New Year’s Editorial:
The Happiest Nations Aren’t Drunk on Credit
As the calendar flips and Americans raise a glass to “new beginnings,” a sobering truth sits ignored at the end of the bar: the happiest nations
on Earth did not get there by maxing out their credit cards, refinancing their homes like ATM machines, or gambling their futures on speculative
bubbles dressed up as innovation. They got there through discipline — personal and governmental — through restraint, and through a collective
understanding that prosperity without stability is an illusion.
The Top 5 Happiest Nations
and Why They’re Not Miserable About Money
Year after year, global happiness and life-satisfaction rankings tell the same story. The most content populations tend to live in countries that
practice boring, unglamorous, fiscally responsible habits:
Finland – High trust in institutions, low corruption, strong social safety nets, and modest consumer debt.
Denmark – Balanced budgets, high wages, low inequality, and citizens who don’t confuse happiness with consumption.
Iceland – Hard lessons learned after financial collapse, followed by reform — not denial.
Sweden – Long-term investment in people, not short-term political sugar highs.
Norway – The gold standard of fiscal adulthood.
These countries enjoy high consumer confidence not because credit is cheap, but because life is predictable, institutions are trusted, and the
future does not feel like a financial ambush waiting to happen.
Norway vs. America: A Tale of Two Futures
Norway sits atop a sovereign wealth fund worth well over a trillion dollars, built from oil revenues explicitly saved for future generations.
It is a nation that asked a radical question: What if we didn’t spend everything today and leave our children the bill?
America asked the opposite.
The United States, blessed with unmatched resources, innovation, and talent, has instead chosen permanent deficit spending, serial debt
ceiling theater, and a political culture addicted to postponing pain. Record government debt is no longer treated as an emergency — it’s treated
as background noise.
America’s Credit Addiction
The American household balance sheet tells a tragic, circular story:
• Refinance the home because interest rates are low
• Use home equity for vacations, cars, or lifestyle upgrades
• Pay off maxed-out credit cards
• Credit limits increase
• Spend again
• Repeat
This is not wealth creation. This is financial musical chairs — and when the music stops, someone is left standing with
negative equity and no seat.
Consumer confidence in America is fragile because it is artificial. It is built on teaser rates, minimum payments, and the
comforting lie that tomorrow will always bail out today’s excess.
Crypto: The Slot Machine With a White Paper
And then there is cryptocurrency — sold as rebellion, freedom, and the future, but often behaving like a casino floor with
better branding. Prices rise not on cash flow, productivity, or long-term utility, but on momentum and belief. Just like
musical chairs, it works beautifully — until it doesn’t.
Speculation is not a retirement plan. Volatility is not innovation. And hope is not a balance sheet.
Why Happier Nations Sleep Better
The happiest countries are not obsessed with:
• Constantly rising home prices
• Ever-lower interest rates
• Endless consumption as a substitute for meaning
They live in smaller homes, carry less personal debt, accept higher taxes in exchange for stability, and understand that
security is the foundation of happiness — not leverage.
A New Year’s Warning
America does not lack money. It lacks discipline.
• A nation addicted to easy credit eventually faces a brutal hangover: rising rates, falling asset prices, shrinking options,
and shattered confidence. History is clear on this point. Empires do not collapse from a lack of wealth — they collapse
from pretending debts don’t matter.
• As the New Year begins, the happiest nations quietly keep their books balanced and their futures funded. America,
meanwhile, keeps ordering another round — convinced the bill will never arrive.
• It always does.
Norway plans for grandchildren.
America refinances for spring br

Christmas, Christ, and the Failure of “Big People”
Every Christmas, the powerful wrap themselves in
the language of faith while governing in ways that
mock it.
Nativity scenes are displayed. Carols echo through
marble halls. Bibles are lifted for cameras. Yet across
the world—and within our own borders—millions of
God’s children go without healthcare, food, or shelter,
while a privileged few are rewarded with private
airplanes, gold toilets, multiple mansions, and
fortunes too large to count.
This is not Christianity. It is spectacle.
Jesus Christ was not born among the rich or the
comfortable.
“She gave birth to her firstborn son… and
placed him in a manger, because there was
no room for them in the inn.”
— Luke 2:7
A small manger, yet big ethical ramifications that
still judge the powerful today.
