Trump admin. & the increasing cost of health-care

Trump said he'd "make America great again". Fair enough, but a big step towards that goal would be free or reasonably-priced health-care. Yet I do not see any policies from this administration to fix this most important life-or-death issue. The only thing I've heard from Trump is 'repeal Obamacare' which doesn't solve anything.

This past Sunday, a relative of mine had a medical emergency & had to be transported by ambulance to a hospital. 
I went to visit & it was an eye-opening experience for me. The amount of people in the ER was overwhelming. I was talking to a nurse there (at the hospital) & she told me she only works a few times a week because she can't handle it. The amount of people (& the bad behavior of a few) gets to her. 

The city of Phoenix is growing thus the amount of people needing healthcare is also growing. Yet the hospitals remain much the same. As a matter of fact, a hospital in Maryvale (west Phoenix) was even closed despite the growing population. I did a little research & it appears the hospital will eventually open again, but not until 2019: 

http://ktar.com/story/1972579/new-ownership-to-reopen-hospital-in-west-phoenix-in-2019/?

"PHOENIX — A closed medical center has another chance 

to serve its Phoenix community. Maricopa Integrated 

Health System said Maryvale hospital will reopen 

early next year.

The Maricopa County Special Health Care District 

announced Wednesday it would buy the campus that 

was shut down in December by Abrazo Community 

Health Network for around $7 million. Plans were 

to spend about $52 million in renovations, upgrades 

and equipment."

Thankfully, my relative is a senior and has Medicare thus I doubt there'll be any out-of-pocket expense. But anybody who is not on Medicare doesn't have the same "luxury" since deductibles keep getting higher & higher.

& now Trump is saying he's gonna "Make America Great Again" by building a wall with Mexico. Today, 1.6 billion dollars from a $1.3 trillion spending bill were allocated for that purpose:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-blew-it-the-president-missed-his-best-chance-yet-to-get-funding-for-his-border-wall/2018/03/21/04993950-2d2b-11e8-8688-e053ba58f1e4_story.html
"In the $1.3 trillion spending bill, Trump will secure about $1.6 billion in funding for barriers along the border, which White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders touted as a win but is nonetheless far short of the $25 billion the administration had sought for Trump’s wall construction."

I find it interesting the government wants to spend billions of dollars. As far as me, in order to save just a few dollars, I actually had to go to Mexico recently to have some dental work done. 
So maybe instead of spending 25 billion dollars to build a wall, Trump can spend some of that money to lower the cost of dental insurance. At least for seniors. Speaking of Medicare, there's a report on the NYTimes articulating the big issue of seniors not having dental coverage included in their Medicare: 
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/upshot/medicare-missing-dental-coverage.html 

"Almost one in five adults of Medicare 

eligibility age (65 years old and older) 

have untreated cavities. 

The same proportion have lost all their 

teeth. 

Half of Medicare beneficiaries have 

some periodontal disease, or infection 

of structures around teeth,including the gums.

Bacteria from such infections can circulate

elsewhere in the body, contributing

to other health problems such as heart disease

and strokes.

And yet traditional Medicare does not cover

routine dental care, like checkups, cleanings,

fillings, dentures and tooth extraction."

Of course, talking about health-care is not very interesting to the cable news channels. The big news this morning on CNN was "Facebook" which is important (as far as your digital data being mishandled) but doesn't compare to an issue affecting your health and your money.

"Resistance" to Trump

I've had the good fortune of being employed in the private sector during three administrations: W. Bush, Obama, and now Trump. & (of course) it was during the Obama years when I actually benefited from government intervention. When the housing maket crashed and the Obama administration gave incentives to buy property, I participated & helped the market rebound in the process (if I may say so myself).

Other than that, I never gave much thought to what the president was doing during the Obama years. They called him "no-drama Obama" for a reason.

When Trump first appeared in the political scene, descending from the Trump tower escalator, I didn't know what to make of him. I had watched "the apprentice" years ago, but by 2015 I disliked the Donald upon hearing him (basically) say Obama was an illegal from Kenya. 

