Rainbows and Unicorns

The past week has been full of milestones for Americans.  For a practical person, I suddenly feel like everything’s rainbows and unicorns!  What has me walking around with a silly grin?  Let’s cover the setinel events in alphabetical order.

Affordable Care Act

I’ve been in support of the ACA since the beginning. Too many Americans were going without medical care or going into serious debt becuase they didn’t have insurance.

Now over 16 million citizens previously unisured are now covered AND the number of uninsured dropped 35% as of March 2015.

Then there’s the cost savings.  The rate of spending increases has dramatically slowed.  It’s thought this is related to the fact that more people are insured leading to better health and more controlled prices.

Confederate Flags

When learning of the tragic, senseless deaths of the nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina I was afraid nothing would change as a result.

While I doubt anything will change in terms of gun control,  their deaths have led to a sea change in terms of one particular symbol of hate. Within a week, numerous retailers pulled products with the Confederate flag design.

Even more surprising was the quick shift of conservative South Carolina politicans regarding the topic. It looks like they will be able to remove the confederate flag from flying on the capital grounds. Other states are taking a critical look and talking about potentially changing their flags.

What has been controversial and seemingly unchangeable for decades is just about to go by the wayside.  Yes, it is a part of our history and the proper place is in books and museums.

Gay Marriage

Sixty years ago when my father’s brother married out of his race to an Asian woman, my grandparents were not happy. Marrying anyone of another race was illegal in our country at one time.

I believe   they came to love my auntie but it took them getting to know her to change their racist viewpoint.  Now, there are many interracial marriages in my extended family.

Some day Americans will look back and wonder what the big deal was and what took so long.  I think a lot of the change was once the LGBT community came out we realized they were our family, friends, neighbors.  How could we deny them the right to marry the person they love?

It’s a pretty great time to be living in the United States and I’m proud of us for eventually getting to the right side of things even if it wasn’t easy or pretty.