Politicizing American Health Care

The citizens have a right to receive healthcare services from the government. From the young to the elderly, it is the government’s responsibility to look after the needs of the people – if not for free then at a reasonable price that the majority of the population can afford. After all, the public pay taxes - taxes that should be put to good use by the government and given back to the people when the need arises.

Unfortunately, politics is not always fair. More often than not, politicians are only concerned about their own vested interests and nothing more. They make policies without thinking about its implication on a full-scale and how people’s lives will be affected by it over time.This time, Obamacare is in the spotlight. Or rather, the desire to have it replaced by a Republican-approved health care law that they can claim as their own making. In short, they want the people to forget about

This time, Obamacare is in the spotlight. Or rather, the desire to have it replaced by a Republican-approved health care law that they can claim as their own making. In short, they want the people to forget about the achievements of the former leader as the ruling party strives to realize Trump’s advocacy of making America great again.

To replace the Affordable Care Act with is the heart of current debate.

But so is whether Republicans were ever serious about a full repeal. The 2015 vote was similar to prior votes in preceding years (there were 48 repeal attempts total) in which virtually every Republican swore to dismantle Obamacare completely.

But did they mean it? Were they just voting for a full repeal when they knew President Obama would never sign it?

Obamacare has helped some Americans and has hurt others. It’s complicated. But this was also true when so many Republicans also voted on a full repeal they knew wouldn’t pass. They didn’t have to think about a replacement because they knew President Obama would never get rid of his primary policy legacy.

But President Trump has vowed to repeal. The most conservative members of Congress are insisting on simply revisiting the 2015 legislation virtually every Republican already voted for.

(Via: http://rare.us/rare-politics/issues/obamacare-rare-politics/the-obamacare-debate-reveals-which-republicans-are-principled-and-who-is-just-playing-politics/)

The Obamacare repeal is probably the hottest thing to hit congress for a while now and will probably stay until they are able to come up with an acceptable health care law replacement that will appeal to all.

It’s been a rough week for GOP leadership. Their Obamacare replacement plan has been almost universally opposed by conservative pundits, policy analysts, and advocacy groups. Despite early success moving the bill quickly through two House committees, it’s clear that the battle for health care reform is going to be long and hard-fought.

In other words, the deliberative branch of government will actually have to deliberate. This is oddly refreshing given the tendency of presidents and party elites to jam legislation down the throats of the American people, often with little debate or dissent.

The balance of powers is finally making a comeback.

The funny thing about this entire spectacle is that President Trump remained in the background and allowed the Congress to do the dirty job. So, in case it backfires, he is not to blame.

What these Republican lawmakers see as Trump’s flaw is actually his greatest asset from a constitutional perspective. The man is hands-off on the hard stuff, leaving Congress to craft legislation and take the blame if it goes awry.

One could write this off as a result of Trump’s narcissism and incessant refusal to take blame. That’s fair enough, but the outcome is positive nonetheless: leaving legislation to be drafted and debated by Congress with input from the American people, as the Constitution imagined.

And the input sure is coming in. An impressive coalition of outlets and advocacy groups have been applying pressure on lawmakers to go back to the drawing board and return with a more conservative solution. Even the Heritage Foundation and Breitbart are getting in on the action, a positive development for two outfits that are often accused of cozying up to the GOP establishment and Trump administration, respectively.

(Via: http://rare.us/rare-politics/issues/obamacare-rare-politics/why-im-glad-donald-trump-is-taking-a-back-seat-in-the-healthcare-fight/)

It is a close fight on the approval of the new health care law between the political parties. It just goes to show that even if the Republicans seem to have the upper hand right now, there is still some sort of balance in politics after all and this drama continues to unfold with each passing day.

Health care is an important public service and it can greatly impact people’s live. Something they should always remember during heated discussions about the Obamacare repeal and other related arguments concerning it. Let us just all hope that these politicians do not forget why they are in public office in the first place, which is for public service and public trust.

Politicizing American Health Care was initially seen on OCBG

source https://hdbizblog.com/blog/politicizing-american-health-care/

Save The Environment While We Still Can

The environment has changed so much over the years. If you look around you, only a few remains the same and almost everything else is brand new. Even when looking at old photographs, the difference is striking you’d often wonder what it was like living back in the days.