During the summer of 2015, I remember an aunt from south Phoenix (who is rarely interested in politics) asking me about the Donald during a family celebration. It happened in the weeks after the Donald said "Mexicans are rapists". & despite living in south Phoenix since the seventies, my aunt asked me (granted, she knows I like to follow politics): "do you think Trump will win?".

I still regret the answer I gave her. I firmly said "No, he'll never win".  
I gotta say though, once Trump won the republican nomination & the democrats failed to nominate Bernie Sanders, I changed my mind. If you don't believe me, see my post from the summer of 2016: http://genxmillennlatino.blogspot.com/2016/06/trump.html
  
Now, in 2018, I visited my aunt again (yesterday). Speaking of the "Bern", I originally had gone to downtown Phoenix to see Bernie Sanders. However, the theater was full & I was turned away at the door. In addition, I was heckled by Trump supporters planted across the street (behind police officers of course). To add insult to injury, upon watching the Phoenix rally video on youtube, it appears Trump-supporting hecklers actually got into the theater! But not me of course:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jWOb61oF3c

But back to my aunt, since she lives relatively near downtown Phoenix (& I had a few hours to kill), I went ahead and visited her. & I found out (because of personal reasons) she was forced to refinance her house. & of course, she did not get any help from the government. How could she? For example; in his first act as president, Trump blocked a rate cut on the federal insurance for mortgages.

But most importantly, talking to my aunt, she says for her (& for me too) seeing Trump as president is a constant reminder of the institutional/GOP rejection to immigrants like herself. & she doesn't like it. 
Even W. Bush tried to appeal to Latinos by showcasing (at a GOP convention) his half-Latino nephew George P. Bush (who unfortunately now aligns himself with Trump but that's another story): https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/03/07/george-p-bush-wins-in-texas-after-breaking-with-family-on-trump/23379569/
"George P. Bush won the primary for Texas land commissioner on Tuesday after touting his continued support of President Donald Trump, a position that runs in contrast to the rest of his family dynasty."
  
Of course, my aunt no longer asks me if Trump could get elected, but she did ask me if the Donald will get impeached. I said: "I don't know, it depends on what Mueller finds out". So my aunt goes: "when will we know (if Trump will get impeached)?". I said:"Again, I don't know -- It may take another year or two". Fustrated, she exclaimed: "that long?!". 

I just smiled. Mind you, she didn't ask me how she could get involved politically or donate to an anti-Trump political group. She just wants Trump gone. 
It appears the "resistance" to Trump is strong & angry, but unorganized. 

It's easy to get depressed and romanticize resistance to ideologies you find abhorrent like those of the Trump administration. 
However, there is a dark side to the anger (much worse than those Trump-supporting hecklers yelling at random Berniecrats). I've been watching series about the seventies on CNN & I've been surprised at the levels of violence perpetrated by radical groups from the left. They're similar to the levels of violence by radical groups from the right during the Clinton nineties: though nothing as brutal as the Oklahoma city bombing in 1995.  

There is absolutely nothing to be gained from violence against the state in a country like the United States. The state has all the power: surveillance, weapons, intelligence, etc. Which is why I find the premise from gun-rights activists, of a weapon being a bulwark against tyranny, preposterous. The U.S. army can squash any anti-government resistance in its own soil, quickly and mercilessly.
     
The only way to resist an administration like Trump's is to do it peacefully, methodically and convincingly. People will only respond to your policy proposals if they make sense & if they (& their communities) benefit. There is no other way. I sometimes go to rallies and demonstrations (like the protest against Trump last year in Phoenix): http://genxmillennlatino.blogspot.com/2017/08/trump-rally-in-phoenix.html 
However, the most effective way to advance your agenda is to get involved in politics and convince your neighbors to back the policies you endorse. & if you're not gonna do it youself, you need to support those who are willing to do it.
With that in mind, I recently made a $27 donation to "Justice Democrats" & I'm glad a few of their candidates did advance in Texas.

The defeat of Trump and his policies can only be achieved through the ballot box & by getting involved at the state & local levels. & of course, the next important (key) test for "the resistance" is going to be november 2018.

