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Saturday Selects: What is Going on in the White House

John Guillen1 Comment

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday to discuss a topic outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today, well I could talk about the White House everyday if I wanted to.

Guys, it doesn’t take a Democrat or Republican to see that the White House is in turmoil. Every time we think something may have passed or we’ve gotten through the worst of it something else takes its place. I know some would have you believe that it’s the media doing this, but really? Are we really supposed to believe the media is responsible for all of these things that are happening?

I mean, we can believe whatever we choose to, right?

Saturday Selects: No Better Time Than Now

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Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday to discuss topics outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today the topic is healthcare.

The House passed their healthcare bill to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this week. Here’s some of what will change. Americans with preexisting conditions may not be able to afford coverage. Why not? Because the bill takes us back to the days in which insurers could discriminate against these people by charging them outrageous premiums. The bill allocates $8 billion dollars for these people in high risk pools. Every estimate by conservative, liberal, and non partisan groups agrees this number will fall short of what’s needed to keep these people covered. As in tens of billions of dollars short. Medicaid expansion will end. The individual mandate is gone. Essential services will no longer be included in every policy available. More people will die.

Except there’s one thing many don’t understand. Nothing is set in stone. The bill has been sent to the Senate where it will undergo change after change due to how it’s currently written. I believe that if Mitch McConnell were to call a vote on the bill as written with no changes that it would fail. The problem (again) is that the parties aren’t working together on this. I’ll admit I wasn’t happy with how the Affordable Care Act was originally passed, but there’s no denying the real positives that have come from it. And also the shortfalls. 

The American Healthcare Act just passed by the House is not the law of the land. And regardless of political affiliation, I hope you’ll join me in making sure it never reaches the president’s desk. Call your senators!

We deserve better. We deserve better from our elected officials. We deserve better when it comes to the healthcare in the supposed “greatest country on earth”.

Saturday Selects: America Strikes Syria

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Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday to discuss topics outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today I’m talking Syria.

If you live under a pineapple under the sea, then you’re likely unaware of the significant escalation that took place this week in the Syrian civil war. Earlier in the week the Syrian government once again used chemical weapons against its own people. Killing dozens. Until this week the international community had spoken a lot louder than they’d acted. That changed Thursday night. The US launched a targeted airstrike against a Syrian airbase where the planes that carried out the chemical weapons attack were believed to have originated.

The US has been active in Syria for a couple of years now. But never once did American armed forces attack Syrian government forces. Some have called for the grounding of the Syrian air force. I think there’s only one country capable of carrying out such an operation. Not Russia. Not Iran. The US. First, there has to be a desire to act. Second, there has to be the capability. Third, there has to be a willingness to stand up to TWO dictators.

I’ve seen people criticize the hypocrisy of Donald Trump bombing Syrian targets in the name of the same people he’s trying to keep out. I understand the criticism. But I won’t pretend to understand the complexities of the presidency. Donald Trump may be a flawed human being. But so am I and so are you. Everyone can talk up their own views and beliefs all they want, but 45 men have known what it means to be POTUS. I’d argue the modern presidency is far more burdensome than those of previous eras. Donald Trump is not who I wanted to be president. But I won’t sit back and hope he drives MY country into the ground and our allies away for four years.

Donald Trump is wrong on several things, but I think he got it right on Syria. It’s long past the time for action. The Syrian people deserve better than what the international community has offered. I will criticize Trump every time he signs anything resembling a travel ban based on religion, but there’s more to the presidency than one issue. One of President Obama’s major weaknesses was Syria. Does that mean I can’t criticize him for his inaction while also praising him for signing the repeal of Don’t ask, don’t tell? No. It doesn’t.

Saturday Selects: The Failure of AHCA

John Guillen1 Comment

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday. This week I’m talking the AHCA.

The GOP controls both houses of Congress and the White House. For seven years they’ve talked about repealing the Affordable Care Act, the landmark healthcare legislation signed into law by President Obama. The ACA has more Americans insured than at any other point in history. But no one says the law is perfect. Some have seen premium hikes in recent years. Some small, rural areas have only one insurer to choose from. Insurers claim that enrollees are sicker than they anticipated.

With the imperfections in mind one would think the GOP would have an easy path to repeal. Wrong. Not because they didn’t try but because the bill they put forth was such a disaster that members from every faction of the GOP came out against it. The final nail in the coffin of the AHCA was the removal of language in the bill that would require insurers to provide basic preventative services in all policies. Why someone would seek the removal of such language is simply beyond my comprehension.

