System Trust: Honesty as a Policy

Healthcare
Written By Daniel Lucio

I want to talk about something fundamental to a functioning democracy: Trust. It’s the simple idea that our leaders should operate from a shared set of facts and be honest with the people they represent.

But right now, that trust is being broken by the majority in Washington.

When President Biden stated that some Republicans wanted to cut Medicare and Social Security, the Republican caucus reacted with theatrical outrage.

But then, the vote came for their “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”. And that bill, passed by the Republican majority along with our Republican representative, cut Medicare and Medicaid by over $1 trillion while increasing the deficit by $4 trillion. The vote for this budget also threatens to accelerate the depletion of the Social Security trust fund, according to the program's own actuaries.

Did our representative consider the 161,000 seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare in our district? Did he consider the 156,500 residents, including 49,400 children, who receive their healthcare through Medicaid in Arizona's 1st District? Or the 55,000 jobs in our local healthcare industry?

This is a profound betrayal of the public's trust: publicly feigning outrage at the accusation, and then quietly voting for the reality.

As a System Engineer, I know the difference between a system that's failing and one that's being deliberately broken. This isn't just a failure of policy; it's a failure of honesty.

It's time for a representative who will be honest with you and work to protect and improve the systems our families rely on. It is time for a representative who will honor your trust.

Sources:

Daniel Lucio
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