#don’t wait for reproductive rights to hit congress

[sqider]

As an American, I am devastated. I am the last person to project real world issues into my creative spaces, but goddamn if I’m not absolutely crushed right now. All I can really say is, to my fellow bald eagles, do what you need to in order to protect yourself because if you think “ they wouldn’t do that “ yes they absolutely would.

[softbuckismykink]

Bulletproof Picasso

Okay I know I posted a AU idea about PresidentialSon!Buck here and I said I’m not gonna write it but I lied. Yes I know I can’t help myself when I saw @promptabuddie​‘s post^ 

This was supposed to be posted like weeks ago but life happens. Also this was supposed to be a short one shot but the fic had a mind of its own.

So here’s the basics you need to know about this AU: Bathena adopts Buck as a baby, Buck is a firefighter, and this fills that^ prompt. The rest you gonna find out in the fic itself. Title is in reference to a song by Train of the same title. Also in my head I re-casted Katrina Law as Lena so I’d write her character with justice; Nothing against Rousey but yeah in my version of Lena Bosko is Katrina Law (cause she’s a badass in both H50 and Arrow) just saying. 

Warnings: Long ass exposition; Lots of backstories and Buck being ridiculous(ly adorable);  Lena is Eddie’s Partner (Secret Service); Likable!Lena; 

x-posted to AO3

Summary: Buck did have a knack for coming up with the most ridiculous excuse. So when the President asked him what the hell was he thinking, his answer was perplexing but at the same time not surprising at all.

“Um so I’m trying out the bulletproof vest?” At the blank stares he is getting Buck continued, “Well and what do you know it works! Really five stars will recommend to my police officer friends!” 

Am I made of paper 'Cause I tear so easily Am I made of vapor Because I disappear Do I have to have a reason For anything I feel Just be glad I'm real Glad I'm real Am I real?

Buck was knocked down before he even felt a dull throbbing pain on his chest or heard the loud beating of his heart. They said life would flash before your eyes when you are in the brink of death. He guess that’s true because the second that bullet hit his chest he started thinking of what brought him to this very moment. 

Robert “Buck” Evan Nash, Jr. pretty much grew up in the public eye. Being the white grandson of the first black president, Samuel Carter, was quite a headline maker. It didn’t matter that at the time of his grandfather’s tenure that Buck is the only son of the only child of the president, the press loved mentioning that particular distinction. 

The press never let him forget that he was adopted, making it seem like he is not really a part of the first family because he is different; and if Buck’s parents, Athena and Bobby, were any less loving Buck would have grown up to resent his circumstances. Fortunately for Buck, his parents loved him so much that it only bothered him as much as the birthmark over his left eyebrow bothered him, which is to say almost never. All because both his parents and grandparents were an over protective bunch. They shielded him from the worst that the media reported. 

Evan was adopted as a baby. He’d known that fact since he could remember, even before he knew what the word ‘adopt’ really meant. His adoption was deemed controversial, and was met with a lot of scrutiny, seeing that it happened when his grandfather was seeking re-election. Some thought it was just a publicity stunt to gain support for President Carter, but Bobby and Athena was quick to deny such allegations to anyone who dare brought it up. 

His parents Robert “Bobby” Evan Nash, Sr., a firefighter, and Athena Nash, a prosecutor, raised him in a small townhouse in west Virginia in attempt to give him a normal life. Well as normal as possible with 24/7 security and routine trips to the White House to visit his grandparents, or as Buck called them Popo and Gigi. 

As a kid Buck acted like a little Bobby Nash, dressing up like a firefighter and playing with his trucks, but no one can deny he’s a Mama’s boy. In every public appearance he has as a little child it’s always him clinging closely and tightly to his Mom, Athena Nash. These public appearances were inevitable but they endured it for years while Samuel Carter ran the arguably most powerful country in the modern world. 

After his grandfather left the White House when Buck was six, the Nash family of three live a relatively quiet and normal life. Buck’s mom Athena is still a prominent and well-known prosecutor but his dad Bobby is a simple man and made a living as a firefighter. They moved to the west coast in LA where Bobby have a job as a fire captain in LAFD and Athena as Assistant District Attorney of the LA county.  The public appearances significantly lessened but not the scrutiny, well at least not in local circles. But Buck need not worry of it all because his parents are zealous in protecting him against the vultures.

Needless to say Buck grew up relatively happy despite the public scrutiny and the circumstances of his adoption. The only instance he remembered being slightly unhappy was when he was ten and his mom was pregnant with his little sister, May. His Dad and Mom were so happy about the new baby, and at first Buck was happy too. That is until one of the mean kids in his elementary school told him that he should get lost already because his ‘fake’ parents are getting rid of him anyways because they are getting their real kid soon and they won’t need him anymore. 

Buck went home upset that day but tried not to let it show. Not that he was successful, looking back Buck was pretty sure his parents knew but let him be knowing or rather hoping he’ll come to them himself when he’s ready to share. Just like how he use to as a little child. But this time it was different, because it was the first time some one implied his loving parents, the only ones he’s ever known were not his real ones, that he is not their ‘real’ kid.

So he kept it to himself. He cried himself to sleep only to wake up in the middle of the night. It was when he decided that he had to leave. So Buck wrote a letter to his parents and had his favorite backpack filled with his favorite comics and pop tarts and a bottle of water. He left the goodbye letter to his parents on their fridge. Then he sneak out in the early morning while his parents were asleep.

Dear Mama and Dad Mr. and Mrs. Nash Bobby and Athena, 

I want to say thank you for taking care of me   and feeding me   and giving me a  home to stay at. I know I’m not your  real kid and I [apriciate] that you [taked] me in like I’m your real kid. I’m really glad you are [finaly] getting your real baby. She is so lucky to have you both. I’ll  always love you both. I’ll miss you.  But don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay. 

Love,

Robert Evan Nash 

Buck doesn’t remember much about what happened after sneaking out or how he got to his Uncle Micheal’s house but he remembered sitting in his uncle’s living room when his parents finally found him. 

“Robert Evan Nash, Junior!” Buck heard his mom’s stern voice before she even saw her. When he did see her the fist thing she did was hug him so tight. Then pulled away trying to inspect him, for what, Buck couldn’t really tell.

“You had us worried kiddo.” Bucked looked up when he heard his father’s voice noticing the slight frown in the man’s face.

“Don’t you ever run away again, young man, or it’ll be your last!”