The GOP quickly realized that the ACA is far from perfect, but their own attempt at healthcare reform turned out to be an historical dud.

I don’t see why legislators can’t look at the deficiencies of the ACA and set out to fix them rather than set out to repeal and replace a law that has helped more than 20 million people gain coverage.

Saturday Selects: Why I Love Museums

John Guillen8 Comments

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday about topics outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today I’m discussing museums.

I think if you’re reading this you likely know about my trip to DC last year. For four days I went to every museum I possibly could. After the conclusion of the trip I still have a lengthy list of museums in and around DC I want to visit. A month before I went to DC last year I went to Austin for two days. It was the first time I visited one of the presidential libraries. In those two days I went to four museums and the state capitol of Texas. Next month I’m spending eight days in Boston.

As you can see I’m just about obsessed with museums. Quite honestly I’d like to visit every museum I possibly can during my brief time roaming Earth. But the question I often get is “Why?”. Why do I want to travel to different cities of the world just to go to museums?

I’ll tell you. That’s where all the history lives. I’m not saying there aren’t bits of history scattered throughout cities and historical places, but for what is typically a nominal admission fee you’re granted access to hundreds, thousands, and in some cases millions of pieces of individual history. How great is that!

You don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the opportunity museums give us. We’re allowed to learn about cultures, eras, wars, and movements because people behind the scenes have usually devoted their lives to preserving history and historical artifacts of all shapes and sizes.

I love museums because I’m only one person in one era living one life experience, but I’m so eager to learn about the things I haven’t and won’t be able to experience. Museums are time machines. And who doesn’t love those?

Saturday Selects: The Consequences of Inaction

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Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday on topics that fall outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Yes, today is Sunday.

I have a story to tell. It doesn’t have a happy ending. I have three dogs. One large dog and two small ones. Over the last few months the large dog has been aggressive toward both of my other dogs. In December I said it was time to get rid of the large dog. But my recommendation was not acted on. My other family members seemed to be more concerned with how much they claim to love the large dog rather than the fact that the two other dogs were in danger.

Two days ago there was another incident. And again nothing was done. They continued to just act as if everything was normal. There was another incident early this morning. The time for action has long passed. Emergency surgery and thousands of dollars forces one’s hand.

This is what happens when you take for granted your ability to take action in a timely manner. Your animals shouldn’t be forced to live in fear. They’re members of your family just like your siblings, parents, and children are. If you have an aggressive animal, take immediate action. Just like you would if your family member was in immediate danger.

My family didn’t. And our dog will be a constant reminder of what happens when you don’t do something when you still have the chance.

Saturday Selects: The Media

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Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday to discuss topics outside the general bookish theme of the blog.

It’s 2017 and it seems like the only institution anyone wants to talk about is the media. Let me first acknowledge what I believe to be a simple fact. No President of The United States really likes the media. Why? Because the media holds the president accountable. No one enjoys being called out when things don’t go according to plan. But it’s part of the job and the freedom of the press is written into the Constitution.

YouTube is full of videos of former presidents acknowledging the importance of the press in American society. Presidents and lawmakers have acknowledged this since the dawn of this country.

But the current administration doesn’t buy into any of that. Its official stance is that every media outlet that criticizes the administration is fake news. I don’t have to tell you what happens when the press is constantly belittled by a person in power. We’ve seen it in our history books.

You know how every time a politician talks about new gun restrictions you get people all over the country saying, “2ND AMENDMENT! 2ND AMENDMENT!”? For some reason those same people are unwilling to stand up for the Amendment that comes right before it. So many people in this country don’t care about the freedom to practice any religion unless it’s Christianity. So many people in this country don’t care about the freedom of speech unless it’s in agreement with their beliefs. So many people in this country don’t care about the freedom to protest unless the protest is in line with their views. So many people in this country don’t care about the freedom of the press, especially when it’s criticizing their views.

But way too many people in this country believe the 2nd Amendment is holy. People will always pick and choose what to care about and defend, that’s not new. I find it frustrating that more people aren’t standing up for the media like they do for their guns or their religion.

Donald Trump and his administration can say whatever they want to say, but the media is not the enemy of the American people. The media has several responsibilities, but right at or near the top of that list is to hold the President of the United States accountable for his or her actions. And members of the media will continue to do so long after Donald Trump is out of office.

Saturday Selects: Disney Classics

John Guillen7 Comments

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write that fall outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today we’re talking movies.

In recent years Disney has released live-action versions of some of its most beloved animated classics. The Jungle Book. Cinderella. Etc. The trend is continuing very soon with the release of Beauty and the Beast.