God Has No “Garbage People”
In too many capitals—Washington included—
people are ranked as worthy or unworthy. The poor
are dismissed. The sick are blamed. Refugees are
dehumanized. Entire populations are treated as
expendable.
But Scripture is unequivocal:
“So God created mankind in His own
image.”
— Genesis 1:27
There are no “garbage people” in God’s eyes. No
disposable lives. No surplus humanity.
Jesus Himself erased every hierarchy of human value:
“Whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you
did for me.”
— Matthew 25:40
When the poor are denied food, when the sick die
without care, when families sleep without shelter,
Christ is the one being rejected.
A World of Excess Beside a World of Suffering
While some nations lack basic healthcare, while
children starve and elders die untreated, others
accumulate obscene luxuries—private jets, gold-plated
bathrooms, third and fourth homes—wealth locked
away by the few while the many suffer.
Scripture does not bless this imbalance. It condemns
it.
“Woe to you who add house to house
and join field to field until no space is left.”
— Isaiah 5:8
And again:
“You have hoarded wealth in the last
days…The wages you failed to pay the
workers cry out against you.”
— James 5:3–4
This is not success. It is moral failure.
Power Without Mercy Is Not Christian
Jesus never praised wealth without compassion or
power without restraint.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be
shown mercy.”
— Matthew 5:7
Leadership in Christ’s name demands humility, not
domination.
“The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them…
Not so with you.”
— Matthew 20:25–26
Any system that rewards excess while tolerating
misery stands in direct opposition to the Gospel.
Faith Is Not a Photo Op
Perhaps nothing better symbolizes the spiritual
collapse of modern leadership than the use of the
Bible as a political prop—held aloft for attention
while its teachings are ignored.
“These people honor me with their lips, but
their hearts are far from me.”
— Matthew 15:8
Jesus reserved His harshest words for religious
hypocrites who used faith to elevate themselves:
“Woe to you… you clean the outside of the
cup, but inside they are full of greed and
self-indulgence.”
— Matthew 23:25
Christianity is not branding. It is not a costume. It is
not a shield for greed.
God’s Love Has No Borders
At Christmas we remember that the Holy Family
themselves were poor, displaced, and later refugees
fleeing violence.
“I was a stranger and you invited me in.”
— Matthew 25:35
God’s love does not stop at borders, bank accounts,
or nationalities. Any theology that does is not
Christian—it is power dressed in religious language.
The Manger Still Judges the Throne
Mary understood this truth before any king did:
“He has brought down rulers from their
thrones but has lifted up the humble.”
— Luke 1:52
The manger still asks the questions leaders refuse to
answer:
• Why do some die without medicine while
others hoard excess?
• Why is shelter treated as a privilege instead
of a human need?
• Why is Scripture quoted while Christ’s
teachings are ignored?
This Christmas, Choose Christ—Not Performance
If leaders truly wish to honor Christmas, they must
stop posing with Bibles and start living by them.
“What does the Lord require of you? To act
justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with your God.”
— Micah 6:8
Until then, the manger stands as a silent indictment.
Because a child born among the poor still judges the
powerful.
And He always will.
Merry Christmas!
Brent Lambi
Graduate of University of Northern Iowa
Class of 1982, Graduate of Creighton School
of Law Class of 1985
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this material in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written
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information, please contact Brent Lambi directly

Donald Trump’s War on Drugs
Two Faces of a Failed Policy
Brent Lambi – Concerned Citizen
For years, Donald Trump thundered about a
tough war on drugs – even suggesting extreme
penalties for dealers and praising foreign leaders
who executed alleged traffickers without trial. Yet
the clemency record from his time in the White
House tells a very different story: one in which
convicted drug traffickers and kingpins have
been granted pardons or had their sentences
commuted after being properly adjudicated in
court. The result is a striking contradiction at the
heart of American criminal-justice policy.
How Many Drug Pardons and
Commutations?
According to analysis of recent clemency data
and reporting:
• Trump has pardoned or granted clemency to
at least 10 individuals convicted of serious drug-
related federal crimes in his second term alone.
The Washington Post
• During his first term, he also pardoned or
commuted the sentences of at least 13 other
convicted drug traffickers. Portside
• Combined, that suggests at least 23 documented
federal drug traffickers whose convictions
were undone or softened—not including other
clemencies for peripheral or non-drug crimes.
Portside
These are individuals who were convicted in courts
of law and serving long federal sentences for drug
distribution, conspiracy, or trafficking—and then
were later granted clemency by presidential fiat.