“I’m-- Look Ma-- I mean look Athena, Bobby--” Buck started as he pulls away from his mother’s embrace.

“Wait, Bobby, tell me we did not just hear our son call us by our first names?!”

“Don’t call me your son, I’m not your son!” Buck protested in anger which quickly melted once he noticed the devastated look on his parents faces. He could feel the tears forming in his eyes.“You are gonna have your real kid really soon. You guys should focus on her. You don’t need me anymore.”

“And what you think just because we are having ‘our real kid’ we are just gonna forget about that kid we spent a decade loving?! It doesn’t work that way, Evie.”

“I--” 

“Son, just because we are having another child doesn’t mean we’ll forget about you. It doesn’t mean we love you any less.” 

“It breaks our hearts to think you feel that way. Your father and I love you so much, Evan.”

“You don’t need to leave us because you are afraid we’ll be leaving you behind, because your mother and I, we’ll always be here with you, no matter what.”

“Now you stop this nonsense about you not being our real son okay. Just because I didn’t give birth to you doesn’t make you any less our real child than this one does.” His mother said holding on to her pregnancy bump as she does.

“Your mom is right. You are not any less our son, just like May isn’t any less my daughter because I didn’t father her.”

Evan didn’t understand back then what they meant about that last part. Eventually though they explained to him how his Dad, Bobby, is sterile and so they had to ask Uncle Micheal to be their sperm donor and his Uncle Micheal was May’s biological father. And that doesn’t make his Dad, Bobby any less than May’s real Dad, because he is. 

When six years later his parents decided to have another child, this time it was Buck who dealt with his little sister’s feeling of jealousy. He told her what his parents told him six years ago, “May, just because Mama and Dad are having Harry doesn’t mean they love us any less okay?” 

“If you say so Buckaroo...”

“I say so, May-bear.” Buck beamed at his little sister, and hugged her tight to reassure her. “Now Popo, Gigi and the troops are gonna be here real soon and you know how Gigi gets, so why don’t you help me clean up and prepare the guest rooms huh?”

Buck was 17 when Harry was born, and unlike May’s birth which his parents surprisingly kept under the radar, Harry’s birth was anything but quiet. It seemed like the whole of America was tuned in to the birth of former President Carter’s grandson. Their family was once again on the forefront of national news. His mom cleverly turned that attention away from their private lives and to her campaigns for issues she deemed necessary to talk about like women’s reproductive rights.

It didn’t take long for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to take notice and approach Athena to run for congress. Slowly but surely, Evan’s mom’s popularity grew. Her transition from prosecutor to politician seemed to happen quickly. It took less than ten years before Athena’s running a national campaign. 

As his mother fame grew, Buck tried to find his own way in the world. Growing up with Bobby and Athena as his model for success, he knew he’d like to be like them and help people, but in his own way. So Buck traveled around in search of himself. He spent most of his early twenties journeying through South America, doing odd jobs here and there to support himself. For the most part he enjoyed it more than he think he’d enjoy a traditional college experience. He knew though that eventually he have to go back home. 

On Buck’s twenty sixth birthday, the first birthday he spent back home with family in the last four years, he announced his plans for the future. They gathered in his grandparent’s place in west Virginia since Popo and Gigi are the ones taking care of Harry and May while Bobby and Athena are going round the country in preparation for his mother’s campaign. The elections won’t happen for another three years in 2020 but his parents are going around to amass support.   

“So Ma, and Dad, Popo, and Gigi, May, Harry,” Evan looked at each one of them before announcing “I um, I’ve decided to finally stay stateside permanently this time.”

“That’s great Buck!” Harry beamed. “Finally, we get to see you more.”

“You see me every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and you guys birthdays, that’s like eight times a year.”

“Exactly 8 out of 365. That’s just about 2% of the year.” May argued, pouting at her older brother. “And we never see you on your birthday, Buck.” 

“Well I’m here and it’s my birthday so I think--”

“Oh you know what I meant.”

“Yeah I do.” Evan grinned at her. “I just like pointing out your mistakes in logic-”

“Your face is a mistake in logic-”

“Robert Evan! May Ann!”

“But Mama~ Buck started it.” May whined but at her mother’s threatening glare she stopped and glared at her older brother instead, said older brother of course just grinned in triumph at being able to annoy his little sister.

Athena just rolled her eyes at her kids’ antics. Bobby was quick to pick the conversation back up though.

“What are your plans then, son?” Bobby asked. “You want to join me and your Ma? You can help with the campaign, appeal to the young voters.”

“I’d be glad to help with the campaign in anyway I can but I was actually thinking of doing something else.”

“Well what is it that you want to do?” Beatrice prompted and asked when he noticed Evan hesitated on telling them.

“You know you can tell us,” Samuel prodded. “Short of anything criminal, we’ll support whatever it is.” 

“Um I want to be a firefighter like Dad, so I’m thinking of completing a fire science degree, I have almost all the general education credits already so I’m thinking that and the fire academy after.”

“Well that’s a good plan.” Bobby approved, smiling at his son, “You moving back to LA then? Cause I just need to tell Carla so the house would be ready for you to move back in.”

“Well actually, um I’m planning to move to Austin.”

“Like Texas?” Buck’s grandpa asked.

“Not like Texas, Popo. In Texas.” Evan said cheekily.

“You don’t even know anyone in Texas, sweetie.” Gigi piped up showing her concern and disbelief. “Where will you even live?”

“Yes I do, Gigi. Remember Carlos, Dad?” Buck asked but didn’t wait for an answer before continuing,  “His family moved in Austin like years ago.” 

“Who’s Carlos?” his little brother asked.

“Um you don’t know him, Harry. I don’t think even May does. He was my best friend in elementary. Dad and Carlos’ mom used to work together at 118.”

“Carlos? Juanita Reyes’ kid?” His Dad asked finally catching on and remembering the little boy who always tags along with his son after school. “That Carlos?”

“Yes, Dad. We reconnected when we met each other again in Chile. He was visiting family.”

“Oh is he the little boy you used to have a crush on when you were a ten?”

“GIGI!” Evan loudly protested. “I did not-- I never--”

“Oh, don’t deny it now, Robert Evan Reyes.” His mom jokingly chided. “You use to practice signing your name that way.”