As much as we embrace change and development, it breaks our heart to see how much Mother Nature suffers from man-made destructions. Forests are slowly disappearing, so are the animals living in it. More animals have now gone extinct because of poaching or the destruction of their homes. Water is polluted because we never learned how to dispose of our trash properly. Toxic waste products of big production plants go directly to our rivers, it’s no wonder less fish thrives in it.

The U.S. started its conservation efforts decades ago but there is still so much work left to be done up to now.

On December 2, 1970, Republican President Richard Nixon established the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This was the world’s first major government organization dedicated to ameliorating the environmental condition of its citizens. The world marveled at how the United States was able to address pollution concerns that were harming the welfare of ordinary Americans. Within the iconic “swing state” of Ohio the pollution had been so severe that in 1969 the Cayahoga river literally caught fire from all the organic chemicals and oil that had been dumped into it.

But a little progress is better than nothing at all.

No doubt specific industries such as coal power have contended with enormous environmental compliance costs but this stringency has spurred innovation and cost reduction in other areas. Air quality standards have led to catalytic converters and greater energy efficiency and ultimately cost reduction for consumers in electricity bills and miles driven per unit of services provided. Not all of EPA’s work is “command and control” either. The Agency’s “Energy Star” program, for example, has allowed for product differentiation in appliances through competitive private enterprise and consumer choice.

(Via: http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/07/epa-patriotism/)

If there is one state in the country that seems to be doing it right, it is Atlanta, Georgia. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes the conservation efforts of Atlanta through water and energy conservation.

The city received the 2017 Climate Leadership Award - Partnership Award Certificate from the EPA at the annual Climate Leadership Conference held in Chicago March 1-3.

The city has been promoting energy and water conservation through the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, which has a goal of reducing energy and water consumption by at least 20 percent in participating buildings across the city by 2020; and the Climate Action Plan, which details ways to reduce energy, water usage and waste generation as well as create jobs and improve air quality.

(Via: http://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-recognized-for-conservation-efforts/fAZmy9A9HbgcBsxvBXPE3N/)

We need to understand that environmental conservation efforts start at home. If we do not act now, we will suffer from the wrath of Mother Nature. Global warming and climate change are just the tip of the iceberg. And we all experience it now. Do we need to witness and experience more natural calamities before we change our ways?

Let us leave behind a legacy that our children can be proud of. We want the future generations of this planet to still be able to enjoy the beauty of nature. Visit this site http://www.worldethicalfoundations.org/ to learn how to make the world a better place. It is not yet too late.

You can make a difference. Reduce energy consumption. Try other renewable sources of energy like solar and wind power. Always reuse, reduce or recycle. Save water. All these things you can do on your own yet have a big impact on the conservation of our environment and the future of our planet.

The following article Save The Environment While We Still Can Find more on: HDBiz Blog

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The Women of Science – The Struggle Is Real

We were taught from a young age that those who shaped history were men. But since we just celebrated the International Women’s Day this week, we should also recognize the contributions of women in science. If not for their specific achievements, then let us pay tribute to them for being the inspiration of great men of yesteryears. After all, behind a great man is a great woman.

Indeed, many great women have walked this earth and their contributions have outlived them and benefit many of us today. Theguardian.com has a story on women who are unsung heroes in the field of science.

This is where history steps in to remind us that even the ability to participate in science has always been political. TrowelBlazers is an organization that tracks the struggle women have experienced following their passion for science, and while early female pioneers faced different prejudices from those experienced by other marginalised groups (whether based on ethnic, sexual orientation, gender or ability), the ground-breaking - literally- work of female scientists shows us not just how to fight back, but that the fight is worth it.

The story of women in archaeology and the earth sciences is often one of unsung contributions; women painstakingly illustrating geological formations for their spouses’ fancy scientific tomes, their only credit the occasional guest appearance in the acknowledgements. The names of those famous husbands, like Flinders Petrie the Egyptologist and general media darling become cultural institutions, but never think of his wife Hilda Petrie, who not only found the money to pay for all those pith helmets, but independently dug her own sites.

Still less do we think of the dedicated women who lacked the finances or connections to make a splash in the drawing rooms of scientific societies, like Egyptologist Margaret Murray. She may have enthralled hundreds with her live, ticketed ‘mummy unwrappings’ but her students still had to club together to buy her academic robes.