Notable Examples
• Juan Orlando Hernández
Former president of Honduras, convicted in U.S.
federal court for organizing drug trafficking that
moved roughly 400 tons of cocaine into the
United States. He was sentenced to 45 years in
prison then pardoned and released by Trump in
December 2025. Politico
• Ross Ulbricht
Founder of the Silk Road dark-web marketplace,
convicted of operating an online platform that
facilitated millions of dollars in illegal drug sales,
and serving life plus 40 years. Trump issued a full
pardon in January 2025. VPM
• Larry Hoover
Co-founder of the Chicago Gangster Disciples,
convicted of running a vast drug organization
and sentenced to multiple life terms. Trump
commuted his federal sentence in 2025, even as
a state murder conviction still stands. Justice.gov
• Garnett Gilbert Smith
Convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine
and serving a 25-year sentence, later granted
clemency. Wikipedia
• Anabel Valenzuela
Convicted of conspiracy to distribute significant
quantities of methamphetamine (50g+ with
forfeiture and laundering charges); sentence
commuted. Wikipedia
• And others:
Other individuals convicted of major drug
trafficking conspiracies ranging from meth
distribution to cocaine conspiracies were also
granted clemency by Trump during both terms,
especially around the final days of his first
presidency. Portside
The Hypocrisy Is Hard to Ignore
We are asked to take seriously the alleged war on
drugs—to fund military strikes, to justify harsher
border policies, and to applaud extreme rhetoric
about punishment even before guilt is proven in
courts. Yet in reality, the executive lunges toward
leniency for precisely those who were proven
guilty in courts of law.
The clemency power is constitutional. But when
wielded selectively—pardoning well-connected
traffickers and politically useful figures—it sends
a chilling message about fairness, equal justice,
and the rule of law. Critics note that some pardons
appear tied to political support, influence, or
lobbying rather than to any coherent view of
justice. The Washington Post.
The Real Costs
This double standard has real consequences.
While traffickers walk free or see decades-
long sentences erased, everyday communities
continue to suffer from addiction, violence, and
the unrelenting flow of fentanyl and other hard
drugs. Trump’s rhetoric often focused on killing
drug dealers abroad, even when due process was
absent or questionable. But his pardon list shines
a spotlight on a clemency policy that softens
punishment for those who already lost their day
in court.
Such inconsistent governance undermines trust
in both law enforcement and the justice system
and weakens our ability to seriously confront the
public-health and criminal-justice crisis that drugs
have created in the U.S. and beyond.
Conclusion
President Trump’s record on drugs is not simply
contradictory – it illustrates a profound problem:
weaponized justice that punishes some harshly
and forgives others without explained criteria. In
a just society, due process means something for
everyone – not just those with political clout.
The war on drugs isn’t about justice anymore—
it’s about politics. And that’s the real failure we
should be talking about.
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SOURCES
Washington Post – Reporting on Trump’s second-term pardons and commutations for individuals convicted of serious federal drug offenses.
Portside – Documentation of clemencies granted during Trump’s first term, including drug-trafficking convictions undone or reduced.
Portside + additional clemency listings – Combined reporting establishing at least 23 federal drug-trafficking convictions affected by Trump clemency actions.
Politico – Coverage of the conviction, sentencing, and December 2025 presidential pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández (400-ton cocaine
trafficking conspiracy).
VPM (Virginia Public Media) – Reporting on Trump’s January 2025 full pardon of Ross Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road, convicted of facilitating large-scale online drug
trafficking.
Justice.gov – U.S. Department of Justice records regarding the federal conviction and later commutation of Gangster Disciples co-founder Larry Hoover.
Wikipedia (source summaries) – Entries documenting the convictions and clemencies of Garnett Gilbert Smith and Anabel Valenzuela (federal cocaine and
methamphetamine trafficking cases).
Portside (additional examples) – Reporting on additional high-level narcotics and conspiracy convictions receiving clemency during both Trump presidencies.
The above material is the exclusive work product and intellectual property of Brent Lambi and/or his assigns and/or licensees. Any republication, reproduction, distribution,
or use—whether in whole or in part—is strictly prohibited without express written permission. Select former works are available for purchase. Sponsorship and public
speaking engagements may also be arranged. Please contact Brent Lambi directly for further information.