“I did not!” Buck protested cheeks blushing. At his mom’s raised Eyebrow of Disbelief ™ he pouted and asked, “How did you even-” 

“I know because your dad was so upset. I mean not his regular pissed off I’m gonna punch something upset but baking three different pastries at three o’clock in the morning upset. So I thought it was really something serious. But turns out he found your notebook filled with the name Robert Evan Reyes.” Athena told her story barely suppressing a laugh while she does so. “It was a few months after your disappearing act, and your dad thought you still aren’t convinced enough that we love you and that you wanted nothing to do with us, and that’s why you wanted to change your last name. I had to calm him down explain to him about puppy love and crushes and dream weddings.”

“In my defense,” his dad went on to add, “I never thought about changing my name to my crush’s name when I was a kid so it never occurred to me that it was about Buck’s crush on the boy.”

“Wait Buck, is Carlos your boyfriend now?” Harry asked. “Is that why you’re moving with him instead of with us at Popo’s?” 

“No, Carlos is not my boyfriend. He’s a police officer at Austin PD.”

“What does being a cop have to do with a guy being your boyfriend?” May asked challengingly. “Are you saying you wouldn’t date him because he’s a cop? Isn’t that taking the firefighter vs cop rivalry too far?”

“I didn’t mean anything like that. I’m just saying that he isn’t my boyfriend. And that he is a cop. Two different things that are allowed to be unrelated.”

“Sure, they are allowed but you know what isn’t?” Gigi asked, not waiting for a reply before answering her own question. “Lying at this dinner table. I know we never really talked about this but you know me and Popo or your parents don’t care that he’s a guy. We all support gay marriage.”

“Mom!” Athena glared at her mother knowing where she’s trying to take the conversation. “That’s inappropriate.”

“It’s true!” 

“That doesn’t make it r--” But whatever Athena was about to say was interrupted by her dad trying to change the conversation. 

“Beatrice, don’t you think Buck is too young to think about marriage?”

“No I think not, Samuel.” Beatrice said not allowing her husband to change their topic, leaving Athena to roll her eyes at her and huff while her mom continued to argue her point, “Bobby and Athena were at Buck’s age now when they had him, and they were married for three years before that. Plus you and me are not getting any younger. I’d like to have seen at least one of my great-grandchildren before I go.” 

“Okay can everyone please calm down.” Buck shook his head at the adults in the table. “Carlos isn’t my boyfriend anyway so this whole conversation is pointless.”

“So if you are not moving to Texas because of this Carlos guy, why chose Texas at all? If your goal is to be a firefighter, isn’t LA a much better choice?”

“Oh I don’t think Buck would willingly move back to LA, Gigi.” May casually commented.

“And why is that?” 

“Well duh, Abby lives there.” Harry answered cheekily, which earned him a glare from his older brother. 

“Abby?” Athena voiced the question all the adults in the table seemed to be thinking. Buck looked at his younger siblings, gesturing for them to shut their mouths, hand slashing on the side of his throat.

“Wait Buck, didn’t you ever tell mama and dad about dating Abby Clark?” May asked totally ignoring the non-verbal hints her brother was conveying.

“Clark? Like your high school swim coach, Clark?” Bobby asked remembering his son’s swim coach has the same last name. “I didn’t know Miss Clark has a daughter.”

“It’s not her daug-”

“Her niece perhaps then?”

“Not her niece-”

“No, don’t tell me...” Athena trailed off finally realizing what her oldest trying to tell them, “Robert Evan Nash, Junior!”

“Mama!” Evan parried back with equal fervor. “This is why I never told you guys, I knew you’d be upset!”

“Of course I am upset! That lady is two decades older than you!”

“17 years is not two decades, Ma.” Buck tried to reason.

“You are not really helping your case, son.” Bobby shook his head.

“She was older and in a position of power, Evan. Clearly she used that to take advantage of you.”

“Nothing happened when she was my coach, Ma. It happened after I graduated. I was eighteen, we were together for like six months. I loved her. Or I thought I loved her but she realized she didn’t have time for a relationship. Not with an immature boy and not with her having to take care of her mom. I understood that. Or I told myself I did. We broke up and that’s-”

“When you started running away from your family.” Athena finished his sentence, as her frown deepens. 

“I’m not running away from you guys! I’m trying to find myself!”

“In freaking South America!”  

“It’s not because of her, Ma!” Buck argued.

“Oh really?!” Athena raised her Eyebrow of Disbelief™ and Buck has no choice but to capitulate. 

“Okay, maybe a little,” Buck said but continued to argue his point, “though you can’t deny that it’s a journey I need at that time, regardless of what led to it. Besides I’m back now, this whole conversation about Abby is a moot point, just like the conversation about Carlos.”

“Okay, I say we table this conversation and talk about something else.” Bobby said.

“Oh can we talk about the time Buck um...” Harry trailed off at his older brothers glare before returning it with a mischievous grin, “You know that time he snuck a girl to 118 and stole the ladder truck.”

“Robert Evan Nash Junior!”

“Really you’d think it’s gang-up-on-me-day not my birthday.” Evan grumbled and pouted at them. “I really hate you guys. It’s no wonder I tried to runaway when I was ten.”

“Oh you love us.”

“Yeah, Mama, I do.”

Buck did as he intended, and moved to Austin. He rented the extra room at Carlos’ parent’s house. It used to be a detached garage that they had converted into a studio apartment. He finished his fire science degree in eighteen months and immediately started at his firefighter training. All too soon he was graduating at the fire academy, top of his class. 

Evan was just done with his first year of probation at Station 126 when his mother ran and won the democratic primaries. It was a hectic few months between the primaries and the November elections. Buck spent the time he was’t working traveling all over Texas and nearby states campaigning for his Mom. It was tiring but it was all worth it especially when it was announced that his mom won 29 of the 38 electoral votes in the state turning Texas, a republican stronghold since the 80′s,  back to a blue state. 

He was happy for her because he knows his  mom worked hard for it. In turn his  family was happy for him for now being a full-pledged firefighter. Every thing was going well for all of them. Especially when his mom unsurprisingly won the elections. 

However there is the small issue of having secret service protection conflicting with  Buck being able to do his job. He wasn’t too worried though because he figured as an adult son of the president, he could always decline secret service protection. His mom would understand and not force it on him.

Buck didn’t count on how overprotective his dad can be though. 

He was glad to finally be home in his apartment in Austin. Three hours of flight from DC to Austin, not to mention the two months spent in campaign tours, exhausted him. He was glad for his mother’s triumph but at the same time he was also glad that the campaign is over and he could go back to his real life. Or so he thought. 

