold and courageous path for change—by all means necessary” (39). Today, many young people who are impoverished or have been impoverished have an understanding of the many factors that contributed to that circumstance. “Dismantling the safety net” is an issue that involves poverty and young people. There are some government assistance programs available to low-income and impoverished families, such as, WIC, welfare programs, food stamps, TANF etc. These programs are considered social and economic safety nets. There are many arguments that are in agreement to dismantle these safety nets and would like exonerate them completely; instead there are many efforts to ensure difficulty for those receiving the services. Some of these efforts come in the form of heavy regulations such as, how many people can live in your home and under certain terms, only 1 child can be included in some services even if there are multiple in the home, etc. These regulations may be the result in denial for some families and ultimately a catapult further into poverty because they are deemed ineligible for public assistance. This is an example of an issue involving millions of young people, and also an example of a situation that needs immediate improvement; In this example, Young people can begin to engage themselves by learning both arguments in the situation because it involves them directly, but most importantly they should also become engaged in issues that involve them indirectly as well.

            For issues that indirectly, but in some way still have an affect on the lives of young people, it may be difficult to become engaged in the matter. When this occurs, the results may be decreased voting on certain laws or measures that may or may not prove beneficial for the public. An example of this would be the California Proposition 37, Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food that was on the November 2012 ballot; the proposition did not pass due to insufficient amount of “yes” votes. At a glance, it seemed as though a good idea that companies that produce food should be required to label if the food is genetically engineered or not. In contrast, many consequences that would result from this proposition were not well known amongst the average young person, for example, the increase in grocery costs, tax increases, and shakedown lawsuits making lawyers wealthier. Unless young people actively search for and demand answers, they will not be well-informed about the topic at hand. Although there are two sides to the argument, if there were more involvement from the public, specifically young people, drastic changes can possibly be made. Another issue that may indirectly affect young people but is still important to know about is corporate welfare. Corporate welfare is defined as tax breaks or subsidies given by the government to profit-making companies. An example of this would be when Obama bailed out Solyndra, a solar power company, with a $527 million bailout loan in 2009. On the face of it, it appeared as though President Obama was attempting to sustain the expansion of the green economy and contribute to growing more jobs. Later the company went bankrupt and refused to pay back the loan that was given from the government in effort to keep the company afloat. This has caused tax payers millions of dollars to support these companies that have received so many tax breaks and government loans. Young people may not have viewed this bailout as a posable threat, at first, but the effects trickle down later in the form of a higher deficit and other consequent backlashes that the public will have to pay for. “We have the resources, experience, and knowledge to virtually eliminate poverty, especially long-term poverty, but we do not yet have the political will” (46). If young people position themselves in a way that will show government officials and corporations that they are paying attention and insist that there be more government involvement in matters that are negatively impacting them, then some progressive changes can be made. By doing this, young people can take initiative and respond constructively to the issues that surround their daily lives.

            Regardless of the indirect or direct effect that an issue may have on an individual, it is still imperative that an individual remain well-informed on the events that are taking place on a national and international level. Staying well-informed and active with worldly events might seem a bit impossible because young people have been burdened with the troublesome tasks of daily life; however, if young people want to make an effort to make positive changes that will not only benefit their lives but the lives of their peers. This brings us to another helpful benefit that young people need in order to engage themselves as citizens of this country and position themselves in a way that they can respond constructively; Self-motivation. Instead of choosing to follow the social constructs that rule society and just accepting how things are, young people need to find it in themselves to motivate and push for better outcomes. After all, the young people are our future and if they do not fight for a better tomorrow, what hope will be left for the newer generations of young people? Self-motivation can position young people to produce constructive contributions to this nation and in time implement an effective plan with a positive approach that produces a beneficial outcome for all of humanity. A current event that comes to mind is the current state of healthcare; the affordable healthcare act that will benefit millions but also increase or raise the debt ceiling. This is an event that will impact millions of young people, yet the government shut down because of this healthcare act. Young people should be motivated enough to discover the facts about the healthcare act and how it will benefit or possibly impact them. Young people should also be motivated to research the government’s standpoint about this act and why they shut down. On October 16, 2013 the government shutdown, initially with no intentions of negotiating. The shutdown lasted for 16 days and many services, national parks and divisions were closed because of it. The argument was this; the opponents of the already passed healthcare law argue that the law will hurt employers financially and that the imposed taxes in the new law will ultimately be sending jobs overseas to cut costs. There was much confusion surrounding the facts about the healthcare law and why the government was fighting over the law. Because of this confusion, the public responded negatively towards the law and the government for lack of knowledge about the entire situation. This example proves that young people should become motivated enough to become more involved in the events that are taking place within the nation. Without motivation, there is no stimulus to understand the situation and therefor respond accordingly. This can spiral into a negative impact and have horrid outcomes such as rioting and destruction of property, etc.  The idea here is that young people with enough audacity to challenge the issues within the nation that are directly and inadvertently indirectly impacting them, have the self-motivation needed to conceive and implement a constructive and effective plan that will yield a productive and beneficial outcome. With self-motivation comes the urge to want to become more involved with the community and possibly empower others to overcome the issues that are deterrent of young people.

