Blog 8 (Comment on Phyllis's article

              Hey Phyllis, the blog you wrote on justice reform was great. I agree that corruption needs to be solved in the United States and fixing this problem starts all the way at the top. The problem with the idea that corruption will be solved at the top is difficult to solve because how government and many other top agencies work is a check and balance system. Where you have different legal groups checking each other, but who is to say that groups keeping the government in check are not corrupt themselves? Being able to solve this problem will not happen overnight but I agree on hoping it happens sooner than later.

Blog 7

Why Bipartisan Government is Getting Us Nowhere

Although initially intended as a means of facilitating legislature, the bipartisan model of the American government is detrimental to modern politics. The current system is polarizing; it requires everyone to fit their political views into a box of Republican or Democratic party choice. This system is flawed because most of the fundamental opinions which classify these parties are in severe contrast. Unlike the yin and the yang from Chinese philosophy, these parties do not cooperate efficiently and are always at odds over who can immediately assume majority control over the legislative and executive branches of the Government. This attempt, however, repeatedly proves futile. 

Regardless of which party gains control at any one moment, the other party has enough power without a majority vote to prevent any significant change from happening. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), for example, was a push toward substantial improvement to the unsustainable healthcare model currently in place. Initiated by the Democratic party under President Obama, much of the original intent of the ACA was eventually lost due to the constant compromises legislators had to make for the policy to gain enough support to pass. Many legislators agree that the state of healthcare is a problem that must be solved, but opinions on how to change vary so drastically that actual change is not possible. Ultimately, the ACA passed, but fundamental aspects like the financial penalty for not obtaining healthcare were soon repealed under the current administration only a few years after initially instituted. 

Similarly, the current immigration policy is an issue without a solution upon which the American government can agree. While some, like President Trump, believe the solution is a wall, others believe this attempted improvement only worsens an already sensitive problem. Because enough of the government agrees with the President on this issue, there has been progress in building a border wall between Mexico and America. However, this will likely be insignificant. Even if President Trump were able to stay in office for a second term, his vision could not be achieved within that time. After his term expires, a new wave of legislators will enter, and many are likely to have different views on this change to American immigration policy. 

Americans pride themselves on general concepts of their country as the best in the world. Unfortunately, America has become so divided that many problems exist, and the current government is incapable of providing solutions. For genuine improvement to occur, either the bipartisan model must be altered, or politicians will have to become more open and responsive to the ideals of the opposing side. Neither of these changes appears to happen in the near future, and, meanwhile, Americans will have to settle for a government that spends its time constantly deliberating and never coming to solutions. 

Blog 6

I agree with you Marcus, the system we live in tends to blame outside forces for internal problems. That is why the government is blaming immigrants from Mexico for a problem that is one of our own. I believe that the government will not legalize marijuana because the system is racist. The incarceration rates for African-Americans because of charges for marijuana are through the roof, that is why they will not legalize it. The point you made on immigration and legalization of marijuana are spot on, very well written.

Blog 5

Joshua Dragosavljevic

Professor Seago

US-GOV 2305

1 November 2019

Why America’s Healthcare Policy is in Shambles

Health care has been an overlooked topic of discussion in this country for far too long. The system has been built to inhibit the sick from receiving care and those with the money to have unlimited access to the best care in the world. Americans claim to live in the best country in the world however, we have the worst health outcomes of any developed country and spend almost twice the amount of GDP than any other country. 

The United States ranks 27th in the world for healthcare and education (Aria Bendix). Many claim this is the best country in the world, while we have not taken significant strides to improve our standing on these topics. Fourteen percent, or 27 million, of Americans, are uninsured (Dan Witters). The uninsured population’s health suffers because they do not receive adequate healthcare. To solve this problem, we must implement universal healthcare in the United States. The majority of Americans fear universal healthcare will increase their taxes however, it would be cost-effective and extend our life expectancy. Due to this misconception, voters have often voted against this proposal in the past. Middle-class Americans will spend approximately 37% of their income every year on taxes and healthcare premiums. This rate is shocking when compared to the “highly taxed” Nordic countries who pay 23 percent of their income to tax’s which includes free healthcare (Matt Bruenig). So the argument that Americans will be greatly affected by this is inaccurate. Healthcare reform is necessary to save money and provide access to care to those who have gone without adequate care.  

Until we can solve our healthcare policy issue we will not have a system that is built to support the people we will just have a system built around money and greed. This task might take time just like any other progressive solutions in the past, but we will achieve healthcare accessible by all. The only question is when? 

Works Cited

Bendix, Aria. “The US Was Once a Leader for Healthcare and Education - Now It Ranks 27th in the World.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 27 Sept. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com/us-ranks-27th-for-healthcare-and-education-2018-9.

Bruenig, Matt. “Universal Health Care Might Cost You Less Than You Think.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Apr. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/29/opinion/medicare-for-all-cost.html

Witters, Dan. “U.S. Uninsured Rate Rises to Four-Year High.” Gallup.com, Gallup, 4 Sept. 2019, https://news.gallup.com/poll/246134/uninsured-rate-rises-four-year-high.aspx

Blog 4

                   

This past week's events have reinforced how bad President Trump's foreign policies are. Pulling troops out of the middle east has resulted in the hundred's of people dying these past few days. Dan Lamothe explains in his article, "I can’t even look at the atrocities’: U.S. troops say Trump’s Syria withdrawal betrayed an ally", the view from veterans that served in the middle east. The veterans that have been speaking out lately on the topic have shown their disapproval and how in doing this we have broken off an ally and killed innocent people in the process.

