John Kasich: United Dragging Incident Teaches Important Life Lessons
Ohio Governor John Kasich said his new book “Two Paths: America Divided or United” isn’t just about politics—it’s about American values.
“We are not treating each other with respect, we are divided. We only consume that that we agree with… and this is just not that way our country works best," he said during an interview with the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.
Kasich argues that “across the board,” disrespect has become widespread--and should be addressed.
“Look at United. How the heck could they have treated somebody like that on that airplane?" he asked. “Whether its sports, whether its entertainment, whether it’s the media and it’s an issue. We need to assume control each one of us, because we all matter, and we [are] all powerful. Believe me -- even if you’re turning off the lights at night and you’re not the CEO, you matter.”
Kasich said it's not just business, but government that can learn from the incident. He puts the onus on Democrats and Republicans to work together and listen to one another to create “sustainable” health-care reform.
“Don’t shut your mind to other people and we are doing too much of this,” he said and again referred to the United incident. “That man on that airplane was not a widget we need to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we need to bring ourselves together. We need to fight the drug problem in the neighborhood. We need to help the kids in the neighborhood. We need to help the veterans coming home to get jobs in the neighborhood—that’s what will unite us and drive change to the top.”
Kasich also discussed his bipartisan effort to improve Medicare. He explained why 700,000 people were added to the program in Ohio.
“They didn’t have any health care. So what do you want to do with the mentally ill, the drug addicted and the chronically ill?... not treat them? Or they live in the emergency room which drives all of our costs up,” he said. “Our Medicaid program is only growing at three percent and the per capita increases are flat. So we are managing the program and I want to reform Medicaid and there’s a way in which you can do it to control more ability to lower the pharmaceutical costs.”