A nice catch by Marcy Wheeler, who has a bee in her bonnet on the "Blunt-Rubio senators" — those who voted Yes to an amendment that would give employers "conscience rights" over your health care. (More about so-called "conscience" below.)
First she examined how many of the 48 Yes-on-Conscience senators have themselves used birth control, often while Catholic, or drawing state insurance money, or both.
Now she looks at Missouri's own Roy Blunt, the amendment's co-author (with the sometimes ever-Catholic Mario Rubio).
Wheeler (my paragraphing):
Blunt was born on January 10, 1950. He married Roseann Ray in 1967 (she appears to have been, like him, 17 at the time). Matt, their oldest child, was born in November 1970, the year Blunt graduated from college (though he would immediately get a Masters, perhaps because of the draft). They had a second child, Amy, around 1973. Andrew, their youngest, was born in 1976. Blunt and Roseann were married another 26 years or so after Andrew was born, but never had another child.You'll just have to click to see what follows that sentence.
In 1972, Blunt had already started public service, working as Greene County Clerk. In 1984, Blunt won election as MO’s secretary of state. From 1993 to 1996, Blunt served as President of Southwest Baptist University–his only significant non-government job. In 1997, as he was turning 37, he started serving in Congress, until last year when he moved to the Senate.
Thus, for almost his entire life, Blunt worked for taxpayers, whether for Greene County, the state of MO, or the federal government. For the majority of Blunt’s career, taxpayers have paid for his healthcare. And since his now ex-wife Roseann doesn’t get benefits from the foundation she works at, it is likely he provided healthcare for both of them.
If that’s right, then for all but 4 years of his professional life, taxpayers of some sort have paid for his healthcare, including–if it was paid for by insurance–whatever means he and his wife of 35 years used to stop having children after Andrew was born.
And while Greene County, in the Ozarks, is Bible-belt Protestant, at the state level, almost 20% of the population of MO is Catholic. An even higher percentage is Catholic at the national level. For 60% of his working life, roughly 20% of the people paying his salary and benefits–his “employer” if you will–were Catholic.
Which brings us to snipping Roy Blunt.
Remember the cover story for the bottom line of the Blunt-Rubio Amendment — It's bad for the state to force people of faith to pay for any medical care that violates what they imagine their conscience dictates. This includes birth control, of course — but also blood transfusions (h/t commenter Ninong), plus whatever else offends the goofy conscience of the goofiest of god's "Christians."
Which brings us to "so-called conscience." "Christianity" is not the only religion in this country. The religion of business, especially big business, is worship of the great God Money (blessings upon his name). And one of Money's commandments is, If it cost, I lost.
If I'm a responsible and dutiful worshiper of Money, and I ran one of these companies, I could grow an awful lot of curious conscience objections. I could object to smokers, say, getting lung cancer treatment (high cost item, that) since it offends my conscience to "reward a loser lifestyle" (Money talks that way, especially after drinking).
See where this is headed? I knew that you would. Money buys a lot of CEO conscience.
Blunt-Rubio was defeated 51-48. 48 is a lot of Senate consciences. Two more wobbly Dems and your CEO's conscience would have had its ultrasound probe up your health care insurance options for a long time to come.
Ms. Wheeler is considering a little Action Campaign. We like action here at Casa Chez Nous. If she pulls the trigger on that, consider helping her out (but only if your conscience says Yes).
GP
