so, i saw kay bailey hutchinson's, "the debt ceiling is going to be armageddon," comment today, and i immediately felt a wee wretch. and then i looked at the greater dialogue going on today (and really every day), and found that i'm more bothered than usual that the republican party (in particularly) insists on motivating americans with fear. even hutchinson's comment (i'm thinking that you might be thinking it's a stretch to use that example), using the word armageddon -in a country as obsessed with jesus as this one is - will take the loony rhetoric up a notch. it's kind of ironic that the ones who define "american exceptionalism" exclusive of humility, that america can do no wrong, that the ends are always worth the means, even if that means we compromise our values, are the same ones always running from doomsday.
despite the very fact that america's existence at all is a fucking miracle.
go back and read about the revolutionary war. the first government had no money to pay troops, thousands of troops had no shoes, thousands threw down their arms, many others carried sticks and stones because even if there were enough weapons, there was just as often no ammunition for it. america was getting its ass kicked by the redcoats, who were helped every step of the way by traitorous "loyalists" (funny how "traitor" is in the eyes of the beholder). the tide of the war turned in america's favor one christmas night the weather changed direction, by the sleight hand of fate. do you have any idea how impossible that is, how unbelievable, how miraculous that america won that war? and once the war did end, and a government put into place (and make no mistake, that government was as viciously divided as the one today), america still had no money. until the french started dumping bucketloads of cash into our early coffers. and put this country so deeply into debt, there was doubt america could survive. but we got it together and paid that shit off in full.
and that wasn't the only time america's been in a really tough spot. look back even nearer in time, to the great depression. banks failed, markets crashed, and a drought came along just in time to add insult to injury by ruining thousands of much-needed staples. america was on the brink of complete catastrophe. unemployment was at 25%.
think about how much 9% unemployment hurts, and think about 25% of working americans unable to find a job. think about what that loss of revenue (for individuals and a government dependent upon the employed) did for the economy. no one had money to spend, people were reluctant to borrow, and inflation soared. and for an economy reliant upon consumption, the devastating effects were felt in every sector, much like they are in our consumption driven economy today.
thing is, if consumers aren't spending, the government has to spend. otherwise the economy completely collapses, and we all go back to the bread and cheese lines of the depression, the rations in gas, medicine, and utilities, and the hoovervilles for america's homeless. when FDR was elected president, he started spending a shit-ton of money america didn't have, putting us deeper and deeper into debt as he put millions of americans back to work building bridges, dams, and eventually war chest tools.
yep, another miracle to save america. world war ii demanded an industry, and damn quick, no other country could've pulled off. on the brink of catastrophic collapse, a war on the other side of the world saved this country's economy. and saved it so good, america was able to help rebuild europe from the ashes of its great war. i mean, we paid for the world to pick itself up, dust itself off, and get back to kicking ass. because that's what we do.
because we're america. we're dreamers. that's who we are to the world (the ones whose judgments aren't tainted by hatred and the need to blame someone else) and to history. we make big things happen because we believe we can. and yeah, things are tough right now. really, really tough. and it's scary looking forward to a black hole of debt in our future, and all the obstacles standing in the way of fixing anything (healthcare, ahem). but it's been way worse for america. way worse than it is today.
today, we've been saved. it's been the good decision made by our president to spend money we don't have that's kept unemployment below 25%, that's kept unemployment insurance paying out, that's kept us from having to build obamavilles and ration our commodities. obama has even kept taxes low, and made them even lower for some, with money america doesn't have. because he's a believer, he sees our future, and he's investing there to keep america from falling off a precipice that lands directly into an even greater depression, and trying to invest smartly (education, building a green economy, and reinvesting in science and infrastructure) by looking forward to the world of tomorrow.
i get it. the president gets it. we all get it. we are in a deep-as-shit hole right now with our debt. but it doesn't change the fact that america has to spend its way out of this very fragile economy, even if it means taking on more debt. thing is, i believe america's next miracle is waiting around the next bend. i just hope our president is able to lead both sides of our government and its constituents to find some small reason to believe too...
~k
11 April 2011
18 March 2011
libya's new day
for the record, the liberal interventionist in me is always on the side of proffering humanitarian aid, and i am just as eager to intervene militarily when the decision's made multilaterally.
today, the UN, with support from some arab nations, made official a no-fly zone over libya, an announcement that was greeted with jubilation in libyan opposition stronghold bhenzagi. non-negotiable demands that qaddafi back off its people, restore water, electricity and gas, and stop with the genocide followed suit.
in order to keep libyan aircrafts out of its skies, british and french troops will first have to destroy qaddafi's air fleet, wipe out its runways, and only then will UN enforcement planes start monitoring libyan airspace (otherwise, qadaffi - who has already proven himself adept at doing so (see the lockerbie bombing and UTA flight 772), will shoot down UN planes).
and if that doesn't work, i guess we'll all get to see just how far libya's deranged leader is willing to go to remain true to his claim that he will "stay in libya till i die".
