Monday gave us proof of how much Politicians decide the direction and quality of people’s lives in any country. With a vote in the Houses or the wave of a pen on an order people can lose their health insurance, or others may be destined to harbour in limbo indefinitely as they flee death in their homes. Appropriately these same decisions also ultimately decide the lives of politicians and some will soon find themselves fighting for their careers.

Immigration

#Donald Trump finally signed the new immigration order intended to replace the previous order that became not only the subject of protests, but also of successful legal challenges. Both orders are attempts to keep the President’s campaign promises that he would ban Moslems for security reasons from entering the country as refugees.

The original order had been drafted quickly and haphazardly with no input from the Departments involved and the faults contained in the document gave lawyers the ammunition for their challenges which led to judges to blocking the order on a number of grounds, including the possible violation of the right of freedom of religion in the Constitution.

The quick reaction yesterday by a number of faith groups in the country, including Christians, Jews and Sikhs as reported by the Huffington Post and other newspapers that the new order is still a Moslem ban with another name does not bode well for the future of the order.

Undoubtedly the order is already under very close scrutiny by the State Attorneys General such as that of Washington State which led the challenge to the original order. It will not take long for the public to find out whether or not the amended order will succeed in its primary intention, to avoid a Supreme Court challenge to the Oval Office’s immigration plan; a challenge which will decide the lives of refugees.

Obamacare

Again on Monday, Republican politicians unveiled a plan for the repeal and replacement of Obamacare which replaces individual mandates with tax credits.

According to the Guardian, the proposed plan will cover pre-existing conditions, but the plan will also allow health companies to add increases for the elderly, or increased premiums for those have gone without health insurance for a long time.

The future of Obamacare has been a hot topic since Donald Trump’s election win and with the Senate and Congress also controlled by the Republicans it was thought that it would happen quickly. This was not so as the plans have met with protests by the public with rowdy town hall meeting switch in many cases has led to Republicans deciding not to attend these meetings.

Lives

These two issues strongly highlight how political decisions affect the lives of individuals.

In the case of the immigration order, refugees may find themselves stuck in limbo for the simple reason of their place of birth, or even for their religion which in many cases is the very reason they are fleeing their countries of birth.

In the case of the repeal of Obamacare, the issue strikes at the most important and sensitive issue of their lives, that of #Health. While the Affordable Care Act had been greeted with derision by some, millions of people now have health insurance for the first time in years and others for the first time, including many of those who first opposed it. Now they face the possibility of losing this protection on the quality of their lives.

Political careers

Republican politicians had underestimated the effects of the AFA on their constituents and the scenes of vocal protests at the town halls are the proof that many should worry about for their political futures.

The proposed plan is already being criticized and the Republicans would do worse than listening to these doubts and acting on them.

The midterms are not so far away and the ballot box will then become the means for the protesters to speak to those Republicans who quickly backed President Trump’s repeal.

Are they willing to sacrifice their political future for the sake of the President?