On yesterday, I wrote an essay about how thoughtless it is for Bernie to deliberately create policies to destroy the Health Insurance Industry. Without repeating everything, my thesis:
- The heart and soul of survival in the black community is getting a good job
- Many of us don’t feel the hostilities that some of you do toward the corporations that are an opportunity to lift us out of poverty
- Our historical migration patterns from South to North was because of:
- Kodak in Rochester
- GM in Detroit
- Allstate in Chicago
- And the many banks in North Carolina
In our communities, getting a job at the Post Office, UPS, Fed Ex or any Corporate home office or distribution center was the absolute ultimate for workers with only a high school diploma. We also cherished good paying factory jobs in the North but they are dwindling by the day.
For those with degrees, our main choices are:
- Government/Agency Jobs
- K-12 Education
- Insurance Companies
So my continued argument is that Bernie’s plan (by design or by lack of awareness) undercuts our already reeling middle-class by destroying one of the big three.
We cannot afford for the entire health insurance market to go bankrupt!
I suggest that Bernie and his supporters study the National African American Insurance Association’s web site:
NAAIA is dedicated to empowering African-American insurance professionals currently in the industry as well as increasing their numbers nationwide. We engage in the sharing of information for personal growth and professional development while providing opportunities for networking, continuing education, and building mutually beneficial partnerships.
So what’s the point?
We’re trying to increase employment in the industry, not reduce it!!
Just as we battled to support GM in Detroit and the Union Busters in Wisconsin, many in our community believe we have to battle anyone who is trying to destroy an important employment source in our community.
Many of us are very supportive of the insurance industry because it’s our white-collar version of GM!
On yesterday, some argued, “but they could get new jobs in the Single Payer program!” That’s what Mitt Romney said to GM. “Let them go bankrupt” and the workers can find jobs elsewhere.
Finally, these are the conversations that our Souls to the Polls armies are discussing. Every time I hear one of you tell me something like:
- POC’s really need to know that his policies will make them better off
- When they get to know him better, we will “understand” that he’s our great savior
Really?
Well, we know him now and his ideas are deeply troubling.