The Current Events Thread

[Great Eyewarp]

So. Republican Senators voted to repeal the ACA this morning, and Trump appointed an anti-vaxxer to head a vaccine committee the other day.

[Rinoko]

CALL

YOUR

CONGRESSMAN

LIKE NOW

[Turbro]

I'm not sure if me calling mine will do anything tbh, given they're all Democrats

[Ersatz]

Did they give an actual reason? The only thing I've gotten from people who want it repealed is that it's "a disaster" in a non-specific way just like both candidates were "equally bad".
I know the real reason is that they're sociopathic über-selfish capitalist assholes but how do they rationalize it?

[Rinoko]

"It's bad for the economy" in non-descript ways

Even though states that adopted programs like Medicaid expansion under the ACA reported increased state revenue.

[Great Eyewarp]

Called my congresswoman. Doubt it'll do anything since she's a braindead conservative, but hey, I tried.

[Riku]

Did they give an actual reason? The only thing I've gotten from people who want it repealed is that it's "a disaster" in a non-specific way just like both candidates were "equally bad".
I know the real reason is that they're sociopathic über-selfish capitalist assholes but how do they rationalize it?

It wasn't a complete disaster. It definitely needs improvement, though. A change was needed, and the ACA was a step in the right direction, but its implementation was far from perfect, which gave opponents an excuse to exaggerate its imperfections into detriments.

Some issues include:

People who want to opt out of any insurance for whatever reason are fined for not signing onto either an ACA plan, or a private insurance company's plan.
This wouldn't be a huge issue, given that lower income people (the most likely to feel like they can't sign up for insurance) are typically given STEEP discounts in most states I've read about, except signing up can be a royal clusterfuck, depending on which state you're in.
--It's federal in name, but each state runs its own standards and payment methods, so if you move between states, be prepared for the possibility of even more paperwork getting fucked.
Many small businesses saw their insurance costs go up

However, it is worth noting that part of the issues could be because many conservatives were doing everything they could to handicap it from the get-go. So we have no idea how it would have turned out with full approval and minimal alterations to its original incarnation.


As I haven't done extensive research, and haven't signed onto it myself, I can't quote anything else, but those seem to be some relatively consistent problems that were only just recently getting fixed.

[Great Eyewarp]

Good news: Chelsea Manning's sentence has been commuted.

Bad news: GOP is trying to gut the Endangered Species Act.

Ugly news: Betsy DeVos is just as bad as (or worse than) we feared.

[Rinoko]

Should I start the screaming in abject terror over Trump's first FIVE FUCKING DAYS IN OFFICE or

[[Citation Needed]]

The immigration order is fucking unbelievable. Its fucked up so much for so many people.

and the republicans said we had nothing to worry about if we were legal? What about all the green card holders who are BARRED FROM ENTERING THE COUNTRY

[Great Eyewarp]

Federal Judge Donnelly has imposed a temporary restraining order on the Muslim Ban. However, this only helps people in transit and who are currently being held at airports. The ban is still in place, although it looks like the ACLU is fighting back as hard as they can.

I never want to hear any conservatives talking about "religious freedom" ever again.

[[Citation Needed]]

My grandmother told my brother in law (he's from India) that we would be better off if he had been barred entry to the country by an order like Trump's.

A friend of my eldest sister is, for the time being, essentially a single mother because her husband is trapped in London because he can't fly to the United States. Because he was born in Iraq. Even though he is a legal permanent resident.

this is so fucked, I can't even comprehend this.

since Trump's campaign STARTED in 2015 fucking republicans told us we had nothing to worry about, our fears were greatly over exaggerated.

And here they are, coming true.

[Kamak]

Call public officials like representatives, senators, governors, state reps, and local government. Especially if Republican (Democrats and Third Party don't get a free pass though) and make your voice heard. Let then know you're keeping an eye out whether they stick to following Trump or resist him. Look up their backgrounds and tell them why they should resist Trump based on their own past statements, especially if they condemned Trump before his presidency. Reading a script someone else makes works (especially with phone anxiety), but writing a script has more impact. Be polite, but firm. Express disappointment (like a parent) rather than anger (like certain parents). Keep in mind when you call that you will likely speak to a secretary or office worker who will forward the message, rather than speaking directly, so do not get mad at them for doing their job so long as they remain civil with you (and even then be the bigger person). Also do not ever threaten anything, even vaguely. About the worst you can say is "I look forward to casting my vote in the next election". Do not be all "It would be unfortunate if certain things came to pass...". Don't be a twitter rando.

Condemn companies that profit off of Trump's backwards legislation and especially if they come to his defense as devil's advocates "not looking to make political waves". Uber has caught some flak for being non-commital to how they stand days before meeting with Trump that reads to most people as "does not want to get uninvited suddenly". Elon Musk has gotten into trouble after supporting Rex Tillerson and apparently has a pipedream that Trump will support a Carbon Tax even thoughit was dismissed with lukewarm reception at his meeting with Trump earlier this week. Pay attention and while you do not want to boycott everything (including food) determine which boycotts you can fully stand behind without impacting your quality of life any more than Trump is threatening it, and anything you cannot boycott, try to offset by supporting companies that do stand up against Trump (be wary of people paying lipservice to gain brownie points though).

Donate cheddar to the ACLU which has gotten a temporary hold on the Muslim Ban order while the courts sort out how lawful it is. Donate to whichever groups support your interests (but be mindful not to give it to disingenuous groups out to profit from the waves of donators. Give something to Planned Parenthood if you can because they're floating their employees the best they can right now, and as someone with a couple of family members who work for PP I can tell you it's appreciated by them to continue to do important work as long as they can hold out.

And most importantly, stay mad but healthy. Keep track of what Trump says, but pay attention to what he does so you won't be fooled while he's blathering about whatever inane thing. Take breaks when you need to from the stress of it all. A day or two away from constant surfing about the latest news won't hurt you. And be sure to do your best to get some sleep. Sometimes that's hard with stuff going on, but you can't be at you best if you don't take time to rest.

[Ersatz]

A white supremacist killed six people and gravely injured several others in a Muslim cultural center Quebec City last night. US conservative media and other Twitter nazis were quick to spread misinformation about the identity of the shooter, claiming he was Moroccan, but nope.

[Rinoko]

We have a new Supreme Court nominee, and at least he has people saying "Who the hell is this guy?" rather than "OH SHIT NO. NO HE CAN'T."