Donald Trump’s proclaimed “War
on Drugs” did not just fail — it in-
verted the basic logic of justice.
Consider Juan Orlando Hernán-
dez, former president of Honduras.
In 2024, a federal jury convicted
him of conspiring to import cocaine
into the United States after years of
investigation and testimony. Yet in-
stead of being treated as a caution-
ary tale, he has been portrayed by
some in Trump’s orbit as deserving
sympathy or reconsideration — a
striking contrast to how far less pow-
erful suspects are treated.
At the same time, investigative
journalists and human-rights or-
ganizations have raised questions
about certain U.S.-linked interdic-
tion operations abroad and at sea.
These reports do not prove unlaw-
ful conduct, but they describe inci-
dents where suspects died during
missions that produced no arrests,
trials, or publicly released evidence.
If even partly accurate, they suggest
the line between enforcement and
extrajudicial force has blurred.
The Constitution guarantees due
process and fair trial rights for all,
and it gives Congress — not the
president — authority to declare
war. International treaties ratified by
the United States further prohibit
the killing of individuals who are not
active combatants or who have not
been afforded judicial protections.
Yet while enforcement at the bot-
tom can be harsh and opaque, the
response at the top looks very dif-
ferent. Ross Ulbricht, convicted af-
ter a full trial and sentenced to life,
received a presidential pardon. His
guilt was established, but his sen-
tence was erased through executive
clemency.
A pattern emerges: unproven sus-
pects may face lethal force, accord-
ing to credible reporting, while prov-
en offenders may receive mercy.
Constitutional limits appear flexible
depending on political usefulness.
That is not equal justice. It is a hi-
erarchy shaped by influence.
When clemency repeatedly bene-
fits the well-connected, it raises a le-
gitimate public question: Is this truly
a war on drugs, or a system that pro-
tects the powerful while punishing
the powerless?
History will not remember this ap-
proach as strength. It will remember
it as a betrayal of the principle of
equal justice under law.

America has been told to “trust
the process” far too many times,
and too often that process leads to
sealed records, missing documents,
and silence from those in power.
With Congress passing the Epstein
Files Transparency Act, the question
now is simple: Will the public finally
see the truth — or another managed
illusion of it?
The law requires the Department
of Justice to release all unclassified
records related to Jeffrey Epstein’s
investigation and prosecution, in-
cluding materials involving associ-
ates, flight logs, internal DOJ com-
munications, and documentation of
his detention and death. It also re-
quires the documents to be posted
within 30 days in searchable, down-
loadable form.
Crucially, the DOJ cannot with-
hold information merely because it
might embarrass or politically dam-
age public officials.
Certain redactions are permit-
ted — such as victim identities,
child-sexual-abuse materials, and
content that could compromise
active investigations. But the law
provides no forensic audit ensuring
the records haven’t been altered or
erased before publication.
This moment is not about parti-
sanship. It is about whether a justice
system that failed victims for de-
cades can now be trusted to reveal
the full truth. America does not need
another promise of transparency. It
needs proof.
Justice Turned
Upside Down
The Hypocrisy of
Trump’s “War on Drugs”
America Doesn’t
Need Promises
It Needs the Truth
About the Epstein Files
SOURCES
DOJ & SDNY trial records: U.S. v. Juan Orlando Hernández (2024); Reuters & AP reporting
on prosecutors’ evidence. DOJ OIG (2017), ProPublica & Human Rights Watch investigations
on U.S.-linked interdiction practices. U.S. Constitution (Amend. V & VI; Art. I §8); Geneva
Conventions, ICCPR & U.N. Use-of-Force Principles. DOJ: Ross Ulbricht Sentencing (2015)
& White House Clemency List (2021). AP, NYT, Brookings & Harvard Law Review analyses of
Trump-era clemency patterns.
SOURCES
Epstein Files Transparency Act of 2024, Congressional text and summary, U.S. Congress.
(Requirements for release of “all unclassified records,” inclusion of materials involving
associates, flight logs, internal DOJ communications, detention documentation.)
Ibid. (Mandate that records be released within 30 days in searchable and downloadable
format.)
Ibid. (Prohibition on withholding or redacting records solely due to embarrassment,
reputational harm, or political damage.)
Ibid. (Allowed redactions: victim PII, child-sexual-abuse materials, items affecting active

HE SEDITION ACT: DEAD SINCE 1801, YET RESURRECTED AS A THREAT
The Sedition Act of 1798 expired in 1801 and has NEVER been ruled on by the Supreme Court. Why?
