To the editor:

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but a couple of weeks ago I spent $1,000 on emergency medical care for my cat. I feel extraordinarily lucky to have been able to do this, but one reason I can is that I don’t spend anywhere near that much on healthcare for myself. Instead, I have an employer that spends a ridiculous amount of money so that I can have good insurance.

America is great for me and my cat. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were also great for low- and middle-income Americans — citizens — including children, who for some reason cannot fulfill the new work requirement for Medicaid in the “Big Beautiful Bill?” This bill gives an average of $32,000 in tax breaks to the “average” millionaire by taking away health insurance, food stamps and SNAP for those who need it most (many of whom don’t make even close to $32,000 in wages). The amount for those making more than $1 million will be closer to $90,000.

As Senator Chris Murphy, D-CT, said this past week as the bill was being debated, this bill is “going to cut healthcare for 16 million people. It’s going to give a tax break to … massively wealthy people. There are going to be kids who go hungry because of this bill.”

When it was passed in the Senate on July 1, needing the deciding vote of Vice President Vance because even some Republicans were too outraged to vote for it, Senator Angus King, I-ME, was heard to yell to his Republican colleagues: “Shame on you guys. That was the most disgusting vote I’ve ever seen in my life.”

For the record, “our” representative, Elise Stefanik, was right in the thick of it, taking away healthcare and food from our children. Think about that when she starts running for governor soon.

I love the idea of making America great. But if we want it to be great for all our human citizens, we’re going in the wrong direction.

Sincerely,

Shir Filler

Vermontville