Trump corruption

I was talking to a relative this past weekend about how bad corruption is in Latin America. But then I remembered the corruption right here & right now. Right off the top of my head (though I did more research today), I mentioned the recent Trump scandals I could recall (despite not paying much attention to the news recently):
1) Trump Interior secretary Ryan Zinke: 
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/5/16853432/ryan-zinke-interior-department-secretary

"...he (Zinke) used noncommercial planes to travel back to his hometown in Whitefish, Montana, and to fly between Caribbean islands. He’s also taken expensive helicopter flights around DC and to political events.

...Controversy swirled again when, in an effort to rebuild Puerto Rico’s battered grid after Hurricane Maria, the island’s governor inked a deal with a little-known contractor from Zinke’s hometown funded by a donor to President Trump instead of invoking mutual aid agreements with other utilities right away."

2) Trump HUD secretary Ben Carson. After a HUD staff member was demoted and replaced for refusing to approve a $30,000 dining set, records have been requested by the House Oversight committee: 
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2018-03-01/ben-carson-cancels-31k-dining-set-order-for-hud-office

"House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., has requested records relating to office furnishings since the beginning of 2017 from HUD, CNN reported."

3) Trump EPA administrator Scott Pruitt. Pruitt refused to fly coach because he's afraid of his constituents, & he employs a sophisticated security detail which is now "raising concerns":
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/06/politics/epa-senate-democrats/index.html

"Washington (CNN) A pair of Senate Democrats are raising concerns over a potential business conflict within the Environmental Protection Agency with a member of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's security team and an outside security firm.

In a letter to Pruitt, Sens. Thomas Carper of Delaware and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island ask for additional information on Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta, who is employed at the EPA and is a principal at Sequoia Security Group.

According to the letter dated Tuesday, one of Perrotta's business associates had a security contract with the EPA last year.

"These facts raise questions about Mr. Perrotta's compliance with EPA regulations and concerns that he may have used his position at the agency to influence the award of EPA contracts to a person or company in which he has a financial interest," the letter says."

4) Trump treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/politics/mnuchin-military-flights.html
"WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has flown on military aircraft seven times since March at a cost of more than $800,000, including a $15,000 round-trip flight to New York to meet with President Trump at Trump Tower, according to the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General."

5) Trump's son in law Jared Kushner. 
Kushner is trying to secure an investment for his 666 fifth avenue property by apparently utilizing his position within the white house: 
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/did-jared-kushner-punish-qatar-because-it-wouldnt-lend-his-family-money
"Earlier this week, we learned that Jared Kushner’s family business received half a billion dollars in loans from a pair of financial institutions following meetings between senior executives and the First Son-in-Law in the White House. The optics weren’t great! An even worse look? The possibility that the boy prince launched a geopolitical tantrum and punished an entire country for refusing to lend money to Kushner Cos."

Not to mention this morning, while I was watching MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle, she introduced her next segment as "porn in the morn". Ruhle made that amusing introduction because the topic of discussion was Stormy Daniels. Stormy was allegedly paid off to keep quiet, but is now nevertheless suing Trump:  

http://www.syracuse.com/us-news/index.ssf/2018/03/stormy_daniels_suing_trump_affair.html

"LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A porn star who has said she had sex with Donald Trump filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement and "set the record straight," her lawyer said Wednesday.

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday. She alleges that the agreement she signed days before the 2016 presidential election, which prevented her from discussing the alleged sexual encounters, is "null and void and of no consequence" because Trump didn't personally sign it."

After referencing the above scandals (I didn't even mention the Mueller #TrumpRussia investigation, because lately the news about it has been too overwhelming to follow) my relative said "la corrupcion es la misma aqui y en China". The phrase translates to "corruption is the same, here or in China" which means corruption is a world-wide phenomenon. Which is the sad truth indeed.

