How is taking healthcare away not premeditated mass murder?

[Freelancer]

If any group were methodically plotting to stop access to food, water or shelter to millions, resulting in the death of thousands, that would be seen as the height of villainy. Yet, this act of engineered, avoidable privation somehow isn't being considered a crime. IMO, when thousands of people are going to die because of a legislative act, it stops being policy and becomes mass murder. How can history judge it to be anything else?

[Blecht]

1. Premeditated mass murder is the American way

US government policy has always been that way -- systematic murder of native Americans, slavery, institutional racism that is still killing African Americans, etc.

This is nothing new.

[The Blue Flower]

2. Vlad will have this country on its knees in a decade if this continues

Wreck our voting system, faith in the political process, trust in the media and facts in general, take away medical treatment and the safety net, undermine public education, destroy the environment--all part of the plan that the traitor-in-chief is putting in place. We do not welcome our Russian overlords.

[red dog 1]

3. I don't think it will take a decade for that to happen

I think it will be much sooner than that, perhaps within a year or so.

[red dog 1]

4. Kick for exposure

Well stated!

[rurallib]

5. terrorism in its finest form IMHO

[BzaDem]

6. Murder is defined as "the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another."

So while I agree that voting for Trumpcare is "the height of villainy," it is by definition not murder. There are plenty of good opposing arguments to be made without resorting to distorting language.

[angstlessk]

8. Okay, lets use the correct word 'massacre'

mas·sa·cre
ˈmasəkər/Submit
noun
noun: massacre; plural noun: massacres
1.
an indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of people.

Don't say it is not 'brutal', or 'brutal slaughter'...what is more brutal than dying a slow painful death with curable cancer?

It is somewhat indiscriminate...the poor, the elderly, anyone who is priced out of affording health care!

[Freelancer]

9. Perhaps you would prefer mass culling, then?

Merriam Webster-

2: to reduce or control the size of (something, such as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control The town issued hunting licenses in order to cull the deer population.

[WinkyDink]

10. So if I kill two people, it's not murder?

[BzaDem]

11. There is a well-developed body of law that describes under what conditions killing is 'murder'.

So it is impossible to answer your question without more information. In any case, being unlawful is a necessary condition for a killing to be considered murder, according to the definition of murder.

[mitch96]

12. unlawful premeditated killing

I think the operative word is unlawful. If "they" control the law it's ok to there fore restrict health care to the demise of the uninsured..

Death panels anyone??

m

[BzaDem]

15. Who said anything about it being OK?

I agreed with the OP that repealing Obamacare was the "height of villiany." I just disagreed that such an action constitutes "murder." There is a huge swath of conduct that isn't "murder" that is nevertheless not OK.

[mitch96]

16. I totally agree... it's NOT ok

The powers that be that control the law would see it as ok to restrict health care. Restricting health care will result in people dying, yes?
m

[BzaDem]

18. Yes, restricting care will result in tens of thousands of deaths. But not all deaths are "murder."

[IggleDuer]

7. I thought euthanasia is illegal in most cases ...

... except when Congress authorizes it. MAGA!

[mythology]

13. For the same reason it isn't mass murder that the ACA doesn't actually cover everybody

Or that there are conditions in which an insurance can deny a claim. Or when not every last possible cent is spent on prolonging life.

But lots of actions we do every day actively take away from keeping people alive. How many people regularly donate blood? Do you have a smart phone or cable or anything more than the bare necessities to live? All of those dollars could have been donated to cancer research or other medical research that could have saved lives. Is that premeditated mass murder? You deliberately and intentionally undertook an action that by definition meant you weren't using that time/money to help feed malnourished kids for example.

[Freelancer]

14. Once the envelope is extended, curtailing without responsibility is past

How would it be if the utility company decided it wanted the copper back that was used to electrify rural areas for some more profitable project overseas? Can they just pull out the cables and tell all the country folk to go back to kerosene lamps after 80 years? Wait -- here's a $75 dollar check to go buy a $1000 generator. That expectation that you had of continued service -- just an illusion. We say so.

That's just not the way of it, though. As soon as people's lives depended on something, whether it's electricity or healthcare, it ceases to be a thing that can be retracted without responsibility for the harm -- in this case, thousands of deaths -- falling upon the heads of those orchestrating the removal.

[ck4829]

17. Because it's only murder when a mentally ill person, a dark skinned person, or a Muslim is doing it

Otherwise, you must have done something to deserve it.

[Initech]

19. Republicans are trying to take away food, water, and shelter for millions.

It's called "privatization". And privatization of healthcare is just more for them and less for us.