These women have made their mark in history. That is without a doubt. As the world progresses and many breakthrough technological advancements keep on taking place, women still have more to contribute and a chance to show everyone just what they are capable of. Very few women attempt to try the field of computer science and the reason stems from their youth.

“So we cannot be what we cannot see, and we can’t expect our girls to aspire to be something that they don’t see themselves in. And so culture, I think, is the number one reason why you have this massive decline. It’s not about aptitude. And you see this really happen around middle school when girls are more attuned to what they see in magazines, what they’re watching on television what they see on Netflix. And so I think that role models play a huge role in sparking girls’ interest in computer science.”

(Via: http://college.usatoday.com/2017/03/08/man-computer-science-needs-more-women/

Most women have gone through phases in their lives where they were made to feel to be the weaker sex especially in a field dominated by men like math or computer science.

The same thing always happened in math class, starting in high school and continuing through college: I knew that I unless I went to the board and solved a complex problem off the top of my head, I would spend weeks fending off boys who wanted to “tutor” me. They came unsolicited, most frequently in the first week, and I knew why: I was a girl, therefore I was not good at math, therefore they would help me. (“You should be flattered,” a friend told me once. “Maybe they think you’re cute and they’re shy.” Why would I be flattered by a suitor who implied I was an idiot, I wondered.) So it was crucial to publicly solve a difficult problem immediately — otherwise I would not be left alone to work.

I have often wondered what it would be like to walk into a math class and not have to prove I belong there. Proving myself was tiring, and my male classmates didn’t have to do it. They already belonged; only my membership was in question. Eventually I left math, when I got sick of proving myself. There’s a lot of talk about the leaky STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math — pipeline for women; I am one of the drips, a woman who left.

(Via: http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/8/14843308/day-without-a-woman-2017-strike-stem-women-in-sciences)

It may be infuriating at times but women have got to keep their cool. The world is ever changing and gender equality is being pushed on all fronts. If you look around you, you can see many women filling up important positions and becoming more vocal in their views in life. We have a long way to go but women should not lose faith that the time will come they will get the respect they deserve because of what they can do and contribute to society.

The Women of Science – The Struggle Is Real Find more on: HDBizBlog

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How Prevalent Is Hacking In Today’s World

Now that we all breathe social media, it is no longer surprising that a single person owns more than one electronic device – smartphone, tablet, iPad, PCs, and laptops. Aside from having personal social media accounts on popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, many of us do our shopping and banking online because of our busy lifestyle. To be honest, we just want to avoid the long lines in the bank. But the problem is that we input a lot of sensitive data on our computers, laptops or smartphones that when hacked can prove to be disastrous.

There are many spam mail and dangerous links we unconsciously click that puts our devices at risk of hacking or getting a virus. We all know that nothing is impossible after thousands of sensitive emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were released by Wikileaks to discredit her character or to possibly reveal her true nature. But what’s more frightening is the involvement of the CIA in various hacking practices.

WikiLeaks said 7,818 web pages and 943 attachments were published, but were just the first part of more material to come. WikiLeaks said it has an entire archive of data consisting of several million lines of computer code. The documents appear to date between 2013 and 2016. WikiLeaks described them as “the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency”.

The files describe CIA plans and descriptions of malware and other tools that could be used to hack into some of the world’s most popular technology platforms. The documents showed that the developers aimed to be able to inject these tools into targeted computers without the owners’ awareness.

The files do not describe who the prospective targets might be, but the documents show broad exchanges of tools and information between the CIA, the National Security Agency and other US federal intelligence agencies, as well as intelligence services of close allies Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Take these scenarios, for example.

The tools described would allow the CIA to take almost complete remote control of a user’s phone, turning it into a complete spying device reporting back to the agency. But it would only do so on the most important targets, since each time the agency uses the malware, it runs the risk of being discovered, prompting manufacturers to release a fix to prevent future attacks from succeeding.

Exactly that happened in August 2016, when Apple issued a global iOS updateafter three attacks implemented to try and break into the iPhone of an Arab human rights activist were discovered.

The documents also include discussions about compromising some internet-connected Samsung televisions to turn them into listening posts. That hack, like many others, would only work in an extremely targeted manner: it requires physical access to the TV in question, since the malware is loaded via a USB port.

