GOP is why we can’t have nice things

Finland is the happiest country on earth for the fifth consecutive year. The main reasons: High life expectancy due to universal publicly funded health care, low wealth inequality which leads to living wages for all citizens and no homelessness, high social support systems like long periods of paid leave for new parents, and the freedom to make decisions such as female reproductive rights.

The Republican Party opposes all four of those factors, nationally and locally. Don’t they want us to be happy? Or do they just want us to be angry?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have health care for all and not be tied to employment or give preventive care to lower-income people instead of expensive life- saving care? Or not go bankrupt because your loved one survived but at a cost beyond what an average person can afford. And just think how happy people would be if we all could earn a living wage, instead of having the streets lined with homeless people. Paid leave would be nice so people could nurture their newborns until they are ready to reenter the workplace without worry or anxiety. And wouldn’t it be nice to make your own decisions about your health care, what books to read, and who you can love? Republicans oppose all these nice things, yet Iowans keep voting Republicans into office. This is why we can’t have nice things.

Mary Huneke

Cedar Rapids