Ok, so President Obama scrimmaged with the Tar Heels a few years ago and he picked the Tar Heels to win the national championship in 2009 when the Heels defeated Michigan State. That doesn’t mean UNC coach Roy Williams should be jumping head first into a political boiling pot.
Williams has made a commercial trying to get young people to sign up for Obamacare. This is a powder keg issue and one that Williams is likely on the losing side.
First, the American people never demanded or even asked for government health care. Sure, health care costs are high but ObamaCare only increases the costs. I know, my health care is going up well over 100 percent – more than double what I was paying. Not everyone had health insurance before Obamacare and not everyone has it now.
Second, young people aren’t stupid. They know that they are less likely to need insurance to the extent they have to be covered under ObamaCare. They also know that the Obama administration needs them to pay for the insurance of older people, who are more likely to need health care. Young people would be paying for insurance they don’t need so that ObamaCare has a chance at working at all.
Third, this is politics pure and simple. If Roy Williams wants to endorse a candidate or a party, he should just go ahead and do it. But to lend his name and, in turn, that of the university to a scheme that doesn’t work, won’t work, isn’t good for the majority of citizens and isn’t favored by the American people is just silly.
Millions of Americans have had their health insurance canceled as a result of the so-called Affordable Care Act. Plus, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports that Obamacare will cause more than 2 million Americans to lose their jobs.
While the Supreme Court allowed Obamacare to stand by a 5-4 decision, since then there have been 37 significant changes to Obamacare, of which at least 20 were made unilaterally – and unconstitutionally according to Obama supporter and Georgetown law professor Jonathan Turley – by the Obama administration. Only 15 changes have been made legally by Congress.
And Roy Williams wants to get behind this? Yes, people should have health insurance but the government should not be in the business of demanding it and Roy Williams shouldn’t be in the business of promoting it.
By the way, I am not against covering preexisting conditions or even keeping children on policies longer but those things can be done without the debacle of Obamacare.
I’m not a Democrat or Republican but it’s clear that the Affordable Health Care Act is not affordable, not good for my health care and a power grab for big government. Even if you don’t feel that way, is this really something to which Williams should lend his name?
Former UNC coach Dean Smith used to speak out on political topics and he has been on both the right side of history – regarding civil rights – and the wrong side – regarding foreign policy. As much as people love and respect former Coach Smith, he delved into politics when he tried to get President Reagan to go along with nuclear disarmament. Instead, Reagan in part used the strength and threat of American weapon systems to bring down the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on controversial topics but why Roy Williams would want to get involved in this disaster is beyond me. More people are against Obamacare than even know about what happened with PJ Hairston or the Carolina academic scandal.
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Sigh… another rant about the so-called evils of the Affordable Care Act. Truth is, more people support it than don’t, even with its poor rollout and tentative first steps to fix our crazy health care system. I’m glad Williams is speaking his mind in support. In time, we’ll likely look back on the ACA and judge it an important and good first step. Remember that during the civil rights movement era, many also decried “government overreach”, but they too were on the wrong side of history.
That’s Bunk Jon. The people don’t support it. This from Gallup just two days ago – “A clear majority of Americans say they disapprove of the Affordable Care Act. Their disapproval could be because many don’t see the need to change the system, and worry that the new legislation will affect a process they currently are satisfied with. President Barack Obama famously argued that under the ACA, those who liked their existing health insurance could keep it. However, in recent months, he has had to backtrack from that statement as news reports suggest that under the new law, some insured Americans may face changes in their policies, including coverage and cost. Their new policies, though they may provide a higher level of benefits, may end up costing them more than their old ones did.”
My healthcare premium is more than doubling – so I for one will not look back on this as a good first step.
I understand how people want to feel like they are a part of something important to help the downtrodden but this is not comparable to the civil rights movement.
Regardless of all that and how you or I feel, Coach Williams should not be delving into such a controversial subject – especially when he has other controversial issues with which to deal.
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You’re wasting your time Cliff Barnes. You can’t reason with Obama zealots.
You hit the nail on the head however with your comment about how people want to feel they are part of something important. Self importance and feeling superior to others because they feel like they care more about the downtrodden is rampant.
But we waste our time when we try to reason with people who go with their feelings rather than facts.
And you’re also right that regardless of anyone’s opinion on Obamacare, Coach Williams doesn’t need to be stepping into that. He needs ballplayers that can not only play consistently but do so while being able to read, write, speak well and stay out of trouble.