Dear Mr. President Elect Donald Trump

Dear Mr. Trump,

Congratulations on your victory in the elections. The past year and a half has been a whirlwind of election, in unprecedented fashion. You fought a good fight, played the right cards, and were quite brilliant on twitter. Your following is fierce and one that caught many Americans unaware.  Many are scared, unsure of what is going to happen next. And therefore I am writing to you today. I know we need change, but we need good change.

My passion is healthcare, so while I use Obamacare as an example, this applies to everything; Planned Parenthood, various government agencies (though you could combine the DEA and the ATF), our various relationships with different countries. Please don’t repeal Obamacare as one of your first acts; It’s not everything we need, but repealing it would not only have severe economic consequences, it would also have awful implications for millions of Americans.

Maybe make it a goal to repeal Obamacare, but you need to make a better plan first. Spend some time learning what you can, and make good decisions. You have a very long time to make your mark, so don’t blow it in the beginning. There are more than 300 million people in this country, and you have to make it as good as you can, for everybody. A formidable job, and I hope you’re up for it.

Please though, focus on the people that need help most- the sick, the poor, the uneducated, the discriminated against, the neglected. Fix crooked politics, get the money where it should be. Finally enact significant election reform! As you set forth upon thus epic journey remember that you are doing this for America, and remember their cornerstones of the democracy that we love so much; freedom, equality, happiness.

You ran an excellent campaign, which may mean you’re very good at listening to what people have to say and then acting on it effectively. In this regard, I say- surround yourself with a variety of people from all over the political and social spectrum.

Immerse yourself in this job that will be your job for the next four years. You will be the most powerful person in the world in just a couple months’ time. Some people are scared, but I believe you can do good.

Please prove me right.

Sincerely,

Yaniv Rait

P.S. I would love to talk more healthcare reform if you’re ever interested!

  

Sports- Olympics edition

I love sports, so it only makes sense that I love the Olympics. And I do! It's a fortnight of the worlds best athletes facing off against each other in all kinds of events.

And it's Olympics time!

But- I do have my issues with the Olympics, especially this year. And instead of just getting complaining, I'm going to offer a solution as well.

Why we shouldn't be having Rio 2016:

Zika Virus- Brazil is in South America, which is the epicenter of the Zika outbreak. Recently, Zika got a lot of press because of an outbreak. It's kind of dropped out of the news cycle with the elections, but it's still a problem. With the Olympics, millions of people are going to Brazil to watch the games. People will get infected. They will unknowingly take their infections home with them. Then they will get bitten by another mosquito, or have sex, and more people will get the virus. Zika would have probably proliferated to other mosquito-friendly areas eventually, but the Olympics will expedite the process significantly. Heck, it may just mean that somebody finds a cure sooner. But it's still a public health nightmare.My solution: cancel the games. I love them, but it should be done. And this isn't even considering the quality of the water for long-distance swimming/sailing/rowing, or all of the protesters and widespread poverty.

Olympics in general- Every four years, we have the games, which I really enjoy watching. It's everything around the games that's the issue. First of all, I bet the IOC is just as corrupt as FIFA. Second, it costs SO much to organize the Olympics. First there's the whole application and selection process. Then, the build starts. The host needs to build tons of housing, stadiums, and surrounding infrastructure, all for just a couple weeks of frenzy. Yes, it brings in tourists, and can create jobs. But it almost always leaves the country worse off, with unused stadiums and in incredible amounts of debt. My solution: Have the (summer) games in Greece, every time. They originated in Greece. Greece already has some infrastructure from Athens 2004. But with an initial investment, they would then have the influx of money every four years, and they really need it because last time I checked, they were in serious economic trouble. Instead of building so much excess, leave the Olympics in their country of origin and lets build together.

Dear Senator Sanders,

I'm disappointed in you for endorsing Hillary and dropping out of the race.

I know you would have lost in the convention, but I think you owed it to your supporters to take the fight to Philadelphia. You may have even hurt the Democrats' chance this November.

Your campaign started small. but sparked an uproar and a movement. I'm young- last presidential election campaign I was a freshman/sophomore in college. The one before that, high school. This is the first time I've experienced an election where I've payed attention in the primaries, and I'm also more learned. You made this election exciting, and gave me hope.  I wrote to you last summer, looking for a job. And it seems like this primary cycle was unlike anything in a long time, on both the republican and the democratic sides of the aisle. Now, a liberatarian is polling above 10% !!