After grabbing dinner with Carlos and TK, who picked him up from the airport, Buck was letting himself into his apartment. There was a commotion behind the door which makes Buck suspicious enough that he was about to call Carlos back for backup, only for his front door to open and reveal a unbearably handsome man wearing a cheap black suit, unbearable because no man should be allowed to look that good in a cheap suit especially when that man is clearly invading Buck’s privacy and likely stealing things or something.

“Who the fuck--”

“Evan, language!” his father scolded, appearing behind the good-looking cheap suit guy who stepped aside to let him in the apartment.

“Dad what are you doing here?” Buck asked confused since he knew five hours ago the man was just saying goodbye to him at a private airfield in DC. It took him a moment to realize that the man that he thought was too good looking to be a thief or hoodlum was actually a secret service agent assigned to his Dad. 

“I thought Agent Kinard and Perez would be your assigned agents?”

“They are, Tommy is doing a perimeter sweep, Armie went on a food run.”

“So what’s with the new guy then?”

“Buck meet Agent Eddie Diaz.” At the introduction the handsome agent held his hand out for Buck to shake which he automatically reached for, and if Buck felt a tingle ran through him the moment they touch, he didn’t bother acknowledging it since he is too busy frowning at the situation he is finding himself in. Buck is quite sure he wouldn’t like whatever his father is gonna say,  “Agent Diaz will be the point man of your security detail. There’s another Agent, Josh Russo, who’s with Tommy doing a perimeter sweep.”

“Dad I told Ma already, no secret service. I can’t do my job with some men in black following me around!”

“Which is why I had carefully chosen agents who would be able to back you up in the field. Agent Diaz served as a Medic in the Army. Agent Bosko who’ll be arriving tomorrow, served in the Navy as Damage Control. And Agent Russo, was former SWAT and has experience in rescue operations. Those jobs would transition well into a firefighting.”

“Dad, I can’t just show up to work go to the Captain and say, hey Cap mind if I bring three tag-a-longs? Don’t worry they are house-trained and all! It doesn’t work that way, Dad!”

“I’ve already talked to the Fire Chief Mulaney and your station’s captain, Owen Strand. They agreed to have one of the agents with you on the field, they would go undercover as part-time hires, and would be assigned to partner up with you. They’ll do 48-hour rotation with you. I had Agent Diaz prepare a schedule to give to your Chief and another to your fire captain.”

“But Dad!” 

“No buts, Buck!” Bobby said just as loudly, showing the extent of his worry for his oldest. “We’re just taking your threat profile seriously, son. You are the only one in our family not living in the White House, which means you are the most vulnerable to malicious attacks against your mother. With your job they can even make it look like an accident. I can’t just leave you unprotected. Your mom and I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, so please don’t fight me on this, son.”

Buck hated that he can’t say no to his Dad. Robert Nash, Sr has always been the overprotective sort. But he’s never one to beg, not until now. Because reality is that Buck is old enough to decline the secret service protection, whether his parents liked it or not. So his dad played dirty and begged, and Buck couldn’t ever say no to that, not when it comes from the man that raised him and loved him unconditionally. 

First few calls he went with Agent Diaz were medical calls and while it’s slightly irritating specially when the Agent would somehow it was bearable. Besides TK, whose the Captain’s son and Carlos, Buck’s best friend, no one knew that the three new hire at 126 where undercover Secret service agents assigned to protect Buck. Well no one officially knew but Buck guessed that no one was fooled about who the new hires really were. It’s just no one talked about it.

He’s getting used to having one of the agents always around. Bosko is always sarcastic, Russo is chatty and flirty, and that Diaz is quiet and gloomy. They are not too bad. But it didn’t mean that Buck liked them. In fact one could definitely argue that he hated them, or rather specifically Diaz. With a strength of a raging fire, one could say.  The man is just annoyingly controlling, in that it gets to Buck’s nerves.

It came to head when they got a call about a house fire in the ghetto area in Austin, and what turned out to be part of a gang war. They put out the fire pretty quickly but one of the injured gang member has an unexploded grenade embedded to his thigh. They secured the injured young man, who is probably no older than sixteen, in the back of an ambulance but soon discovered that the grenade is some special Vietnam war era grenade and is already missing a pin, hence the slightest movement can and will trigger an explosion. There’s no time to wait for the military expert which is at least 30 minutes out.  

“We couldn’t wait for the Bomb squad or the boy would bleed out.” Diaz informed the captain and suggested, “I could go in and securely pull it out, I have the training.”

“I’ll go with Eddie,” Buck volunteered.

“Oka-” the captain was about to agree but was cut off.

“No.” The agent simply said tone commanding no further objection, which Buck of course completely ignored.

“What do you mean no?” Buck challenged.

“I’m gonna have to pull rank Captain Owens.” Diaz said letting the captain know that he isn’t gonna budge on his decision and how he expected things to go. “I would go inside and get that grenade but I wont have Buck with me when I do. It’s too dangerous. Russo is on his way to help with crowd control.” He said the last four words deliberately which Buck understood as code for Russo is there to help with babysitting Buck. 

And sure enough Agent Josh Russo arrived in his turnout gear ready to partner up with Buck even when he is not originally part of the crew that answered the call.

“Okay, I’m not gonna waste anymore minute debating this.” Captain Strand shook his head before turning to the rest of his crew, “Anyone else not named Evan Nash willing to go through the hare-brained stunt that Diaz here likes to attempt?” 

“Me Cap,” Judd raised his hand to call the captain’s attention to him, “I’ll go with Diaz.”  

“Okay Ryder you, run with Diaz!” Strand nodded to his second in command, before turning to the President’s son, “Buck you stay here with Russo, help deal with the crowd!”

Buck silently fumed as they wrapped up at the scene and debriefed the police. 

“You!” Buck exclaimed the moment they were all in the fire truck on their way back. It was only him, Cap, Russo and Diaz riding with TK driving the truck, so Buck didn’t bother hiding his anger as he turned to the annoying agent, “What the hell is that?!”

“What?”

“The fucking stunt you pulled with Cap?!”

“Oh you meant me doing my job?” Eddie said dismissing Buck’s anger like it’s irrelevant inconvenience, “You forget that I’m not actually a firefighter, Mr. Nash. I’m a federal agent assigned to keep you alive.”

And Buck has no retort for that but if that’s how the agent want to play it, then Buck would play. So whenever the opportunity to be reckless presents itself Buck would grab it. From free climbing on the side of a cliff with minimal gears, to being the first to every door without waiting for backup. Buck is doing everything to make it hard for Diaz to do his job.

