Murder is not the answer to America’s healthcare problems, but people are driven to extremes by politicians’ lack of action
Let me begin with the same disclaimer I made in my post about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump: killing people is wrong. We should do politics with words and not guns. This applies to the several countries around the world currently trying to bring others to heel with military force as well as people killing awful CEOs. His death is a tragedy for Brian Thompson's friends and family. However, for the millions of people whose lives have been devastated by his industry’s actions, it feels like grim poetic justice.
It’s tempting to focus on how this has become a chit in the discourse, the inevitable memes, the schadenfreude of a corporate titan cut down leaving an investors meeting. Beyond the viral glee lies a deeper, more urgent truth: acts like this, however misguided, are born of despair.
The American healthcare system isn’t just broken, it’s a morally bankrupt machine of profit extraction. Health insurance companies rake in billions while denying coverage for life-saving treatments. Families are bankrupted by medical bills for treatments that are free in many other countries. Companies like Thompson's UnitedHealthcare operate with impunity, shielded by politicians who pocket their donations, and a Supreme Court stacked to value corporate rights over human lives.
The system doesn’t work
This system isn’t just cruel; it’s absurdly inefficient. America spends more on healthcare than any other nation, yet its outcomes lag behind poorer countries like Cuba. No one, not even the staunchest defender of free markets, can seriously argue this system works.
So why don’t politicians fix it? Well, no one agrees on an alternative and no one in power is willing to risk the wrath of their donors to pursue one. Democrats acknowledge the problem but offer half-measures, hoping to appease their corporate sponsors while avoiding outright revolt from their base. Republicans, meanwhile, openly pledge to make things worse, treating the misery of ordinary people as collateral damage in their ideological crusades.
The killing of Thompson is a direct consequence of this paralysis. People feel abandoned by their leaders and hopeless about change. When a system produces nothing but suffering and indifference, some will resort to dramatic - and yes, regrettable - acts of protest.
Wall Street vs Main Street
These events also create a challenge for the newly re-elected President Trump. His supporters, like everyone else, suffer under the yoke of healthcare companies. They, too, watch their loved ones go without treatment, drown in debt, or die prematurely. Trump’s supporters want action from the man who has promised to take on the fat cats getting rich from “American carnage” and a victory for Main Street over Wall Street. Thompson is a symbol of the dominance of Wall Street; can Trump improve healthcare for the guy on Main Street?
Most likely, instead of addressing their pain, Trump will distract his supporters with more culture war antics and racist hot air. How much longer can he sustain this charade before his base demand real change? I’m sure many gun toting Trump supporters would like to see some more CEOs shot. Can Trump channel this anger? Or will this be the issue where blue-collar Americans finally wake up to the fact that this billionaire, like all billionaires, isn’t really on their side?
What is the electoral button we push to make things better?
The truth is, killing isn’t the answer. With my sensible middle-aged hat on, I have to say that murder is wrong even for people who have brought untold misery to millions. They should face justice from the law, not extrajudicial killings. This applies to people accused of committing crimes as well as the people who get rich off human suffering. Maybe I’m naive. I’m certainly not holding my breath for lawful justice for billionaires.
The deeper question remains: what is the electoral button we push to make things better? Without politicians offering real alternatives, this despair will only fester, and violent protests will follow.
The American healthcare crisis is a national humiliation, a source of misery, and an emblem of political failure. It cannot be ignored any longer. If this latest incident teaches us anything, it’s that people won’t stay silent forever. They need hope, they need alternatives, and most importantly, they need leaders brave enough to deliver both.