~k
today, the UN, with support from some arab nations, made official a no-fly zone over libya, an announcement that was greeted with jubilation in libyan opposition stronghold bhenzagi. non-negotiable demands that qaddafi back off its people, restore water, electricity and gas, and stop with the genocide followed suit.
in order to keep libyan aircrafts out of its skies, british and french troops will first have to destroy qaddafi's air fleet, wipe out its runways, and only then will UN enforcement planes start monitoring libyan airspace (otherwise, qadaffi - who has already proven himself adept at doing so (see the lockerbie bombing and UTA flight 772), will shoot down UN planes).
and if that doesn't work, i guess we'll all get to see just how far libya's deranged leader is willing to go to remain true to his claim that he will "stay in libya till i die".
~k
17 March 2011
libya, budgets, and hypocrisy
not that anyone really needs a recap, but for the sake of some context, here some is. libyan rebel forces, inspired by the wave of revolutions across the middle east and the successful overthrows of autocrats to its east and west, have been fighting libya's dictator, colonel mohammar qaddafi, since about mid-february of this year. since the beginning of these protests, qaddafi's response has grown more and more menacing, resorting to air strikes and the bombing of his people. hundreds of libyans have been slaughtered, and each passing day brings qaddafi closer and closer to quelling the unrest.
stateside, republicans and democrats in congress are battling it out over how to balance our budget. completely ignoring (for political gain) the fact that the vast majority of america's imbalance is in the two sacred areas of defense spending and entitlements (a la social security and medicare), the battle is over which parks lose funding or which childcare program gets the hose. it's a typical run-around that goes nowhere and gets nowhere. and here americans sit, subjected to the doomsday scenarios presented by our friends at fox news and the snark coming from the lefties.
and libya. here in the u.s. of a wages a battle over how to help those poor embattled rebels in libya, fighting for their own chance at democracy. and don't get me wrong, i am sympathetic. i am sorry that qaddafi is a ruthless bastard and fights his weaponless people with air strikes and sophisticated weaponry. but - and hear me loud and clear - it is not the responsibility of america to solve that crisis. not on its own anyway.
i don't mean to sound like an isolationist either, as i am most certainly in favor of lending a hand when and where we can. but this country has already lost its credibility in the middle east, and established a reputation as an oil addicted bully willing to go to any length to imperialize the world's oil-rich lands. president obama has been right to wait out the current unrest, to allow the people of the middle east to fight for and bleed for their own democracy (as in, holy shit, someone in america actually did learn that american-style democracy cannot be thrust upon the likes of iraq and afghanistan), and to wait for a signal from the UN or the arab league of nations that it's time to take action against qaddafi.
a signal that's not yet come. by rule of international law (rules americans expect and even demand be followed by the global community), we cannot unilaterally invade a country or assist rebels against its government without UN backing. and whilst one could certainly argue (and successfully, i might add) that america has a history of only following the rules when its in our advantage to do so, i'd like to think those days are gone (or at least on hiatus whilst under the leadership of president obama), and that we are attempting to reside within the confines of our global community instead of being the neighborhood bully.
the thing i don't get in all of this though is that the same people with the doomsday predictions over our budget woes, those campaigning the end of days for america and its coming indentured servitude to its creditors, are the same pushing for an invasion of libya (or a more muted offer of assistance to the rebels). i mean, we can't afford to offer family planning to america's poor and middle class women or funding public radio to rural areas, but we can afford another unliateral and unlimited entanglement in a hostile middle east environment? no. we can't.
~k
p.s. happy st. patrick's day!
stateside, republicans and democrats in congress are battling it out over how to balance our budget. completely ignoring (for political gain) the fact that the vast majority of america's imbalance is in the two sacred areas of defense spending and entitlements (a la social security and medicare), the battle is over which parks lose funding or which childcare program gets the hose. it's a typical run-around that goes nowhere and gets nowhere. and here americans sit, subjected to the doomsday scenarios presented by our friends at fox news and the snark coming from the lefties.
and libya. here in the u.s. of a wages a battle over how to help those poor embattled rebels in libya, fighting for their own chance at democracy. and don't get me wrong, i am sympathetic. i am sorry that qaddafi is a ruthless bastard and fights his weaponless people with air strikes and sophisticated weaponry. but - and hear me loud and clear - it is not the responsibility of america to solve that crisis. not on its own anyway.
i don't mean to sound like an isolationist either, as i am most certainly in favor of lending a hand when and where we can. but this country has already lost its credibility in the middle east, and established a reputation as an oil addicted bully willing to go to any length to imperialize the world's oil-rich lands. president obama has been right to wait out the current unrest, to allow the people of the middle east to fight for and bleed for their own democracy (as in, holy shit, someone in america actually did learn that american-style democracy cannot be thrust upon the likes of iraq and afghanistan), and to wait for a signal from the UN or the arab league of nations that it's time to take action against qaddafi.