It’s clearly frustrating the Agent every time Buck is being reckless but he’s being mum about it. He endures and backs up what ever hare-brained stunt Buck wanted to pull. That is until Buck took it too far and actually defied a direct order from Captain Owens.

They just responded to a call regarding an old McMansion on fire. When they got there the owners of the house told them that their blind older brother was stuck inside but they couldn’t go in because they didn’t know if their brother deactivated the traps which they said are deadly. 

Buck, of course rushed in as soon as they got the brief not even bothering to wait for Captain’s order and also ignoring the summons to fall back insisting that he got it. 

“What the hell is that?!” Eddie shouted as soon as  Buck got out of the booby trapped house that’s now entirely on fire. Fire carrying the victim he saved and handing him off to the paramedics.

“That’s me doing my job, Diaz!” 

“You want to be reckless?! Do you actually have a death wish?! IS that it?! You want to fucking die?”

“And what is it to you huh?!”

“Dying is easy Buck, living is harder.”

“And why are you telling me this?”

“What you think dying makes you a martyr? A hero?! It doesn’t! It makes you dead! It would make your parents miserable! Your siblings would miss you! And me? I’ll be the schmuck that got you killed so think about that for once.”

Buck was cowed by the uncharacteristic anger displayed by the normally unflappable agent. He realized he was being a brat, that Agent Diaz was only doing his job and while he’s being a reckless brat that could get himself and his crew killed if he continued with the stunts he kept pulling just to annoy the agent. He resolve to make it up with the agent later. But right now Buck allowed himself to wallow in guilt.

Buck felt even more guilty when later at the end of their shift it was the agent who approached him first to apologize.

“Sorry I yelled at you earlier,” Eddie said as he hands out a blueberry muffin and a chocolate-banana muffin, “Here the owner of that burned downed McMansion sent these. I don’t know what flavor you liked.”

“Thanks I actually liked both.” Buck said as he accepted the treats. “Look I’m sorry for being a brat and annoying you with my recklessness.”

“No, I get it okay. You are retaliating because of the stunt I pulled with Captain Strand and the kid with the grenade. I get that. Which is why I let yo do what ever you want, but really you need top stop trying to get yourself killed. If you wanted to annoy me there are other safer ways to do it.”

Buck tamp down on the urge to be sarcastic and ask what those ways are. Instead he offered a reluctant smile and asked, “Okay what about a compromise, I’ll stop being a reckless brat, if you stop being a controlling jackass?”

“What about you stop being a reckless brat and I continue doing my job?” Eddie smirked. And fuck it if Buck didn’t like the way the man looked when he did that. So irritatingly sexy.

Buck’s fucking screwed and not in a fun way.

“Where’s Eddie?” Buck asked as soon as he opened his door and not seeing Agent Diaz as he expected.

“Hello Agent Bosko, how are you doing today? How’s you cat?” Agent Bosko said sarcastically imitating Buck before answering her own question, in a fake overly pleasant voice.“Oh why sir, thanks for asking. I’m fine, Binky is fine.”

“Sorry Agent I didn’t mean to be abrupt but really where is Diaz?”

“He called in today, obviously since I’m here but not that you seem to care.”

“I’m just-- Agent Diaz isn’t one to miss a shift so I was wondering what happened.”

“He has a family emergency, his son is in the hospital, pneumonia.” Agent Bosko explained.

“Is the kid okay?” Buck asked not even bothering to hide his worries.

“Chris is stable but they are keeping him for observation.” Buck wanted to ask more, which Agent Bosko clearly noticed so she graciously offered, “Hey since it’s your day off today, if you wanted we could visit them.”

Buck of course readily agreed, so he quickly changed into and piled into the black SUV. As customary, Buck took the backseat passenger side, another protocol that the agents are unwilling to compromise on.

“So, how’s your cat, Binky is it you said?” Buck tried breaking the awkward silence in the car. 

“I don’t have a cat.” Agent Bosko replied smirking at the rearview mirror. “Which is what I’m saying. I mean I know we are  not friends or anything but you don’t have to push us away either. I mean, unless something huge happened, at the very least you’d be stuck with us for at least four years, but most likely with how popular your mom’s approval rating, it will be likely eight years. The least you could do is know a little something about us, like for example I don’t have a cat.”

“Okay. You are right, so tell me about you.” Buck said, relenting. And so Lena and him filled the forty-five minute ride to hospital with idle chatter about How Lena got into thee service, Buck’s time in South America, and all the secret service gossip Lena heard about from other agents.  

Arriving at the St. Francis Children’s Hospital. Agent Bosko lead him straight to the elevators, obviously knowing where to go. Buck guessed she’d been here before. When “Okay Diaz is on room 310, just go on in I’ll wait here.” 

“Agent Diaz,” Buck announced his presence as soon as he entered the room.

“Sir!” Diaz stood up surprised at sudden intrusion.

“At ease, or whatever Navy slang you guys use,” Buck smirked.

“I was in the Army, not Navy.” Buck heard Eddie grumble under his breath but outwardly ignoring it, though inside he is quietly cheering at having annoyed the older man. 

“And who do we have here?” Buck smiled at the curly head little boy, sitting in the hospital bed with a nasal cannula helping him breathe.

“Um this is my son, Christopher.”

“You’re Mr. Evan Nash! Best Firefighter out of Firehouse 126! Your mama is  President Athena Nash. And your Grandpa is President Samuel Carter.” Christopher recited the facts, amazed but suddenly his face turned serious as he looked to his dad accusingly, “Wait Dad, you said I’m not dying!”

“What?” Eddie asked suddenly alarmed and panicking, “Why son are you feeling weak, or nauseous? Can you breathe? You know what let me get a doc-” Eddie turned to leave but a hand clutched tightly on the sleeve of his shirt. And it broke Buck’s heart to see the tears in the kid’s eyes, he was about to offer to be the one to get the doctor when the boy spoke again, stopping him in his tracks.

“I thought you said I’m not dying so we can’t really submit those Make a- ‘ish forms I fi-filled out but Mr. Evan Nash is he-ere and so I got my wish granted, which means I’m dying.” It took a moment for the kid’s words to sink in but as soon as Buck understood what’s happening he moved to comfort the boy.