            Involvement within the community can prove to be beneficial in multiple ways. When a community comes together, united for a cause, the outcome can have a tremendous effect. If young people come together, to say, battle politics and fight for issues that aren’t being addressed by government or are a direct result of government neglect, there combined voices can be heard and clear a path towards making a change. Without this united effort, young people stand alone and therefore have little to no effective conclusion. “The greatest threat to America’s national security comes from no enemy without but from our own failure to protect, invest in, and educate all of our children who make up all of our futures in this global economy” (49). When young people become involved within the community, they are able to share their stories, find ways to improve immediate and gradual issues, and help one another by giving support. These pieces are an important part to the larger puzzle; the communities that make up the nation and are suffering from the daily problems that threatens millions. Let’s visit back to the incessant issue of poverty. Millions nationwide are suffering from this conundrum, and hundreds of thousands are local. With the collaborative effort of those within the community to battle this unfortunate predicament that plagues youth, veterans, elderly, men and women, a revolution can begin. This revolution is necessary to alter the factors that contribute to the current state of poverty within this nation, such as, lack of opportunity and funding, etc. Because poverty effects so many, standing together to fight for immediate action to be taken to reduce or begin to eliminate poverty can produce immediate action. Young people should definitely make efforts to become a part of community outreach projects because more participation will force the political powers to notice; with this comes improved laws, improved social and economic programs and services. But if the community and young people do not demand action by speaking through a unified voice, then why should the government want to take action if the people do not fight for these benefits? “The current poverty numbers constitute a state of emergency in America, which means that ending poverty must become a top agenda item for all political leaders” (45). Involvement within the community calls for much responsibility, and the young people who embrace self-motivation and intellectual armor will indeed be able to accept that responsibility. By accepting this responsibility that is required communal outreach, young people come closer to addressing the current state of affairs within the nation and responding to them effectively.

            It is the responsibility of young people to take charge of the situations they face and the issues that threaten to deter them from achieving goals; whether it is with their education, poverty, or lack of jobs and opportunity. These situations can be local (within the community or statewide), but some issues may be on a national level. There may be times when the issues are out of their own control, however, constant involvement may prove to be a big help in making a positive change. To take charge in these situations and issues yields an ultimatum for young people to respond to them in a constructive matter. In order for young people to respond constructively to these issues, they must position themselves in such a way that they are well equipped to do so. There are a few factors that young people will need to equip themselves with in order to constructively respond; intellectual armor, self-motivation and involvement within the community. These tools become useful when attempting to think clearly and react positively to the issues that face them. By educating and self-motivating themselves, young people can act on implementing an effective approach to engaging themselves as involved citizens of this country. Also, by involving themselves in the community, young people gain more experience in the matters that affect the nation as a whole. They also get to share their own experiences with others and make a connection with them that can establish rapport. This spirit of unity is a powerful and beautiful thing, and even more so an prevailing entity that can change the world. It all begins with but not limited to the young people of America. It’s not just the college students but entrepreneurs, single mothers and fathers, veterans, elderly that have the power to stand together and motivate themselves and each other, to educate themselves and others. If we cannot come together and collaborate on issues that affect us all, then we do not stand a chance at changing anything and will surely hurt more than we already are; ultimately, we will have failed the young people in helping them engage as citizens and will have robbed them of the opportunities to do so.