What’s Gong On With Healthcare

I normally don’t post about things like this because I don’t know enough about them in the first place. But I have seen so many people freaking out over healthcare recently, and I’ve seen so many misguided comments, I thought I’d post a link that explains more about the process in depth.

I know this article is slanted in one direction, and I’m not taking sides. I’m just like everyone else out there who is watching closely, hoping that my own healthcare doesn’t get more expensive…or change drastically. And my premiums (and Tony’s) have gone up in the last few years significantly. Most people I know are not only paying higher premiums with the ACA, they have outrageously high deductibles. The thing that scares me most is that it might get even worse with Trumpcare. In life, things can always get worse.

In any event, for those of you who are in panic mode right now (I was, too), there are still several more steps that need to be taken before any changes are made to the ACA. This is the next step…

TrumpCare now moves on to the Senate where it will need a simple majority to pass. There are 52 Republicans in the Senate, which means they can only afford to lose 2 votes. If it was hard for Republicans to pass TrumpCare in the House, we have the power to make it even harder for Republican Senators. There are also questions about whether all of the provisions in the House bill meet the stricter Senate requirements, meaning the bill will need to get changed further—or change the rules, which they will do unless they feel public pressure not to.

Either way, the Senate is unlikely to vote on the bill in its current form. One of the arguments House Republican leadership made to convince moderate Republicans to support the bill was that the Senate would temper the worst of it. But that is far from certain. Some Senators may be hoping for an easy out by only making superficial changes. That is why constituents need to push their Senators to answer to the full dangers of TrumpCare now.

You can read it all here in full. Read the last part, too. That sums things up well. Again, I’m not taking sides. I just thought this was the easiest explanation I’ve seen yet. And there’s very little out there that isn’t slanted in one direction or the other.

La La Land Is NOT a Romance

I recently saw La La Land and I loved it. I thought Ryan Gosling was fantastic, and I even liked the music. I’m not a big fan of musical comedy in theater, and I’d rather eat beets covered in dirt than listen to anyone sing show tunes, however, the music in La La Land was excellent. And I know I’ll be watching it again.

However, again, La La Land is not a romance. I’ve seen people call it that, but they’re wrong. I can’t go into detail without ruining the ending, but I just wanted to point out that this film is not a romance. And there’s actually a specific reason for that.

I’m only pointing this out because there are so many misconceptions about what a romance actually is. I might consider it a love story, but not a romance.

More On Stephen Colbert and Homophobic Comments

Here’s an interesting article where the gay press and Jim Parsons give Stephen Colbert yet another free pass for making what many are calling homophobic comments. The FCC is actually investigating what Colbert said. 

 Regardless, Colbert addressed the #FireColbert “controversy” during his opening monologue Wednesday night, acknowledging he may have been cruder than necessary, but stopping short of offering an apology.

The issue came up again when out Big Bang Theory actor Jim Parsons arrived on Colbert’s couch.

You can check that out here. There’s an interesting and divided discussion at the end. I’m going to recuse myself from this one from now on. I’m finding it more and more difficult to support anyone coming from a place of such huge privilege, and it’s clouding my objectivity.