President Trump says that we should let Turkey and the Kurdish fight it out like a couple of kids. He could not be any farther from wrong, even though we should not have gone into the middle east in the first place retracting now will not solve anything. It will only resolve in innocent civilians dying in the crosshairs of war and ISIS re-emerging as an imminent threat.

After Trump pulling our 1,000 troops out of Northern Syria, ISIS members have escaped imprisonment and now we will be stuck fighting the same ravaging war that we finished five years ago. Even after constant officials and military forces from the middle east have confirmed that ISIS is rebuilding in the shadows, the President refuses to acknowledge believing that they are our problem because they are not at our own border. In the article, he explains how contradictory it is for the U.S. to say they will not stand in the way of a Turkish military offense which is what our troops have been there for the past two years guarding against just that. It would be different altogether if the President were to say, “6 months from now we will evacuate our troops from the middle east”, then all parties will have time to configure solutions to us leaving. All the U.S. did was reach an agreement with Turkey for a 48-hour ceasefire, which resulted in the tragic deaths of bystanders from the attacks from Turkey. 

Dan Lamothe’s article speaks mostly on the point of view from speaking with veterans and the view on how bad of a decision it is to retract forces from Northern Syria, which I agree 100% on. Dan spoke with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, he says that all the soldiers have an opinion of war but ultimately, when national policy decisions are made, we salute and move out. Even though the President’s whole backing of pulling troops out of Northern Syria was to bring our troops home, it was really a lie. He is redeploying them into other parts of the middle east which is contradictory to what his campaign was built on from the start. So that begs the question, does he really have the soldier’s best interest at heart?

      

Blog 3

            In the event of an unexpected illness, individuals turn to healthcare professionals. If they are lucky, they are insured and have a regular primary care physician. Often anxious, they explain their symptoms to their provider, hoping for answers. Being so uneasy, they forget the most important manifestation of this puzzling illness, leaving the provider to run dozens of unnecessary tests. In the article, "What Healthcare Should Look Like", the author paints a very real picture of the current state of healthcare and where we need to take it.

           Our healthcare system lacks genuine patient care. We trust healthcare professionals with our lives, but often, office visits are unpleasant. Waiting rooms are often uncomfortable, crowded, and bleak, failing to reassure the patients. In the article, “What Healthcare Should Look Like,” the author describes a waiting room full of dead plants and seven-year-old magazines. This lack of care for a patient's first impression of an office does not help ease their worries.

          Additionally, appointments are short and time and again leave patients with more questions than answers. These practices discourage patients from getting their routine screenings putting the patients at risk for missing the early warning signs of a serious illness. Most of the time when one visits the doctor, they are coming for a disease. Long wait times in a cramped waiting room deters patients from seeking care at an early stage.

         Quality patient care must extend to the waiting rooms, where patients will spend most of their visit. By making the waiting room a more inviting, patients will be calmer and be able to speak more freely with the providers. Waiting rooms are the first physical impression for newcomers. A poorly maintained entrance suggests either a lack of ability or a lack of care in ensuring new patients feel welcomed into the practice. With health care in its current state, a trip to the doctors’ office entails long lines, dealing with the complexities of insurance, and the anxiety preceding the diagnosis of a condition. Providing a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing environment at the outset of the doctor-patient interaction is a relatively straightforward method of building a foundation for positive health outcomes. For these reasons, I agree with the author of this article and advise my classmates and others to read into it as well.

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/what-healthcare-should-look-like/?searchResultPosition=5&mtrref=undefined&gwh=70E7A7F296B60F3C2C030C1FAD9A0EF6&gwt=pay&assetType=REGIWALLArticle by a group of Authors,OP-ED Contributor, at the New York Times

Blog 2

         More than likely anyone who has been keeping up with the news has heard about the workers at GM going on strike. This current event is top of the radar when it comes to current events.
     
         As of right now 1.7 million jobs are at risk in the automotive industry. With the growth of the tech industries such as Uber and Tesla, it has caused a rapid decline in the automotive space. In our current climate, it is very real that everyone in the automotive industry will lose their jobs to new technology in the upcoming years. So, 50,000 GM (General Motors) workers took a stand for their job security and benefits. The UAW (United Auto Workers) are demanding higher wages, healthcare, and job security before the workers stop striking. These problems are not specific to the UAW, however. In the current presidential primary debates, health care reform is among the most anticipated topics. The current system is ineffectual and forces employees to obtain health care from their employers. Because of this, employers must finance these plans, and this limits the amounts they can pay to their employees. The UAW is speaking out, but these problems affect the entire population and Americans look to the government to determine a course of action that can adequately replace the current model.
     
        This article is relevant to anyone intrigued by current politics and issues. There is a lot to take away from it, like how workers are taking a stand for their future instead of losing their jobs to the new wave of technology.

Blog 1

Hello my name is Josh and looking forward to great semester