I’ve seen people my age become excited for just about every remake they’ve done in recent years. I imagine there’s a feeling of nostalgia involved. Like what I’d feel if Rugrats was brought back. I haven’t shared in any of the excitement for these movies. Because I haven’t seen any of the originals. *runs*

That’s right. I know someone who is obsessed with Disney princesses and I couldn’t even talk about the plots of these movies. John Legend and Ariana Grande covered the theme song from the new Beauty and the Beast movie, so I listed to see if it’d bring back any memories. I’d never heard it before.

People talk about The Lion King online as if everyone knows Evert detail about it. But I don’t. I don’t know anything about it. I think a lion dies? I don’t know.

The point is I’m lost when it comes to Disney animated classics. Is there something EVERYONE seems to be familiar with that you just haven’t been exposed to?

Saturday Selects: The Ban

John Guillen1 Comment

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write that fall outside the general bookish theme of the blog.

Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday banning immigrants and refugees from seven countries. Syria. Iran. Iraq. Libya. Somalia. Yemen. Sudan. He’s done this under the guise of national security, claiming that this action is meant to protect us from terrorists. But it has been widely reported by multiple reputable news outlets that no attack carried out on US soil since 9/11 involved someone from any of the countries.

Makes you wonder what the hell is actually going on, right? If we’re banning people from our lands under a false pretense, then what’s the real reason for the ban? I’ll tell you, but I think you already know. One of Donald Trump’s major campaign promises was some form of a ban on Muslims entering the country. He’s making good on that promise.

The United States has failed all refugees. We have resources and the ability to take in many refugees, but we don’t. “The greatest country in the world” has all but refused to lend its hand to refugees all over the world. Refugees are escaping war, persecution, and tyrannical governments. Are these not the people we want to stand up for? Are we content just standing on the sidelines as the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe only worsens? Is this really the American way?

Donald Trump is not putting America first, as he likes to say. He’s putting America on an island while the rest of the world backs away from us.

Saturday Selects: Where I Stand

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Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write that fall outside the general bookish theme of the blog.

Have you ever heard the expression that someone was just raised that way? Or that another person was raised a strong Christian? Things like that. We all know humans are complex, critically-thinking beings, but sometimes we just make assumptions and base those assumptions on next to nothing at all. So that’s what today’s post is about. Me simply telling you how I came to believe in some of the things I do. This isn’t meant to be exhaustive and no one has asked me to reveal this information. But I’ve been posting on this blog for nearly four years now. If I’m afraid or unwilling to post something personal then what am I really doing here?

Faith

My family is Catholic. My HUGE Mexican family. Which if you know anything about demographics, then that surely doesn’t surprise you. I was “raised” a Catholic. The quotation marks are there because I grew up in a Catholic household. But never once did my parents force me to do something relative to the church I didn’t want to do. I was never forced to attend Sunday school. I was never forced to pray every night before bed. I was never expressly told to believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I remember the last time I prayed, though that’s probably a stretch to even call it as such. It was after a Little League game in 2004. It was soon after my grandpa died. I remember praying, but I don’t have any idea what I was asking for. I also remember crying my eyes out for the one and only time over his death. I was 12.

But as I became older I soon realized that I didn’t believe in the same things my family did. There was a conversation between one of my brothers, my dad, and me when I was a teen about evolution and god. I was stunned that members of my own family rejected science in the name of faith. I was asked if I believed in god and I said I guess not. I walked into a high school classroom my senior year and asked how many people believed in evolution. Again, I was shocked that only one or two hands shot up. I couldn’t believe it. This is no different from when people say they don’t “believe” in climate change. But that’s another story. I’ve proudly been an atheist since I was in college, though that topic just doesn’t come up anymore.

Marriage

This is one of those things you constantly hear that “young people” almost universally agree on. I’m the same. You’ve heard of politicians “evolving” on the issue of what does and does not represent a lawful and acceptable marriage, probably most notably President Obama. But I’ve never once thought marriage could only be between a man and a woman. Not once in my life has that ever crossed my mind. Just like I’ve never thought it odd or different if two people in a couple were from different racial or ethnic backgrounds. It just doesn’t make sense to me to question who someone loves. No one is telling me who I’m allowed to love. What right does any person have to tell another who they can or cannot love? No right. No right at all.