Because even in the early republic, leaders knew it wouldn’t survive constitutional scrutiny. Modern
First Amendment doctrine makes it unmistakably clear: resurrecting the Sedition Act or even invoking
its spirit against political opponents, comedians, journalists, or members of Congress is completely
baseless, profoundly unconstitutional, and fundamentally incompatible with American democracy.
A government official swearing to uphold the Constitution twice yet threatening critics with a law
that no longer exists and was widely condemned even in its own time, is not merely reckless, it is a
betrayal of the oath of office. Using expired and discredited sedition rhetoric to attack opponents is
an attempt to chill speech through fear, not law.
THE DANGER OF FALSE SEDITION ACCUSATIONS
Threatening people for warning the military about ILLEGAL orders is one of the most disturbing trends
of all. These warnings don’t encourage defiance—they uphold the law. Members of the military are
REQUIRED to disobey illegal orders. Reminding them of this is not sedition. It is civic responsibility.
To suggest that such speech is criminal is to turn the Constitution upside down.
A FREE PRESS THREATENED BY INTIMIDATION
The intimidation of Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, newspapers, and television networks, often
through veiled threats of politically motivated mergers or regulatory retaliation represents a direct
attack on the First Amendment’s guarantee of a free press.
The message is unmistakable: “Speak out, and you may be punished.”
This is the exact abuse the First Amendment was written to prevent.
A CLIMATE OF FEAR FOR ORDINARY CITIZENS
When citizens feel that questioning government actions might put a ‘target on their back,’ the problem
is not the citizens — it is the culture of intimidation coming from those who view dissent as a threat
rather than a constitutional right.
I write this editorial with the full understanding that people raising valid legal or constitutional concerns
may fear retaliation. That fear is itself proof of how urgently this conversation is needed.
PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS
Document everything. Share concerns with trusted people. If you ever feel threatened, contact
appropriate authorities and civil rights organizations. Your right to speak freely is protected by law, no
matter who attempts to intimidate or silence you.
Democracy requires citizens who refuse to bow to fear. And the First Amendment is not just a right.
It is the cornerstone of the American promise.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES IN WASHINGTON AND URGE
THEM TO SUPPORT OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS

When we debate “illegal immigration” today, we often forget the deepest
irony in our own history: the first undocumented immigrants on this
continent were the European settlers. They arrived without permission
from the Native American nations who had lived here for thousands of
years. They were met with generosity and were allowed to stay.
That kindness was not repaid. From Sand Creek to Wounded Knee, Native
peoples endured deception, broken treaties, disease, removal, and violence.
Even alcohol was weaponized to exploit and destabilize entire communities.
These people were not “obstacles” to progress — they were human beings
whose homelands were taken and whose cultures were nearly destroyed.
As modern immigrants are condemned simply for seeking safety and
opportunity, it is worth remembering who the true newcomers once were,
and whose land made our nation possible.
This Thanksgiving, we should reflect on that
history with humility and with gratitude.
We are all fortunate to be here in the United States of America, a country built
from many peoples and enriched by each new generation. As we gather with
family and friends, may we choose generosity over fear, compassion over
exclusion, and remember that sharing our nation’s wealth and opportunities
with those who seek a better life is not a burden — it is a blessing.
Happy Thanksgiving
Brent Lambi

Before 1892, the United States had no federal immigration system. Millions poured into this
country with no visas, no green cards, and no background checks — only hope, courage, and
the promise of freedom. By today’s standards, every immigrant who arrived before Ellis Island
opened would be called “undocumented”. Yet those very people built the railroads, plowed
the plains, raised the factories, and gave birth to the American middle class.
If we applied today’s deportation policies to the 19th century, most Americans alive now would
never have been born. Our cities, universities, and industries — the backbone of the modern
United States — were shaped by immigrants who entered without paperwork. America’s
greatness is rooted not in walls or quotas, but in open doors and opportunity.
The Constitutional Crisis Today
Today, we face a moral and legal paradox. The Constitution grants Congress — not the
President — the authority to make immigration law and gives the Judicial Branch the power
to interpret and review its application. Yet, the Executive Branch has often acted unilaterally
— ordering mass arrests and deportations, separating families, and ignoring court rulings that
affirm basic due-process rights.
