On the Current US Deficit and Debt Crises

It's been a long time since I've posted here about straight-up US politics (that doesn't have much to do with technology, technological freedoms, et cetera), but I felt that what's happening now deserved a post.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that the US has a pretty big deficit and a whopping debt. The debt is so high that the US is rapidly nearing the debt limit; if it doesn't raise the debt ceiling, it will default, and the US credit rating will probably be downgraded from 'AAA' to 'AA'. Of course, this will have catastrophic consequences for the economy, which until recently I didn't really understand, but now I sort of do. Many government workers, probably including myself (in my summer internship at NIST) and someone in my direct family will be laid off at least for a while. Interest rates will shoot up. Elderly people will stop receiving Social Security and Medicare, at least until this whole thing can get straightened out again. And the reason why this hits home is because if government workers do get laid off, I may not be able to attend college again until my family has income again to pay for my education. It's a scary and saddening thought, and it's certainly not something I thought I would ever have to worry about in my four years of undergraduate education.

Just for a quick rundown of what's happened so far, President Obama has been trying to bargain and compromise with Republicans in the House of Representatives and Senate in order to actually raise the debt ceiling. These negotiations stalled thanks to Republicans, especially House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, repeatedly walking out of these talks. Obama has moved steadily to the right to try to court Republicans, promising $5-6 in spending cuts, even in things like defense and entitlements that traditionally haven't been touched, for every $1 in tax increases. Recently, House Speaker John Boehner seemed to be agreeable to such deals, but that all fell apart, probably under pressure from Cantor.

Just this week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell came up with a last-resort plan to raise the debt ceiling, if all else failed. This would involve Congress passing a resolution against raising the debt ceiling, which Obama would veto in order to raise the debt ceiling. For the veto to stand, 1/3 of the representatives and senators would need to block attempts to override the veto. This would happen in all likelihood, and this would have the effect of Obama unilaterally raising the debt ceiling without Congress's help. This would be done in conjunction with trillions of dollars in spending cuts, and this would be repeated 2 or 3 times, once every three months. Most people in Congress have supported it as a last-resort measure, yet Cantor still opposes it, despite it coming from a Republican senator.

There are so many problems with this whole thing, it's unbelievable. Leaving aside the mechanics of the actual debt and deficit reduction plans for a moment, let's just focus on the behavior of the people in DC. Obama and Boehner have been the most agreeable people here for actually seriously considering solutions to the problem, even risking disapproval from members of their respective parties. Cantor has been the No-Man here, saying no to any deal here. In fact, Cantor has had the gall to say that even choosing to negotiate with Obama and the Democrats is itself a compromise. Hello? Last time I checked, negotiation is a prerequisite for compromises to be made. If your idea of sticking by your principles is sticking your fingers in your ears and screaming, people are probably going to give up trying to reason with you. Sadly, you're endangering the economy at the same time by choosing to do absolutely nothing.

And the McConnell plan strikes me as almost as ridiculous as Cantor's stance. It's obvious this is done so that Republicans can place the full blame of raising the debt ceiling on Obama. (As if saving the economy from survival is now supposed to be a shameful act...) This is in response to Obama rightly calling out Republicans on refusing to do/going back on things like closing tax loopholes, ending subsidies for ethanol, and ending tax breaks for toys for very wealthy people. In effect, this also places the blame on Republicans should the US default due to Republican obstinacy. Yet Republicans, more focused on staying in power than actually serving their country and constituents, would rather not act to prevent the US from defaulting by putting the whole burden of raising the debt limit on Obama. I suppose it's marginally better than no plan at all, but the overtly political nature of the stunt is frankly disgusting.

(All for what? To please a guy named Grover Norquist, who has never himself been elected, and who said on The Colbert Report that grandmas should die at the hands of terrorists before taxes can be raised. Yes, he really said that, and judging from the genuinely taken-aback expression on Stephen Colbert's face upon hearing that, Norquist was serious. So really, it's Norquist holding the economy hostage so that his whims may be pleased. What's worse, people paying small portions of their income for the public good, or people losing their jobs, possibly to never get them back? It's insane, but I slightly digress...)

It's sometimes amusing to watch the antics of politicians, and to watch them act like screaming 4-year olds. It's no longer fun when the economy, my college education, and loved ones' jobs are on the line. I think I'll stop before I puke repeatedly and before I get a prescription for hypertension medications.

A Few More Days

I am very sorry that I haven't been able to write recently. I was out of town all of last week, but now I am back. I hope to write more in the coming days; then again, I may not be able to do so as I will be even busier over the next few weeks.
I'm really excited that this is the last week of school and that I am graduating next week. Go seniors!

In Praise of Senioritis

Almost all fellow high-school seniors are "afflicted" with "senioritis" in the second semester of senior year.
Jay Matthews, the education columnist for the Washington Post, has written this piece in support of senioritis. I basically agree with his assertions and want to go further using my own experiences as a high-school student.
The standard warning against slacking off in 2nd semester is that colleges revoke admissions. Yet year after year, college admissions officials assure students and parents that such revocations have only occurred a few times in the last few decades, if at all.
I understand that a lot of students are very high-achieving and have demanding parents; I am one of those students.
That said, at some point, one cannot help but think that once the warning of revocation of admissions is removed from the picture, there is no logical reason to warn against slacking off - that is, the warning exists for its own sake.
Thankfully, despite taking "hard" classes, my senior year has been my most relaxed year in high school since 9th grade (which was pretty darn relaxed, so that's saying something). I've participated in (and generally succeeded in - yay!) all the competitions I have wanted to do this year, while my classes have been quite light on homework (with few occasional exceptions).
Given this, I still feel the drive to work hard. Maybe that's just my personality, or maybe it's just not something that can easily be changed after 12.5 years of this sort of training (well, maybe not that many, what with the early years of elementary school). I still do all of my homework and come to class every day (though given my situation, how could I skip without my parents knowing?).
What are your thoughts on senior year and senioritis?

Senior Pictures - Stealing?

I had my senior pictures taken 2 weeks ago. I opted for the "bronze" level of picture-taking which was $25.
I got my picture proofs and the order forms for portraits this week. I seriously considering getting portraits until I saw the prices.
Does anyone realize how outrageous it is for someone to pay $54 for a single 8x10 portrait? One can get the same size and quality portrait from Target for under $20. I can guarantee that.
What exactly does LifeTouch do that makes these portraits so darn expensive? I can't fathom this. I think their prices are outright theft, plain and simple.
If you ask me what portraits I'm getting, I'll tell you: I'm making my own portraits from my proofs on GIMP. It'll take time, but it costs $0, thank you very much.
Did anyone else get portraits and/or was anyone else outraged by these exorbitant prices?

Last First Day of School

Well, today was my first day of senior year. I enjoyed it and liked the fact that many of my friends are in my classes throughout the day. I also like my teachers and hope to enjoy the classes themselves, though I did get a fair amount of homework today.
That's all. Because of this + college apps, my blogging will probably decrease in frequency for a while. However, this blog isn't dead yet!