One other document discusses hacking vehicle systems, appearing to indicate the CIA’s interest in hacking recent-model cars with sophisticated onboard computer systems.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/08/wikileaks-vault-7-cia-documents-hacked-what-you-need-to-know)

It is frightening to find out that your data is not safe online if these things happen. If secured accounts and devices of important people can be hacked, you’ll have lingering doubts about your security too.

Jump to today. Most of us carry devices products with intelligence and sensors – and phones are just the beginning. Smart watches and fitness trackers log data about our bodies. Smart home devices know when we come home and what we like for entertainment. Our automobiles know our travel patterns and our behavior. The proliferation of sensors means that data is always being gathered around us, whether we consent or not. In our modern era, information is power and money, and all of the smart devices we surround ourselves with are creating value by monitoring us.

The risk of attacking most devices is today is extremely low because when they become connected, they also become easy to access. The reward isn’t always spectacular, such as when programmable street-warning signs are hacked to promote political points of view or convey humorous messages, but there is the potential for more harmful attacks with higher payoff. For instance, the Stuxnet attack on an Iranian nuclear processing facility allowed the perpetrators to destroy important nuclear processing equipment of a political adversary. The attack was complex, designed to take advantage of the connected nature of things to propagate without detection until it was too late and the centrifuges had already been reprogrammed to damage themselves. The reward was high, and the nature of our connected world lowered the risk side of the equation to a point where advanced actors could carry out a successful attack.

(Via: http://embedded-computing.com/guest-blogs/make-your-device-unattractive-to-hackers-design-in-security-early-on/)

Exercise more caution in the sites you access and in the physical security of your devices. Even if not all of us are technical geniuses, you can always make use of firewalls, virus detection and anti-spyware software to protect your data and gadgets. But if you want to upgrade your technical knowledge and skills, you can join seminars that teach you about data security and how to prevent hacking that even beginners can pull off.

If you don’t have the time and money to go to one, visit sites like http://paranoidlinux.org/ to learn more about how your computer works and how to protect it from any threat of hacking to make sure your data remains safe all the time.

The following article How Prevalent Is Hacking In Today’s World was initially published to HDBizBlog

source https://hdbizblog.com/blog/how-prevalent-is-hacking-in-todays-world/

What’s New With Trump’s Travel Ban?

Since he announced his intent to run as the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump never ceased to make it to the headline. His personality is as colorful as the life he has lived so far. He says the most outrageous of things and never fails to flaunt his riches.

His campaign slogan was to “Make America Great Again”. American citizens who are fed up with the increasing terroristic activities happening everywhere pledged their support for him - Trump who promised to put America first all the time and boost the nation’s economy. He even disclosed plans of building walls on the border to prevent illegal aliens get into the country undocumented. Hence, it was not surprising that he issued a travel ban soon after his inauguration.

People were outraged and he earned the disapproval of many, both in and out of the United States. Now, let’s find out what else is new with the much-talked about travel ban:

President Trump took a second swing at his temporary travel ban Monday, this time targeting travelers from six majority-Muslim countries and crafting his executive order in ways intended to survive challenges in U.S. courts. 

The new ban, which goes into effect March 16, no longer restricts travel from Iraq, one of seven listed in the original order. The 90-day ban now is limited to Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen.

As before, the order shuts down the U.S. refugee program for 120 days to give the federal government time to develop "extreme vetting" procedures to prevent terrorists from entering the country. However, Syrians are no longer subject to an indefinite ban, as they were under the first order.

The White House spent weeks drafting the revised ban, coordinating with the departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security to avoid the chaos that followed the Jan. 27 order. That one took immediate, snarling travel for thousands of people around the world and at U.S. airports. This time, federal agencies will have 10 days to prepare before the order goes into effect.

(Via: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/03/06/donald-trump-travel-ban-six-majority-muslim-countries/98798788/)

Aside from preventing certain nationalities from entering the United States, the U.S. also issued a travel advisory to its citizens on several South Asian countries.

In a world-wide travel advisory to its citizens, the United States has told those headed for South Asia to avoid Afghanistan altogether, avoid certain parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh, and mentioned “active” extremists in India.

The advisory replaced and updated one issued in September 2016 and with travel warnings already in effect for 41 countries — 16 in Africa, 2 in East Asia and Pacific region, 2 in Europe, 12 in Middle East and North Africa, 3 in South and Central Asia, and 6 in the Western Hemisphere.