I #feltthebern and I was super disheartened by your move. Maybe you made some deals. There was a ton of pressure on you. But what's the worst that happens if you don't endorse Hillary until after the convention? Let the people vote. Let your supporters make some noise. They're passionate about what you represent, but now the convention is just a show. You said you were taking the fight to the convention, but the fight is over.

Ultimately, I think this move will hurt the Democrats. A large portion of Bernie supporters were anti-Establishment, and I think this move plays more into the hands of the establishment. With no momentum change at all, you dropped out. If you had gone through to the convention, I think your supporters would have accepted the result and moved on to support Hillary. Instead, they will feel cheated and I could see them move to Trump. Oh, Trump.

Anyways, I'm not one to hold a grudge, so I'll get over it. I am interested to see what you do next. But I also thought more of you, and your movement. Oh well.

Sincerely,

Yaniv Rait

Pokemon GO

It's a fad that's sweeping the nation, and it's pretty crazy to think about. I saw around 30-40 people standing in a park, all on their phones, waiting for the Pokemon they lured. It was kind of apocalyptic.

Maybe Nintendo intended for this to be a social thing, with people battling their Pokemon and meeting new people. And maybe it will become that as people get better Pokemon and the app gets updated with new features. But that park I walked past was eerie, creepy and silent.

Kudos to Nintendo for actually getting people out of their house- Pokémon Go apparently improves mental health! Nintendo had like a 33% stock increase the day after the release. And hey- it's just a form of entertainment, like reading a book or watching a TV show. Who am I to tell people how to spend their time...

But it's just a game, and I have this feeling that in a few months a lot of people are going to regret all the extra time they spent glued to their phone from Pokémon Go.

I can't even get Pokemon Go, I have a Windows phone.

The struggle is real.

politics

Election 2016

I'll save the GOP for next week, but I have been doing a lot of reading and watching the campaigns so far, and I do have a lot to say. I think there's a TON to consider in every election, so I'll try and break it down. There are all kinds of aspects that need to be considered and it's very early in the process, and a lot is going to change in the next month or two. But so far, there are two democratic candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, and a host of GOP candidates that pose problems to them. There is a chance of an independent candidate, but for now we should focus on what we know.

So with that, I will dive into the candidates.

Hillary Clinton

In many ways, I think she is the better candidate. I trust her foreign relations more, and believe in her ability to work with congress. Furthermore, I think she would definitely win in the primary. These are three very strong positives and this alone gives me faith in the Democratic party. However, she is not perfect. A large portion of our country does not trust her, and this is a problem. When it comes down to it, I would definitely support her in the general election, but I like Bernie more.


Bernie Sanders

He's pretty old, and that is something that worries me. However, if he is elected, and he manages to stay in good health, I think he has the potential to do amazing things for our country. Voting reform is one example- most presidents promise it, but after they're elected they have no reason to actually fix the system. This issue is critical to his view, democratic socialism, and because of that I think he would attack voting reform, institutional racism, wall street fraud, all things which really bring down the quality of our nation.

Democratic socialism is an interesting concept. The government system stays the same, but the economy flips upside down, or at least takes a hard turn. Taxes would be raised, but not by much, for most people. And with higher taxes, we would get better services: health care, higher education, veteran care, etc. Bernie has a very progressive agenda. It's crazy that he's a serious candidate while calling for "political revolution" at the same time. If he wins, it could be a roller coaster of a ride. I really think democratic socialism could be a great thing- it could slingshot the U.S. forward- but we must proceed with caution.

My biggest concern is that even though I think that Bernie could beat Donald Trump, I fear most other Republicans would beat Bernie. But if Bernie picks up momentum, and the GOP somehow doesn't unify around a candidate soon enough, I would be enthralled for a Bernie vs Trump faceoff, and though terrified of a Trump victory, I would be esctatic with a win for the ol' Jew.

sports

As a Seahawks fan, I had the most incredible finish to my playoff game last week. The Vikings kicker missed his chip-shot field goal to win the game, and the seahawks won. As a seahawks fan, I also experienced the same thing last super bowl, just from the Vikings perspective, with The Interception. I feel your pain, vikes, but COME ON SEAHAWKSSSSSS!!!



It must be crazy to live in L.A.. You had no football team, and all of a sudden next year you have one. If you've had a proxy-team while living in LA, do you convert? That's a big life decision! Not good for the Seahawks though, such a huge market means more money flowing into the team. I guess the salary cap reduces the effect to a certain degree...



I also need to give a big shout out to my boy Ken Griffey Jr for his induction to the baseball hall of fame. Though I am to young to have fully enjoyed your career, I did get to see the end of your first stint with the mariners and you paved the way for the Mariners I grew up loving. Thanks for everything, kid.