Obstructionists v. Obama

by Errington C. Thompson, MD

President Barack Obama has faced unprecedented criticism and obstructionism from the opposition.

It really doesn’t matter what he’s trying to accomplish, they are going out of their way to block it. If Barack Obama wanted a simple resolution stating that sunshine is good, the opposition would be on Fox News screaming that Barack Obama hates rain. Rush Limbaugh would then chime in that Obama’s hatred of rain is anti-American and tantamount to treason. It is simply crazy.

Millions of Americans are currently enjoying healthcare that they haven’t seen for years, if ever. They’re going to the doctor. They’re being treated. They’re getting healthier—and somehow this is a bad thing. I simply don’t understand how allowing Americans access to healthcare is bad for America.

It was clear, from the start, that many Americans would not be able to afford the current cost of healthcare. Therefore, senators wrote into the Affordable Care Act a sliding scale in which Americans can pay what they can afford. Yet somehow helping poor Americans afford health care is suddenly un-American.

The obstructionists have fought Barack Obama on every front. They have confronted him in the media. They have confronted him in the House. They have fought him in the courts. Undaunted, Barack Obama has continued to fight for access to healthcare for not just the rich but for all Americans.

The sign of a great leader is one who can assess the situation and change his/her mind if necessary. Sure, there are times when you need to be determined in order to accomplish things that you know are right. But the war in Iraq is an excellent example of how Obama has changed his mind.

In 2009, Barack Obama told the American people that he wanted to get out of Iraq. Not only was this the right thing to do but it was also something that the American people wanted.

Now the situation in Iraq has changed. Islamic extremists, more extreme than Al Qaeda, have gained a huge swath of territory. They have taken control of an important power source in northern Iraq.

Because of this and the ongoing humanitarian disaster which the Iraqi government appears to be unable to handle, President Obama has offered limited assistance, including airstrikes.

This seems to be the best option among a lot of bad options. He understands that allowing ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) to go unchallenged would allow Islamic extremists to set up their own state. That would allow them a safe haven from which they can plan future attacks on the United States and our allies.

Recently, in the doctor’s lounge, I heard a fellow physician assert that the problem in the United States is that our taxes are too high. Specifically, he was talking about corporate taxes. He was commenting on the situation in which Medtronic, a medical device manufacturer, decided to buy another device manufacturer and move its corporate headquarters to Ireland. He was spouting the typical Republican talking point that corporations are being “killed” because of a corporate tax rate of 35%.

Medtronic, like many other major corporations, has made billions of dollars of profit in the United States. Without the business environment that has been set up here, Medtronic would not be as successful as they are today.

Even more pertinent, as I pointed out, is that Medtronic is not paying 35% in corporate taxes. According to Reuters news agency, Medtronic is paying 19% in corporate taxes. This is nearly half of what the “taxes are too high” crowd is touting.

I have no idea why Medtronic has left the United States. I don’t pretend to know the inner workings of that company or their business model. What I do know is that Barack Obama and his administration are trying to come up with solutions so that corporations will pay their fair share of taxes.

In the old days, the 1950s and 1960s, corporations paid between 5% and 6% of our total GDP in taxes. Currently, corporations are paying less than 2% of our GDP in taxes. And dozens of other companies are still trying to figure out ways to pay no taxes at all. They, like Medtronic, want all the benefits of America—protectionist patent protection, low tariffs, good highways, police and fire protection, available emergency services, clean water and air, a stable government and Constitution—they want all those things, but they want somebody else—you and me—to pay for them.

We are living in extremely complex times. (I won’t even mention the ridiculously complex Palestinian-Israeli conflict.) We have a president who is thoughtful enough to take in all available information and make decisions that benefit American interests both here and abroad. If we can only find—and elect—a large group of thoughtful, progressive politicians in the House who will work with our president instead of oppose his every thought, then and only then can we really move this country forward.