When society starts to teeter
Zander's Weekend Facts #149 - Sunday, December 15, 2024
Winston Churchill is often credited for saying, “Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing, after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” There’s actually no evidence that he said this and those who have studied Churchill closely believe he was too politically savvy to make the remark. Nevertheless, it fits.
The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shocking to many when it took place earlier this month. Yet, it feels incredibly predictable.
One thing is very clear about our country: The American people are not happy with the “system.” The system, and how one defines it, can certainly mean a broad array of items, with healthcare certainly being included in that definition for many. The Harvard Medical School three years ago asked if the U.S. healthcare system was expensive, complicated, dysfunctional, or broken. It quickly found the answer was yes to all four. Gallup found just last week that only 44% of Americans believe the quality of American healthcare is excellent or good, the lowest that number has been this century. Only 28% would use the same adjectives to describe U.S. healthcare coverage.
Certainly, the quality of American medicine is second to none, but access to it is the major harbinger that is causing major stress for millions. This is what allows the American healthcare system to consistently rank behind the likes of Denmark, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and our Canadian neighbors to the north.
And almost inconceivably, access to insurance is not the root cause. The Census found last year that 92% of the American population had health insurance, the highest rate in history. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare in case you didn’t know they were the same thing), the percentage of Americans covered by health insurance has risen from just under 84% in 2010.
No, it appears that insurance itself might be the real problem. A KFF survey released last year found that over half of Americans have dealt with troubles regarding their insurance provider for a variety of reasons. And if you don’t have health insurance through a private company, then it’s likely provided to you at a cost by the federal government. Through spending hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbying each year, private insurance companies have prevented the government from coming up with a more competent solution to the current predicament.
In the aftermath of Thompson’s murder, many have also been shocked to find that the internet’s reaction to a stranger being killed in cold blood on the streets of Midtown Manhattan was that of exuberance and admiration for the killer. Again, this also feels predictable.
For the record, this is in no way an endorsement of harming, in any way, those who you believe to have aggrieved you. Murder is murder, it is wrong, weak, and should not be celebrated. However, for as sad as it is to witness, it is not surprising in our society to see notable factions laud the murder of a healthcare CEO.
There are countless stories of those insured by UnitedHealth and others having been denied coverage for ridiculous circumstances after paying into these systems every month. And even when claims haven’t been denied, the cost in some cases can still be too much to bear. This is happening at the same time that UnitedHealth reported revenues of $100 billion and net earnings of $8.7 billion in the third quarter of this year. UnitedHealth Group is currently worth $478 billion.
There is no defense for brazen violence and the threats to those in the insurance industry that have come in the days since. But this proliferation shows that our society is fed up. We have expansive stories from history to tell us what exactly is happening.
Adrienne LaFrance writes in The Atlantic (paywall) from her article “Deciviliation May Already Be Underway”:
We already understand many of the conditions that make a society vulnerable to violence. And we know that those conditions are present today, just as they were in the Gilded Age: highly visible wealth disparity, declining trust in democratic institutions, a heightened sense of victimhood, intense partisan estrangement based on identity, rapid demographic change, flourishing conspiracy theories, violent and dehumanizing rhetoric against the “other,” a sharply divided electorate, and a belief among those who flirt with violence that they can get away with it. These conditions run counter to spurts of civilizing, in which people’s worldviews generally become more neutral, more empirical, and less fearful or emotional.
America has certainly not been immune to political violence, but recent events appear to differ from our past. When presidents William McKinley and John F. Kennedy were assassinated, America laid in mourning. It is highly unlikely that would have been the case had the attempts on President-elect Donald Trump succeeded earlier this year. In fact, much of America almost appears in mourning that Thompson’s shooter was apprehended by authorities.
Recent reaction to these events, along with the incredibly easy access to a gun that comes with life in the United States, do not combine for a hopeful resolution in the future. It is societies as chaotic as these that lead to the return of a figure such as Trump, who has vowed to use political violence against his opponents, to the White House.
LaFrance goes on to note that in Medieval Europe, when violence became rampant, rewarding “individuals for proper etiquette, adherence to which was required for entry into the most desirable strata of society” led to “substantially more peaceful conditions.”
There are striking warning signs blaring right at us, and the leadership we will soon have does not appear willing to accept the change that is needed.
In an op-ed in The New York Times published on Friday, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty wrote that the healthcare system is broken and we should fix it. All it took to realize this was the murder of one of his top lieutenants. Like Churchill did or didn’t say, “Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing, after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” The problem is, it might be too late.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from the Associated Press - Key details about the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
What Zander’s been reading
Famed poet, activist, and professor Nikki Giovanni passed away last week at the age of 81. Giovanni was one of the most recognizable African American poets across the world, known for her powerful and evocative works that explored race, identity, and social justice in ways that few had told before to massive audiences. She leaves a legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come, through her words, her activism, and her unwavering commitment to the power of poetry. The following are pieces from The New York Times exploring her impact and documenting her life.
