I’ve been thinking a lot lately about who we are as Mississippians based on a couple of things that have emerged recently.
First, there was the outpouring of support for Columbus businessman John Musa. I won’t go into the details of his story because it is well-known by now, but in a single week a GoFundMe account for him attracted 466 donors who contributed more than $28,000.
Second, there was the continued refusal of the state legislature to expand Medicaid to fill the health care gap between those who have access to Medicaid and those who have private insurance, which accounts for about 10 percent of the state’s population. Filling that gap of the uninsured working Mississippians would also be a lifeline for our state’s rural hospitals, many of which totter on the brink of collapse. Unless meaningful help arrives soon, there will be places in third-world countries that have better access to hospital care than in parts of Mississippi.
Two situations. To wildly different responses.
How do you account for it?
Let’s take it one at a time.
You might think the crowd-sourcing we see in Musa’s situation is something born in the age of the internet, yet this has been going on since the founding of our nation. I think it’s one of the best aspects of what can be described as The American Character.
Two hundred years ago, a neighbor’s barn burns down and the people in the community said, “Let’s pool our money and build him a new barn.” How many millions of times has that happened all across the country in our nation’s history?
Now, let’s look at the other situation.
Thirteen years ago, the nation, through Congress, said, “Let’s use a portion of our taxes to provide basic health care for the working poor.” A billion dollars has been set aside for Mississippi to make that happen.
The difference?
No one was obligated to lend a hand to John Musa. It was voluntary, rightly perceived as a testament to the decency of our people.
The other said, as part of our obligation as citizens, we are going to provide health care services to those who cannot afford it.
Mississippi’s response? Whoa! That’s socialism, an evil to be avoided at all costs.
Here’s the thing, though. When you are on the receiving end of help, you don’t split hairs about where the money comes from.
I know a lot of anti-socialist businessmen. Not one has uttered a word of complaint about the PPP loans they received and the “socialism” that made those loans possible. No, they were climbing over each other like crabs in a pot to get at that money.
Socialism, as it is currently defined by conservatives, saved our nation in the 1930s and single-handedly built the American middle class in the 1940s and 1950s. In truth, every single thing that we as Americans hold collectively is a product of socialism.
So thank God for “socialism.” Our country could not have endured without it.
Meanwhile, our legislators desperately cling to ignorance and prejudice.
Much to their dismay, they have discovered that shiftless folks – like the server at your favorite restaurant, the man who cuts your lawn, the convenience store clerk who has made the effort to know you and greet you by name – want access to health care so they can live healthy lives just like their betters.
The nerve of them.
John Musa gets $28,000 for stolen copper, but 10 percent of Mississippians will continue to get no help at all to simply stay healthy and alive.
How can that rest easy on anyone’s conscience?
If I’m permitted to characterize the Mississippi legislature’s attitude toward Medicaid expansion, it would be, “Why should I care? It ain’t my barn that burned down.”
I believe it’s past time for our Golden Triangle Republicans legislators to speak plainly their view on the issue and what they intend to do about it.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.