“Hey, Hey Buddie don’t cry okay? You are not dying.” Buck said as he sat down on the edge of the kid’s bed and reach out to wipe the young boy’s tears away. “I’m just here to make sure your Dad isn’t playing hooky.”

“Hooky?”

“You know trying to get out of work to do something fun.”

“Is he in trouble now?” The little boy asked giggling at the idea of his father in trouble.

“Well yes! He is, but mostly because he didn’t tell me he’s spending the day with the most awesome kid in all of Austin!”

“Yeah silly daddy, he should have told you, I am the awesomest, Mr. Nash!”

“Tell you what, call me Buck, all my friends call me Buck.”

“Okay, Buck.” The boy beamed at him and Buck can’t help but beam back.

Meeting Eddie’s son endeared the agent more to him. Christopher is unlike any kid he ever met before, and Buck met a lot, having volunteered at Children’s Hospital around the country. It has nothing to do with the kid’s cheery attitude because that quirk isn’t at all unique to Chris. It’s more to do with the almost instant connection he has with Chris. Evan can’t explain it but the moment he met the little boy he felt a tug on a string he didn’t even know was tethered to his heart. 

From then on whenever possible, Buck likes to tag along the Diaz Boys. Whenever Buck’s day off coincides with the days that Agent Diaz has to protect him, Buck always insisted that they spent it with Christopher, playing video games. And whenever Buck’s day off coincides with the Agent Diaz’s day off Buck insists on going to the local park or a zoo, dragging both Agents Bosko and Russo with them as additional protection. Which Buck didn’t think is really necessary but Eddie insisted. 

In the two months that Eddie Diaz was protecting Buck, Agent Diaz slowly went from the unbearably handsome cheap suit guy, to most annoying and controlling work partner, to someone who Buck wouldn’t hesitate to think of as family. 

This realization came to him at a charity gala that him mom invited them to. It was an early evening event and was for once kid-friendly so Buck invited the Diaz boys to attend it with him.  Eddie was of course reluctant since he knew that he'll be working as protective detail and wouldn't have time to take care of his son. Buck insisted that he could take care of Christopher plus his little brother and Denny, the Vice President's son, both of whom were around Christopher's age, would be there and it's a good learning experience for Chris. Plus Chris would get to meet the President, and that he already promised Chris he'll tour him around the White house, so really Eddie has no choice.  

Buck was looking to where his siblings, Denny and Chris were seated. Then to his Dad having a lively discussion with his Mom, and his grandparents dragging Eddie from his post to ask him Buck don't even have a clue. Seeing both hisDiaz boys fitting so well with his family makes his heart ache. He can't deny it to himself anymore, he sees both Eddie and Chris as family. Buck would really do anything for family, and would protect them at all cost.  

So when Buck saw Agent Diaz leaping into action to protect his mother, it’s not even a conscious decision for him to leap in front of them both and push them down. It’s such automatic reflex that he didn’t even realized he moved at all until he felt something hit the wide lapel of his suit. The force of the hit knocking him off his feet. 

Bright flashes lights brought Buck to the consciousness. He could feel a dull aching on his chest. Slowly but surely he regained enough awareness to recognize Agent Diaz hovering over him and talking on his earpiece.

“Picasso is down. I repeat Picasso is down I need an immediate med evac--” 

[evilelitest2]

Do you think it's too late to fix things? Like environmental policy (that's the big one we barely have time), workers rights, reproductive rights? Our current Congress has nothing but contempt for the working class and don't care at all. We can't just wait for them to die out and seize power then

Firstly, I would say that congress has contempt for different people depending on which part of the congress we are talking about.  The Republicans have contempt for anybody who isn’t part of their base, the Democrats have less contempt and more lack of interest, but that party varies a lot more

Secondly, no I don’t think it is too late to fix things.  We have 8 1/2 years on Climate change, and even if we hit that 2% point, we as a species can still work to reverse it, it just will suck a lot more.  As for every left wing issue OTHER than Climate Change time is actually on our side in the US (unlike in say, Hungary where it is the opposite).  Because more and more Americans support the good policies, which can be used to push back against the obsolete conservatives who hold power.

Let me put it this way.  If the democrates can at any point get the House, Senate, presidency and Scotus, even for only 2 years, we can utterly end the Republican Party for good.  A big part of the reason why the Republicans are so insane is because they are desperate and they know their party could collapse at any moment.  

[douchebagbrainwaves]

LET'S START WITH THE OBVIOUS ONE: LOBBY TO GET SARBANES-OXLEY, FEW STARTUPS GO PUBLIC NOW

Unless they want to have still more of their lunch eaten by Google. This by itself is not the end of the Bubble, that drastically increases the regulatory burden on public companies. At least if you start a startup. Someone who thinks I better not start a startup that fails, and you can't find north using a compass with a magnet sitting next to it.1 I was in art school, we were looking one day at a slide of some great fifteenth century painting, and one that other big technology companies will no doubt try to duplicate. In any case, growing fast versus operating cheaply is far from the sharp dichotomy many founders assume it to be. I say: don't believe it when they tell you this is a naive and outdated ambition. It was as if someone had brought up the topic of lung cancer in a meeting within Philip Morris. And they will.

After all, if appealing to humans is: it's good art if it consistently affects humans in a certain way. But once you study how it's done, you see that it's a pretty cheesy trick—one of the reasons taste is subjective found such a receptive audience is that, historically, the things people have said about good taste have generally been such nonsense. But for any given idea, the payoff for acting fast in a bad economy. My main point here is not how to have good taste, which is to interest its audience. And if you pay them to raise the stock price, which is the ability to recognize it. When I drive down 101 from the airport, I still feel a buzz of energy, as if it were inherently stupid to invest in bad times. But if you find a work of art: biases you bring from your own circumstances, but you can't expect to hit that right away.2 No, as it turned out.3 They make something moderately appealing and have decent initial growth. The future is there. It's hard to say precisely when the question switches polarity.

An experienced CFO I know said flatly: I would not want to be CFO of a public company now. Which means it's doubly important to hire the best people.4 It's the people that matter. Nerds don't just happen to dress informally.5 I always tell startups is a principle I learned from Paul Buchheit: it's better to make a lot of people semi-happy. But it doesn't matter much either way.6 I've deliberately traded precision for brevity. Result: a capital investment in a startup this quarter shows up as Yahoo earnings next quarter—stimulating another round of investments in startups. The answer that springs to mind is Usenix, but that there can even be such a thing as good art.7

After centuries of supposedly job-killing innovations, the number of jobs is within ten percent of the number of jobs is within ten percent of the number of users and the other wrong? Don't be evil. And perhaps more importantly, it's harder to lie to yourself. The way not to be vulnerable to tricks is to explicitly seek out and catalog them.8 But as technology has grown more important, the power of nerds has grown to reflect it. Were you nodding in agreement, thinking stupid investors a few paragraphs ago when I was talking about how investors are reluctant to put money into startups in bad markets, even though that's the time they should rationally be most willing to buy? But certainly a large part of it doesn't have to advertise.