Such actions violate the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, which guarantee equal protection
and due process to “all persons” — not just citizens. The Supreme Court has consistently
recognized that anyone on U.S. soil, regardless of status, is entitled to constitutional protection.
When the Executive Branch detains or deports people without proper judicial oversight, it
undermines the separation of powers that defines our Republic.
A Nation Defined by Inclusion, Not Exclusion
The truth is simple: if the United States had expelled its “undocumented” immigrants of the
1800s, America as we know it would not exist. The idea that today’s immigrants are somehow
less deserving of humanity or constitutional protection contradicts both our history and our
founding principles.
The real crisis is not at the border — it is in Washington, where the Executive Branch disregards
the limits of its own power, bypassing courts and constitutional obligations in the name
of political expediency. To honor our past and preserve our future, we must remember
that every generation of Americans once included someone who arrived without papers, but
with a dream.
— Brent Lambi
Creighton University School of Law Class of 1985
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES IN WASHINGTON AND URGE
THEM TO SUPPORT FAIR AND HUMANE IMMIGRATION POLICIES
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Brent Lambi, Independent
America’s
Undocumented Founders:
A Constitutional Reckoning on Immigration
SENATOR DEB FISCHER
448 Russell Senate
Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6551
fischer.senate.gov
SENATOR PETE RICKETTS
139 Russell Senate
Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4224
ricketts.senate.gov
CONGRESSMAN
DON BACON
2104 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 225-4155
bacon.house.gov
CONGRESSMAN
MIKE FLOOD
343 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 225-4806
flood.house.gov
CONGRESSMAN
ADRIAN SMITH
502 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 225-6435
adriansmith.house.gov
SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY
135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3744
grassley.senate.gov
SENATOR JONI ERNST
730 Hart Senate
Office Building
Washington, Dc 20510
202-224-3254
ernst.senate.gov
CONGRESSMAN
ZACH NUNN
1232 Longworth House
Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-1503
202-225-5476
nunn.house.gov
CONGRESSMAN
RANDY FEENSTRA
1440 Longworth House
Office Building
Washington, DcC 20515-1504
202-225-4426
feenstra.house.gov

As Washington once again toys with slashing Medicare, Medicaid, and dismantling what remains of
the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans brace for a cruel blow. These aren’t just numbers on a
spreadsheet — these are real people. Seniors will be choosing between medicine and groceries. Young
families priced out of coverage. Cancer patients denied treatment because “preexisting conditions”
would once again be used to exclude them from care.
Under the Trump administration’s priorities, tax breaks for billionaires remain protected — while health
care for ordinary Americans is treated as expendable. The result? Premiums rise, coverage shrinks,
and financial pressure grows. An average working couple in the United States — already struggling
with the high cost of employer-based insurance — could see their premiums climb even higher or lose
affordable coverage entirely if federal subsidies and consumer protections are gutted. Meanwhile,
retirees could face reduced access to life-saving medications if Medicare benefits are slashed.
This isn’t fiscal prudence — this is moral decay.
Canada and most of Europe long ago recognized health care as a right, not a privilege. Yet America,
the wealthiest nation on Earth, seems determined to let its citizens risk bankruptcy or homelessness
simply to stay alive.
If we continue to value tax cuts for the wealthy over the health of our people, then our country isn’t
just financially bankrupt — it is ethically bankrupt, too.
Brent Lambi
PAID FOR BY BRENT LAMBI PO BOX 563 CENTRAL CITY, CO 80427
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES IN WASHINGTON AND
URGE THEM TO SUPPORT HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AMERICANS
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
Sunday, November 16, 2025
America’s Moral Sickness:
Cutting Care for the Many to Enrich the Few
FACT BOX
HEALTH CARE AT RISK IN IOWA & NEBRASKA
• Across Iowa and Nebraska, over 2 million residents live with pre-existing
conditions that insurers could again charge more to cover.¹
• If ACA premium credits expire, families could see monthly costs skyrocket — from
about $800 to over $1,400, according to national models.²
• The Urban Institute projects 4.8 million more uninsured nationwide, hitting rural
states like Iowa and Nebraska hardest.³
SOURCES:
[1] Families USA (2024): IA 1.29M; NE 0.78M.
[2] KFF (2025): “Impact of Expiring Enhanced Premium Tax Credits.”
[3] Urban Institute (2025): “The Consequences of Allowing ACA Subsidies to Expire.”