Mi anålisis de la serie de Netflix: "la Casa de Papel"

Recientemente vi la serie de Netflix "La Casa De Papel". 
Es interesante (para mi solamente) el hecho de que yo nunca habia visto una serie en Español en Netflix aun siendo Latino. Sin embargo, esta serie si me intereso en cuanto vi de que se trataba: un atraco.  Pero no nada mas un robo cualquiera, sino un asalto a la fabrica Nacional de moneda y timbre en España. 

Me acuerdo cuando era niño, que aun despues de convertirse en ciudadana NorteAmericana, mi Mama (blanca pero nacida en Mexico) se referia a España como la "Madre Patria". Y yo le creia. Claro, eso era antes de que aprendi sobre la brutal colonizacion de America por los Europeos: pero eso es otro tema. En realidad, al ver la "casa de papel", si admito la familiaridad de los personajes. Hay vecez que comento; ese personaje se parece a my primo, esa actriz se parace a mi Tia, etc. Debido a eso, los personajes se me hicieron interesantes, y diferentes a lo que estoy acostumbrado a ver en relacion a otras series Europeas sobre crimen como "Wallander" o "Sherlock Holmes" (Hablando de "Wallander", el personaje de la mama de la inspectora que tiene demencia utiliza un metodo similar al de Kurt para recordar cosas que se le olvidan: las escribe en post-it notes).

Y hablando de la inspectora, su personaje en la serie es clave (para mi). Ademas, es la actuacion que mas me gusto. La inspectora es Raquel Murillo, a cargo de resolver el atraco y rescatar los rehenes. Y aun cuando algunas escenas, donde la inspectora es cuestionada en su aptitud para desempeñar su trabajo basado solo en el hecho de ser mujer, me parecieron mas sexistas de lo que pudieran ser en la realidad. Pienso que al mismo tiempo, puede ser que esas actitudes si sean mas cercanas a la realidad de lo que uno quisiera pensar, especialmente en las fuerzas policiales y de inteligencia.

En cuestion a la trama de la serie, como lo dije antes, se trata de la ejecucion y el procedimiemto de asaltar y robar la fabrica de moneda y timbre. A base de un atraco no nada mas muy bien planeado, sino potencialmente infalible. El personaje del profesor, que es el que diseña la operacion, planea todo casi a la perfeccion, pero con los humanos (especialmente con los criminales) que son inpredecibles, no importa que tan bien planees algo, siempre hay algo que puede salir mal. Especialmente cuando las relaciones sexuales son mescladas en situaciones de extrema tension. 

Al comenzar la serie, el profesor entra en un trato con otros criminales para llevar a cabo su plan. Los otros criminales no pueden relacionarse sexualmente entre si, ni conocer informacion personal entre ellos mismos. Ademas, no pueden usar sus propios nombres, y tienen que nombrarse entre si con apodos basados en ciudades: Tokio, Denver, Nairobi, Rio, etc.

A pesar de que las relaciones sexuales estan supuestamente prohibidas, la historia de "la casa de papel" parece desenvolverse en reaccion a las consequencias de amoríos: especialmente el de Rio y Tokyo. 
Similarmente en el resto de la trama, reacciones a consequecias de relaciones entre la inspectora y uno de los detectives que esta enamorado de ella, llamado Angel. Y en una direccion en la historia que para mi fue un poco dificil de creer, la relacion sexual entre la inspectora y el profesor, llevan a consequencias importantes en el desarrollo de la trama. 

Pero aun cuando "la casa de papel" toma direcciones, como lo mencione antes, que son dificil de creer, las excelentes actuaciones te mantienen envuelto en la trama de la historia. Ademas, algunas sequencias en la serie son tensas y emocionantes, como cuando el profesor es casi es atrapado por la inspectora en el junke de carros (junkyard).   

Desafortunadamente, la casa de papel termino (en Netflix) en el episodio 13, con la inspectora y las fuerzas policiacas descubriendo el lugar donde se planeo todo y donde Berlin y el Profesor cantaron un himno anti-fascista "Bella Ciao" (en Italiano) antes del atraco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N73sDPuxKQI Sin embargo, Netflix todavia no tiene la conclusion de la serie, espero que eso cambie pronto.