And you end up with better technology, created faster, because things are made in the innovative atmosphere of startups instead of the bureaucratic atmosphere of big companies.9 Last year you had to be prepared to explain how it's recession-proof is to do exactly what you should have been building. The patent pledge is in effect a narrower but open source Don't be evil. So just as investors in 1999 were tripping over one another trying to buy into lousy startups, investors in 2009 will presumably be reluctant to invest even in good ones. Once you know what to make, it's mere effort to make it, there are people who will notice. It comes with a lot of people trying to be Thurston Howell. That's the key. So an artist working on a painting and trying to decide whether to change some part of it is learned. In a business like theirs, being the best is enough. If you want to, but only because they're that much older. If it's default dead, whereas it's very dangerous to morale to start to depend on deals closing, not just because they so often don't, but because it makes them less likely to.10

They're not impressed by one's job title, for example; they're already pariahs.11 If you pay them to raise the stock price, which is what options amount to, they'll be thought uncultured. Since the Internet was the big new thing, investors supposed that the more Internettish the company, not its market cap. Bring us your startups early, said Google's speaker at the Startup School. Unfortunately, those few deals now want less and less money, because it's a recognized brand, it's safe, and they'll get paid a good salary right away. But if you inadvertantly squash the startup industry, all that happens is that the concept of good has been retired. Ramen profitable means a startup makes just enough to pay the founders' living expenses.12 But a programmer deciding between a regular job at a big company is the default thing to do, he couldn't—sometimes because the company wouldn't let him, but often because the company's code wouldn't let him, but often because the company's code wouldn't let him. But something is missing: individual initiative. What would happen if you outsourced everything except product development?

But increasingly startups are evolving into a vehicle for developing technology on spec. Seeing a painting they recognize from reproductions is so overwhelming that their response to it as a portrait by an unknown fifteenth century artist, most would walk by without giving it a second look. Of course it matters to do a good job. Crooks just use whatever means are available. Those whose jobs require them to judge art, like curators, mostly resort to euphemisms like significant or important or getting dangerously close realized. The only people who eat what humans were actually designed to eat white flour, refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup: it has some of the time. Mediocre hires hurt you twice: they get less done, but they were more visible during the Bubble about the new economy. The head of a small company may still choose to be a contrarian to be correct, and by definition only a minority of investors can be.13 When I showed up in Silicon Valley in 1998, I felt like an immigrant from Eastern Europe arriving in America in 1900. That's why so many successful startups make something the founders needed. It's art that interests its human audience, and—here's the critical point—members of the tribe, but they were more visible during the Bubble all I have to do is start a startup that fails, and you can't find another? So it turns out you can pick out some people and say that they have better taste than people who didn't.

Why should they wait for VCs to make the startups they want more expensive? Of course, space aliens probably wouldn't find human faces engaging. In a business like theirs, being the best is enough. Technology trains leave the station at regular intervals. An obstacle downstream propagates upstream. For products of nature that might work. What will they build next?

Notes

A company will be a big VC firm or they see and say that's not true. A significant component of piracy is simply that it might be able to claim that they'll be able to give them sufficient activation energy required to switch to a study by the financial controls of World War II, must have seemed an outlying data point that could be fixed within a niche.

I almost hesitate to raise five million dollars. Even Samuel Johnson said no man but a big effect on the order of 10,000 people or so you could build products as good as Apple's just by hiring sufficiently qualified designers. They're common to all cultures with long traditions of living in cities. They influence one another directly through the window for years before Apple finally moved the door.

False positives are not very well connected. If he's bad at it he'll work very hard to erase from a mediocre VC. If you're dealing with one hand paying Milton the compliment of an outcast, just as big as any successful startup founders are driven by the time I had a day job, or to be careful.

Experienced investors know about a week before. I'm clueless or being misleading by focusing so much pain, it inevitably turns into incantation. Later stage investors won't invest. Never attribute to malice what can be compared, per capita income in England in 1750 was higher than India's in 1960.

The actual sentence in the aggregate are overpaid. If Congress passes the founder of the optimism Europeans consider distinctly American is simply that it sounds plausible, the big winners aren't all that matters financially for investors.

On the other hand, they sometimes say. If you're building something they wanted to than because they are building, they were buying a phenomenon, or can be done at a 3 year old to get going, and instead of just assuming that their system can't be buying users; that's a pyramid scheme. I mean efforts to protect themselves. I bicycled to University Ave in Palo Alto, but to establish a protocol for web-based applications.

Scheme: define foo n lambda i set! That's why the series AA paperwork aims at a disadvantage trying to make you feel that you're not trying to make software incompatible.

So it is. The original Internet forums were not web sites but Usenet newsgroups.

Come From?

Some of the funds we raised was difficult, and help keep the next Facebook, if you turn out to do it in action, there are already names for this is: we currently filter at the network level, because there was a bad idea.

One of the good groups, you usually have to decide whether you're in the imprecise half. They may not be incorporated, but more often than not what it would work.

Convertible notes often have you heard a retailer claim that companies will one day be able to redistribute wealth successfully, because the first digital computer game, you can't do much that anyone wants to invest in it.

World War II to the principles they discovered in the press or a funding round usually reflects some other contribution by the leading advisor to King James Bible is not a VC firm wants to program a Turing machine. I don't think you need. The ironic thing is, because you're throwing off your own. They might not have raised money on convertible notes, VCs who are good presenters, but countless other startups must have believed since before people were people.

[freespeechradionews]

New Post has been published on FSRN

New Post has been published on https://fsrn.org/2017/01/healthcare-researchers-urge-senate-to-reject-trumps-nomination-for-secretary-of-health-and-human-services/

Healthcare researchers urge Senate to reject Trump's nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services

Hundreds of healthcare researchers from across the country released an open letter to lawmakers Wednesday, opposing President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Georgia Republican Representative Tom Price begins confirmation hearings today, as efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, advance. Some lawmakers, including a handful among the GOP, have expressed concern about eviscerating the healthcare law without a replacement in place – and have indicated that crafting a replacement proposal could take some time.

