There are things about the places we drove through while on vacation that I have not been able to shake. I mentioned before that we saw a lot of rural America. We also saw a lot of signs supporting Trump and proudly flying Confederate flags. We saw many well lived in houses that looked like they were standing only out of habit. We were probably the only actual campers in the campground we stayed in at Mark Twain National Forest. All of the travel trailers were settled in and had been there for some time. A few of them had full sized refrigerators strapped to the outside of the camper. One or two had their own shed. I was raised in rural Oklahoma. I've seen my fair share of rundown homes with a few cars sitting on blocks in the yard. This is not a new sight for me to see. It just struck me that I was seeing so much of it outside my home state. 

I was reading the New York Times the other day and there was an article on the impact this new health care reform bill will have on the people of Kentucky. Most of the people in that state rely on Medicaid to help pay for insurance and medical costs. The Affordable Care Act gave insurance to people who had never been able to have insurance before. This is important since Kentucky is in the midst of an opioid and a black lung epidemic. It also brought jobs to Kentucky. More people with healthcare means more doctors, health care facilities, and staff to run those facilities. The ACA brought jobs to a state who desperately needed jobs. Mitch McConnell, who is one of the biggest supporters of this reform bill, hails from Kentucky. The people of that state voted for him. This is a population who support and vote for a political party that does not have their best interest in heart. And I don't understand the logic behind this. 

Part of it comes from a lack of information. While driving across rural Missouri, Michael flipped through the radio stations and we came up with four different religious channels, one 80s rock station and three country stations. We did not once stumble across the closest NPR station. Which left me wondering. How do the people out there get unbiased, real fact news? I'm not talking about opinion pieces. Just the actual story and events that are currently taking place. Yes, those news outlets exist. It is why I have a subscription to the New York Times, but also follow other news outlets in order to get a wide range of information. Many Americans are being distracted by a President who is the most vile and hateful cyberbully in the U.S. He's misogynistic and vain. His cabinet meetings are not about coming up with strategies to help the average American, but are all about inflating his ego with praise. But none of this matters. 

Because while this President is distracting you with his awfulness, the Republicans are moving forward with agendas to take away health care from 22 million Americans, cut Medicaid and suspend all funding to Planned Parenthood. The real problem is this current group of Republican men in office have made it abundantly clear that they do not care about your well being. 

Call your Representatives and your Senators.