Give a voice to the voiceless!

Ted Cruz is not a man shy of controversy. On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

To mark the four-year anniversary of this milestone, Senator Ted Cruz, author of the 2013 government shutdown and lover of children’s literature, posted this little informal poll on his Facebook page:

Surely, he must have thought, this will go my way. I mean, remember how nutso his supporters went when the Senator dared to eulogize Nelson Mandela?

Well, it turned out a lot of people are fans of not being kicked off their parents’ insurance, or, say, not being denied for preexisting conditions. Some of them are just tickled pink at having insurance for the first time in their lives. Here are a sampling of some of my favorite responses to the poll:

Jay from Rabbit Hash, Ky. (really), is just wild about the Affordable Care Act:

“Yes isn’t big enough….ABSOLUTELY! Our family is saving hundreds…our 23 yr old son is now able to stay on our family policy while attending law school…we’ve been able to receive free preventive health care screenings and no longer have to worry about lifetime caps if one of us gets really sick or being excluded from buying insurance in the future for having pre-existing conditions. All thanks to the ACA.”

Carol from Loriane, Ohio, also thinks the ACA is just the bee’s knees.

“Not only am I better off, but I have friends that are better off. Furthermore, this nation is better off for helping folks avoid the devastation that poor health can bring. Thank you, ACA!”

Best. Law. Ever. According to Lili from Oklahoma City:

“YES, best law ever! And way overdue! I spent all my retirement savings on overpriced insurance in order to save my life when I got cancer in 2005. I had no income and now have no savings. If it had been in place back then, I wouldn’t be looking at a poor retirement, but at least I am not worried about having care anymore.”

Better off indeed. But the problem with the ACA is that it doesn’t go far enough for Larry of Alameda, Calif.

“Absolutely better off, now lets push for universal healthcare for everyone.”

Not all of the over 5,000 comments were positive, however. For instance, Joe from Peyton, Colo., had this little rejoinder, when someone lauded the ACA for making it possible to get insurance for an autistic child:

“Young lady you showing yout (sic) ignorance. your neighbor are paying for that med insurance you have and you don’t even have the grace to thank them but you credit obama (sic).”

Well said, Joe.

An informal poll, I know, but save for Larry from Alameda, these positive responses are from rather conservative cities — I’m guessing Rabbit Hash, Ky. ain’t a hotbed of liberalism. Nevertheless, as the four-year anniversary has passed, and the deadline for open enrollments has ended, it is clear, both from the informal comments above and the simple facts of the matter, that Obamacare is working. As of Monday, April 1, over 7 million Americans have signed up.

But let’s not hold our breath for an admission from Ted Cruz. I called the Senator’s office for their reaction. I left a message.

I’ll keep you posted.

Give a voice to the voiceless!