Blue Pennsylvania: Remembering Others on Memorial Day

While Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s recent trip to Greenland to “make friends” for the United States was certainly a lesson in awkward diplomacy; it has also, by contrast, highlighted the disparities between Greenland’s fully funded Health Care system and our own. 

When the administration in Washington announced Landry’s help in sending a hospital ship bound for Greenland to provide “humanitarian assistance for people in need of medical care”, the blowback was immediate.  One typical response was from Johannes Örnestål, who wrote on Facebook, “Does really Greenland need medical help from the US? Wouldn't those resources be of more use in the US?”

Among its economic peers, the United States has traditionally been lacking on important measures like life expectancy.  But with the passage of H.R. 1 (aka “The Big Beautiful Bill”) health care in the United States took a major blow when funds for Medicaid were cut, jeopardizing health insurance for up to 15 million people in the country.   In Pennsylvania, the number of uninsured is expected to swell to 300,000 people, and that’s not even counting the 70,000+ Pennsylvanians who relinquished ACA coverage when Congress failed to extend subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Although Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal, which was approved by the Pennsylvania House last month, will not reverse these reductions, it will help to stem further decreases by adding $ 1 billion to cover the rise in medical costs for Medicaid recipients. 

Republican leadership in the PA Senate immediately balked at the PA House’s budget approval, writing “We will continue to fight for a more fiscally responsible spending plan that better positions our Commonwealth to grow and prosper, without placing unreasonable financial burdens on Pennsylvania families and taxpayers,” which conjures the question of how charging impoverished households more out-of-pocket for their medical expenses is relieving “unreasonable financial burdens on Pennsylvania families”?

The Senate, is now adjourned and will not be back until June.

While Memorial Day is traditionally a time to remember those who sacrificed their lives so that we can live in a free and just society, perhaps it is now a good time to remember our neighbors who have lost so much over the last few years from an unjust government, and how we might help.

Here’s what you can do

First, if you have not already done so, you can send a letter to your state senator to tell them to get back to work immediately on a fair budget by the June 30 deadline.  If you change the text (and we hope you do), please use the following guidelines:

1.   Using your own words;

2.   Personalizing the email.  Why is a timely budget important to you?  Will it affect your property taxes, or will a family member lose income, or something else;

3.   Considering the following topics:

a.   Last year’s budget was late, and people lost their jobs, and school districts and nonprofits needed to take out loans, sometimes very steep loans;

b.   The Governor has already proposed a budget for next fiscal year, and the PA House has already approved it.  The State Senate, however, has done nothing;

4.   Requesting, not demanding a response;

5.   Being concise and not too wordy

What else can you do?

After last week’s primary, we have the Democratic challengers of the seats we hope to flip in November.  Although we are concentrating mainly on the senate seats, we hope to help some of these house candidates as well.  Below are the candidates, their districts, where those districts are, and the Republican incumbents.  You can read more about these candidates by clicking on their names.

PA Senate

Candidate (Democrat)	District	Count(y/ies)	Incumbent (Republican)
Eileen Harnett Albillar	SD-6	Bucks	Frank Farry
Mark Pinsley	SD-16	Bucks/Lehigh	Jarrett Coleman
Chris Thomas	SD-24	Berks/Montgomery	Tracy Pennycuick

PA House

Candidate (Democrat)	District	Count(y/ies)	Incumbent (Republican)
Kristin Egan	HD-142	Bucks	Joe Hogan
Jeff Warren	HD-137	Northampton	Joe Emrick
Elizabeth Moro	HD-160	Chester/Delaware	Craig Williams

Although these candidates will not get us closer to a fair budget this year, electing them will assure that we have a better on-time budget for years to come.  Let’s make it happen.

Finally,

Don’t forget to check out how you can automatically contact your state rep around the Rank Choice Voting bill in the General Assembly: HB 123. 

 Also, please check out this request from our partners at March on Harrisburg:

On May 28, Philadelphia's City Council will vote on a resolution, introduced by Councilperson Nic O'Rourke, in support of Ranked Choice Voting. This is an important step in pressuring the state legislature to take up action on allowing ranked choice voting in Pennsylvania! After this, we will be working with other cities and counties to also press the state for RCV. But first, we need a big show of support when our resolution comes up for a vote in Philly.

Will you join us at the city council meeting on Thursday, May 28? We've been advised to arrive before 10:00 am, and be sure to bring ID to enter the building. Feel free to also bring a sign expressing your support!

If you have questions, or to let us know you will be coming, you can send them to this email.

Thank you! 

Rose J. and the March On Harrisburg RCV Team

Thanks,

Coleman