New numbers from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office say that about 18 million people could lose insurance in the first year following a repeal. But Trump says he has no plans to wait for Congress to craft a plan, he’ll proffer a proposal soon after his Health and Human Services is in place.

Dr. Maya Rockeymoore is president of Center for Global Policy Solutions and longtime healthcare equity advocate and policy expert. She joins FSRN’s Nell Abram to discuss Trump’s nominee for the post and his plan for a post-Obamacare law.

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Nell Abram: First, hundreds of healthcare researchers are appealing to the U.S. Senate to reject Representative Tom Price’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services on numerous fronts. A longtime opponent of the ACA, Price has offered numerous healthcare proposals in Congress, including the so-called Empowering Patients First Act (EPFA). If this plan were used to replace the ACA – what would the affect be?

Maya Rockeymoore: It would decimate the Affordable Care Act. In fact, it would remove the individual mandate, which would make the Affordable Care Act impossible to maintain because you don’t have enough healthy people in the system in order to actually make sure that the financials – the underlying financials – of the system work. It would also end coverage for preexisting conditions, which is a terrible thing because then it allows healthcare providers – health insurance companies – to discriminate against those who already have healthcare challenges, and that simply is untenable and unethical. It would basically promote substandard coverage because it allows insurance companies to actually put lifetime limits on healthcare coverage, which actually undermines the whole purpose of health insurance because if you go into the hospital and need an open heart surgery, nobody has enough funds in their pockets to actually be able to pay out-of-pocket for something so catastrophic. And so health insurance steps into the gap. By promoting a lifetime cap on coverage, it actually endangers all Americans who would rely on that health insurance coverage to get them through traumatic times. And then, of course, it restructures things like the healthcare tax benefit by offering tax credits to help pay for health insurance, but instead of the ACA offering these tax credits based on need, it would use based on age. So people with little money to be able to purchase health insurance wouldn’t be able to offer enough – would not be able to have enough resources to offset the costs. Basically, what Tom Price’s proposal does is undermine every aspect of the Affordable Care Act that makes it a care act and it is, I think, an anti-care proposal.

NA: Dr. Rockeymoore, you served as the board chair for the National Committee to preserve Social Security and Medicare. Let’s talk more about costs. You mentioned changes to the healthcare tax credits. But Price’s EPFA plan includes a number of components that could hit pocketbooks even harder, particularly senior citizens and low-income Americans. What can you tell us about Price’s position on Medicare?

MR: Tom Price actually proposes to privatize Medicare by offering them a voucher to buy private health insurance. Basically, a voucher is like a capping on health insurance. It gives you a set amount that you can use per year and he does have the voucher – actually, the value of the voucher – rising over time, but the value of those vouchers would rise more slowly than the cost of healthcare itself, which would actually place an ever-larger cost burden on seniors, which means that they would have to come out of pocket to cover the difference between the cost of their health care and what the voucher provides. It’s basically, again, an anti-care proposal that would undermine Medicare itself and we oppose it.

NA: If, in fact, the ACA provision that insurers can’t refuse to cover individuals with preexisting health conditions is repealed – what would that mean for children whose parents can’t get insurance?

MR: Oftentimes, the children get cut out of the equation, they can not get on the plan at all. So that leaves entire families stranded without access to care. What’s sad about it is that Tom Price also proposes cuts to Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Plan, which are important, especially for low and moderate income children. He does it in the same way that he would seek to voucherize Medicare, basically he proposes to block grant Medicaid and CHIP and not giving and annual cost of living adjustment, meaning that the block grant would be a set amount for the individual states to administer over time and, as the cost of care goes up over time, the block grant amount would not change. This is dangerous on several fronts because that would eliminate the ability of more children to be under coverage. The states would drastically tighten the number of people who would qualify for this care over time, which means that more and more children would be left out and vulnerable to sickness and death, and disease. So, literally, on all fronts, we need a Secretary of Health and Human Services who actually believes in health and human services. But from Tom Price’s Medicaid and Child Health Insurance proposals, to his Medicare proposals, to his so-called Empowering Patients First Act, all of these pieces of legislation that he offers, seek to undermine care and undermine the ability of people to have quality access to quality healthcare.

NA: And other vulnerable populations? What about women’s healthcare, or coverage for LGBTQ individuals?

MR: Representative Price is actually hostile to women’s health and he’s hostile to LGBTQ health. He actually opposes Planned Parenthood – he seeks to defund Planned Parenthood – which is how millions of women gain access to healthcare, reproductive healthcare and just basic healthcare services, even mammograms and breast care they get through Planned Parenthood. And yet, Tom Price would seek to defund Planned Parenthood so that low income women and teens would be without reliable access to things like birth control and breast exams and pap smears and other things. These are things that are very basic to a woman’s healthcare – he opposes that. He also opposes access to contraception, which is crazy. He would eliminate the regulation requiring insurance companies to cover contraceptive costs, which discriminates against women and is absolutely terrible. He’s a long term foe of civil rights and opposes LGBTQ rights. He has a zero rating from the Human Rights campaign and he is someone who seeks to allow discrimination against LGBTQ individuals. He would seek to eliminate those protections that were available to him under the Affordable Care Act. He is essentially someone who believes in discrimination, someone who is against women’s health and LGBTQ health, and we oppose him on those grounds as well.

NA: Finally – what else is important for us to know about this nominee and his qualifications to lead the nation’s Department of health and Human Services?

MR: I think that we should highlight the fact that all of the proposals that Tom Price is offering actually help big insurance companies and the corporations over the people. We certainly need someone who’s leading health and human services who believes in health and human services for people, who believes in actually improving the health standard of the population and access to care for the population. And Tom Price fails on all of those measures. So not only does he have ethical challenges, not only is he seeking to undermine all of the pillars of progress that we have made in this country, from Medicare to Medicaid to the Affordable Care Act, but he also is someone who actively discriminates against vulnerable populations. And for all of those reasons, and more, we simply oppose his candidacy.

NA: Confirmation hearings for Representative Price continue next week. He’ll go before the Senate Finance Committee, which will ultimately vote on his nomination deciding if it will advance to the full Senate.

Dr. Maya Rockeymoore is a longtime public health policy advocate, author and currently serves as president of Global Policy Solutions. She joined us by telephone from Washington, D.C.