Capital Punishment

Remember that my degree is in Criminal Justice, so I’m no expert but I have quite a bit of knowledge that most people don’t. Since I was old enough to reach my own conclusion on capital punishment, I was steadfastly in favor it. When I was in college I actually wanted to expand it to include cases of aggravated rape. I participated in a debate on capital punishment in a class during my final year in school. I once had to argue against an entire classroom full of students because no one else was willing to make the case for the continued use of the death penalty. But I know the stats. I know that the possibility of executing an innocent person exists. I know that the death penalty does not act as a crime deterrent. I know that the costs of carrying out the death penalty far outweigh the costs of life in prison. I know that the death penalty is state sponsored murder. I know that just about every Western country in the world has abolished the death penalty. And I know that it is very quickly falling out of favor in the United States. With all that being said, I decided fairly recently that I simply cannot support an institution of murder carried out as unfairly as death sentences are in this country. It took me much too long to come to this realization, but I firmly believe I’m on the right side of the issue and history.

Guns

Uh oh. Probably not the best topic to discuss at any point in time when you have no idea where others stand, but understanding different perspectives is just as important as understanding the core issue. For me this one is very simple. I think I’ve been heavily criticized on here when I’ve written about gun violence previously. I don’t think citizens should be allowed to have guns at all. Yep. Call me a crazy liberal who doesn’t understand things, but that’s how I feel and I’ll tell you why.

EVERYONE knows that other developed countries simply do not have the gun violence that we have here in the United States. And what I mean is gun violence is virtually nonexistent. Japan. Australia. UK. Canada. Germany. Belgium. The list could go on and on. And the reasons aren’t always because gun ownership has been outlawed. But the countries that have very few deaths attributed to gun violence each year don’t have an obsession with guns like we have in the United States. Which is why I think outlawing gun ownership is the only way to move forward. The problem people have is they’ll see one event in France or in another country with very strict gun laws and then proclaim that the laws simply don’t work. But they fail to recognize that the numbers in the US are simply astronomical when compared to every other country on the planet. EVERY OTHER COUNTRY ON THE PLANET. People hunt because they want to kill animals. People have guns because they want guns. We can rationalize it all we want, but the reasons really don’t change. Donald Trump has vowed to protect the 2nd Amendment, and I have no doubt about he will do so, but over the course of the next four years there is a very chilling certainty. There will be mass shootings. And he will have to speak about them to the American public.

The United States always claims to lead the world in this or that, but when it comes to gun violence not only have we missed the flight, we didn’t even remember to buy the ticket. I simply refuse to accept that gun violence is the way of American life.

Healthcare

This is another big one being heavily debated today. Tell me something. Have you ever had some freak accident that forced you to go to the emergency room? I have. Multiple times. When I was in 3rd grade I made the highly intelligent decision to ride my bike off the edge of a construction ramp 6-8 feet off the ground. My face stuck the landing right there on the concrete. I got stitches that night at my local ER. Three years later I was racing out of the gym to run my warm-up lap around the track before PE class and I ran directly into a locked door. My face again absorbed the impact. I got stitches again about an inch from the first spot on my chin. That same school year during the same Little League season I previously mentioned I decided to test the fielder’s arm at home plate. The throw beat me by a mile. There was an abrupt collision. I broke my wrist right there on the field.

None of my cases were real emergencies. I mean, yes. I needed to see a doctor. But my life was not in any real danger. Now imagine if it were. Imagine if I’d suffered an injury that required extensive surgery, but surgery that wasn’t required. You know, the doctor can tell you what’s wrong and recommend surgery but first he’s going to make sure it’s covered by your insurance. But uh oh, I don’t have insurance. The doctor gives me something for the pain and I’m out the door. I don’t feel too bad until I run out of the pain meds and I realize how bad it really is.

I’m no health professional, and perhaps this isn’t EXACTLY how it plays out in hospitals each and every day. But I can’t wrap my head around the fact that in this country healthcare is viewed as a privilege. The right to life is viewed as something only some can have. We guarantee public education through high school, right? But we can’t guarantee healthcare to every citizen in this country? Again, the United States is well behind much of the world at this point. Someone recently described healthcare in their country to me. You paid a small amount for up to 7 days in the hospital, and after that it’s completely free to you. I acknowledge that there are MANY ways to go about insuring everyone, but we aren’t even trying. And we’re still awaiting the changes that are looming just ahead of us after the election of Donald Trump.

Guys, I absolutely do not expect you to agree with me on any of these things. And that’s the beauty of it. There’s nothing wrong with that. What issues are of particular importance to you? I have several more but WordPress tells me this post has somehow reached 1700 words. Yikes.

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