Check out this week’s featured articles in The New York Times
- Nikki Giovanni, Poet Who Wrote of Black Joy, Dies at 81
- When Nikki Giovanni Was Young, Brilliant and Unafraid
- Nikki Giovanni: A Life in Pictures
Rapid-fire Facts
Here’s a recap of the top news headlines from the past week:
FBI: FBI Director Christopher Wray announced last week that he will resign before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Wray, who had been selected by Trump to lead the bureau in 2017, has been criticized by Trump for the FBI’s investigations into the president-elect. Trump had been planning to replace Wray, with former GOP staffer and Trump loyalist Kash Patel having been nominated for the position. Wray joins several other federal government heads who have announced their resignations before Trump’s inauguration, including the head of the Federal Aviation Administration.
South Korea: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Saturday after declaring martial law in the country. The motion passed by a 204-85 vote in the country’s National Assembly after a previous impeachment vote had failed due to lawmaker boycotts. Presidential powers and duties are now in the hands of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. South Korea’s Constitutional Court will now determine whether Yoon should be removed from office or have his powers restored. If Yoon is removed, a national election will take place within 60 days of the ruling.
Biden Pardons: President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people on Thursday, a single-day record. The commutations apply to those who had been placed in home confinement after being released from prison during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Biden pardoned 39 Americans who had been convicted of nonviolent crimes such as drug offenses. Biden had previously pardoned his son Hunter two weeks ago. The news comes as presidential pardon power has come under a microscope, with President-elect Donald Trump having vowed to pardon those convicted of crimes for the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
North Carolina: Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly approved a bill last week stripping powers of several statewide elected positions. The bill, which had been vetoed by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, had its veto overruled by the legislature. The new law looks to erode some powers afforded to the state’s governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and state school superintendent, including placing the previous power of the governor to appoint members of the State Board of Elections in the hands of the state auditor. The four positions targeted in the bill were won by Democrats in November’s elections, while the state auditor was won by a Republican.
Kroger-Albertsons: The merger between Albertsons and Kroger that would have created a grocery store giant is off. A federal judge blocked the merger last week, saying that the merger would have eliminated competition and led to higher prices for consumers. The federal government had sued to block the agreement. On Wednesday, one day after the ruling, Albertsons announced it was terminating the merger agreement and suing Kroger, saying the company did not follow through on its commitments to get the deal approved.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the latest headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NFL Week 15: A defensive slugfest opened week 15 in the NFL as the Rams beat the 49ers 12-6 on Thursday in a game with six field goals providing the only scores. Moving to Sunday, the 1:00 pm ET window is highlighted by Chiefs-Browns, Commanders-Saints, and Dolphins-Texans. At 4:25 pm ET, a five-game slate is headlined by two matchups of 10-win teams facing off. The Bills visit the Lions while the Steelers head across Pennsylvania to take on the Eagles. Sunday night features the Seahawks hosting the Packers at 8:20 pm ET. Week 15 concludes with a Monday night double-dip as the Bears take on the Vikings at 8:00 pm ET and the Falcons face the Raiders at 8:30 pm ET.
College Football Playoff: The College Football Playoff field was set last Sunday as SMU gained entry to the expanded 12-team Playoff in favor of Alabama. The top four seeds, Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State, receive a bye, while seeds 5-12 will play in the first round later this week. On Friday night at 8:00 pm ET, #7 Notre Dame hosts #10 Indiana on ABC and ESPN. On Saturday, a tripleheader commences with #11 SMU taking on #6 Penn State at 12:00 pm ET and #12 Clemson visiting #5 Texas at 4:00 pm ET. Both afternoon games will air on TNT and stream on Max. The final game on Saturday features #8 Ohio State hosting #9 Tennessee at 8:00 pm ET on ABC and ESPN.
NBA Cup: The Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder will face off in the championship game of this season’s NBA Cup. The Bucks, currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, survived a clash in the semifinals with the Atlanta Hawks, winning 110-102. The Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 111-96 in their semifinal game to make the final. At 19-5, the Thunder have the best record in the Western Conference at the moment. The NBA Cup final takes place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, with tip-off at 8:30 pm ET on ABC.
Future World Cups: FIFA announced the hosts for two future editions of the men’s World Cup last week. In 2030, a record-breaking six countries will host matches. Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will host the vast majority of the tournament, while South American nations Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay will host the first three matches in a tribute to the first World Cup that was played in 1930 in Uruguay. The 2034 edition will be hosted in Saudi Arabia, with the tournament having generated controversy due to human rights concerns in the country.
Juan Soto: The most coveted free agent of the Major League Baseball offseason signed a record-breaking deal last week. Juan Soto, who last season played for the New York Yankees, is moving across town to join the New York Mets on a 15-year, $765 million deal. The deal is the largest in the history of American professional sports. Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs last season and had 109 RBIs. The Mets fell to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in last season’s National League Championship Series.
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in Print return next Sunday, December 22, 2024.