Worry about future of Obamacare

There was a piece in the financial pages recently that mentioned how the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a sexual discrimination lawsuit last year against Wal-Mart involving 1.5 million female employees. Something about how the lawsuit was not specific enough, or the petitioners did not have enough in common. I’m not a lawyer, so it is incomprehensible to me.

That jarred my memory about the current lawsuit brought against the Affordable Health Care Act (Republicans call it Obamacare) now being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, with a decision expected in June.

In view of the outrageous 5-4 decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago in the Citizens United ruling that corporations, like individuals, can spend unlimited amounts of money in our elections, I fear for the fate of Obamacare.

For the past several years, we have been living with a Supreme Court dominated by Republican appointments. One watchdog organization that I receive mailings from, People for the American Way, points out six different U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the last few years have been decided 5-4 in favor of a large corporation against middle class individuals.

If a Republican Supreme Court can decide that “corporations” are the same as “people,” thus ignoring our Constitution’s Preamble, “We the People,” it’s hard to believe the Supreme Court will let Obamacare survive. This will be a very pleasing decision for the ultraconservative plutocrats and their Super PACs.

Leo T. Ratzer

Lisle