“As terrorist attacks, political upheaval, and violence often take place without any warning, US citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness when traveling,” it said.

The threat of terrorist attacks directed at American citizens has resulted in the issuance of these travel advisories.

“US citizens should avoid travel to Afghanistan, as no region in the country is immune from violence. A number of established terrorist organisations, indigenous sectarian groups, and other militants pose a danger to US citizens in Pakistan. Extremist elements are also active in India, as outlined in a recent emergency message. Terrorists have hit a wide variety of targets in Bangladesh.”

(Via: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-issues-travel-warning-to-its-citizens-heading-to-south-asia/story-efAwaEM2JPIlpqYDGsU6YI.html)

Let us just think that President Trump has our best interests at heart, thus these travel bans. But if you feel that you’ve had enough of the stress brought about by politics, you can always head out of the house and enjoy your time with family and friends at a fair and let the fresh air clear your mind of any doubts and worries.

The article What’s New With Trump’s Travel Ban? was originally published to The HD Business Blog

source https://hdbizblog.com/blog/whats-new-with-trumps-travel-ban/

Understanding The Current American Political Climate

To say that the U.S. political climate is intense and stressful is an understatement. People get on the nerves of others simply by voicing out their opinions. It is a difficult time and confusing for many. It makes perfect sense to distance yourself first and try to look at the situation without any biases.

Politics can be dirty and so are the words coming out of the mouths of politicians especially during campaign season. Outsiders may wonder what’s really going on in a country that is among the most powerful in the world right now when its citizens can’t help bashing each other in social media because of who they voted for. It is even more disconcerting that the current political climate can make for a funny play.

The comedy was written years before Donald Trump became a political candidate.

And its villain is a Canadian prime minister, not an American billionaire.

But for Lethbridge audiences, the timing couldn’t be better. A new theatre group is staging a political comedy, “Proud,” as its debut presentation.

It’s set sometime in the future, when the federal Conservatives win their next majority government. But the show opens tonight at Casa, 7:30 p.m., followed by evening performances Friday and Sunday.

People are entertained watching how the U.S. political arena unfolds but it is troubling once you understand that this is real-life we are talking about.

Spokesperson Derek Stevenson says the recently formed Undertow Theatre Collective is aiming to produce shows each spring and fall. Its first feature was written by Canadian playwright Michael Healey in 2012.

But Stevenson says the comedy is clearly “relevant to the current political landscape of our society.”

(Via: http://lethbridgeherald.com/news/lethbridge-news/2017/03/09/new-theatre-group-tackling-todays-politics-with-first-play/)

The youth are just as perplexed as the country’s adult population. However, we commend educators who guide students to have a better grasp of what is currently happening in the country, especially regarding controversial immigration policies of the administration.

As part of a class assignment in Rhetoric and Civic Life, Barbon and seven of her classmates organized a discussion at Webster’s Café in State College that invited students and community members to talk about the immigration issue. But this was not the kind of debate you might see on the evening news; it was a carefully orchestrated deliberation.  

The discussions during this coursework opened the eyes of the students on a lot of crucial and sensitive issues plaguing the nation as of late. And immigration and economics take center stage.

Beyond immigration, the Deliberation Nation series included more than 50 deliberations on a range of topics including sexual assault on campus, the media’s role in elections, the opioid epidemic, and the impact of technology on children. A total of 563 students and 78 community members, including State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham and Chief of Police John Gardner, participated in at least one discussion.

“The deliberations are devised and framed by the students,” Bedell explains. “It’s up to them to pick the topics and apply what they’ve learned about deliberative frameworks to make this happen.”

For Barbon, the takeaways from the coursework she did in preparation and the event itself exceeded her expectations: “This assignment has been eye opening and meaningful because the format was deliberative rather than structured as a debate. It was a discussion that encouraged the group to think together and move towards a consensus rather than argue and pick sides. It was more productive and reflective.”

(Via: http://news.psu.edu/story/454724/2017/03/08/students-tackle-political-social-issues-deliberation-nation)

Aside from the many external issues that need to be addressed, internal problems like graft and corruption also persist. But a proactive populace can help maintain check and balance in the government. Politicians will be extra careful in what they do when they know that people are watching their every step.

Understanding The Current American Political Climate See more on: OCBG

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