a signal that's not yet come. by rule of international law (rules americans expect and even demand be followed by the global community), we cannot unilaterally invade a country or assist rebels against its government without UN backing. and whilst one could certainly argue (and successfully, i might add) that america has a history of only following the rules when its in our advantage to do so, i'd like to think those days are gone (or at least on hiatus whilst under the leadership of president obama), and that we are attempting to reside within the confines of our global community instead of being the neighborhood bully.
the thing i don't get in all of this though is that the same people with the doomsday predictions over our budget woes, those campaigning the end of days for america and its coming indentured servitude to its creditors, are the same pushing for an invasion of libya (or a more muted offer of assistance to the rebels). i mean, we can't afford to offer family planning to america's poor and middle class women or funding public radio to rural areas, but we can afford another unliateral and unlimited entanglement in a hostile middle east environment? no. we can't.
~k
p.s. happy st. patrick's day!
09 March 2011
wasting time
i have so much free time right now. i mean, i have stuff to do, and do stuff, but i also have an incredible amount of free time. free time i use watching some television and reading a lot. free time i'm using to build a network and start a st. louis chapter of the new leaders council (and if you have friends or contacts in st louis that might be interested in helping, please put us in touch). but i've still got lots of time and don't understand why am i not writing more?
i am totally up to date on current affairs, and certainly have opinions about the budget, subsidies of all sorts, what's going on in wisconsin and in libya. but i've really nothing to say about them. i have a novel i've half written that needs a lot of work before it'll near completion, and i've a list of things i want to write about, as well as a book of unusual ideas to spark up my muse and twist me around outside my comfort zone. but i've nothing to write.
there's a part of me that feels guilty that i'm wasting so much writing time, another part that reminds me to enjoy it all while i can, and another part that just asks, 'wtf'.
~k
i am totally up to date on current affairs, and certainly have opinions about the budget, subsidies of all sorts, what's going on in wisconsin and in libya. but i've really nothing to say about them. i have a novel i've half written that needs a lot of work before it'll near completion, and i've a list of things i want to write about, as well as a book of unusual ideas to spark up my muse and twist me around outside my comfort zone. but i've nothing to write.
there's a part of me that feels guilty that i'm wasting so much writing time, another part that reminds me to enjoy it all while i can, and another part that just asks, 'wtf'.
~k
28 February 2011
natural disasters
last night was my second tornado scare since my return to the midwest (the first was a novelty as i was but a visitor in my then-boyfriend's new house), and lemme just tell you about tornado scares.
they start with a flashing color-coded weather map in the bottom left corner of whatever's on the television. last night's codes were: pink for severe thunderstorms (my fave!), green for tornado watch, and red for tornado warning (the latter means a tornado has been spotted in the red zone). last night, my town was in red.
and then the blaring sirens that go on and on and on until the tornado knocks its ass over or moves along to the next green gone red zone.
and last night whilst my fiance fell soundly asleep to the oh-so-soothing sound of that siren, i texted his brother to find out if we should spend the night in the basement. his nonchalant, "eh, just wait it out" response did nothing to ease my terror. so there i laid, sweating, terrified, and longing for the foregone days of life along the ole san andreas fault.
cuz even though earthquakes can be big, scary, damaging, and deadly, they come without a warning. and i've just learned that the element of surprise is a way better natural disaster than lying in wait for its imminent attack.
~k
they start with a flashing color-coded weather map in the bottom left corner of whatever's on the television. last night's codes were: pink for severe thunderstorms (my fave!), green for tornado watch, and red for tornado warning (the latter means a tornado has been spotted in the red zone). last night, my town was in red.
and then the blaring sirens that go on and on and on until the tornado knocks its ass over or moves along to the next green gone red zone.
and last night whilst my fiance fell soundly asleep to the oh-so-soothing sound of that siren, i texted his brother to find out if we should spend the night in the basement. his nonchalant, "eh, just wait it out" response did nothing to ease my terror. so there i laid, sweating, terrified, and longing for the foregone days of life along the ole san andreas fault.
cuz even though earthquakes can be big, scary, damaging, and deadly, they come without a warning. and i've just learned that the element of surprise is a way better natural disaster than lying in wait for its imminent attack.
~k
18 February 2011
wedding woes
planning a wedding isn't fun. unlike other parties i've planned (and i've planned and executed many successful parties), this one isn't really a party. it's more of an over-priced, over-trumped, challenge to meet a dozen competing expectations. what the eff is fun about that?
my fiance and i have now looked at two possible venues for our upcoming nuptials. the first was okay. it is very conveniently located and it looks like it'd be a real nice, small-ish, outdoorsy spot (we had to use our imagination as it was covered in the remains of a blizzard). and there's a carousel in that park which could result in some super fun wedding pics.
the second almost gave me hives. it was on the other side of the missouri river so we had to cross a bridge. not sure i've mentioned it, but i really hate bridges. it was in this super quaint, cute little historic area of the burbs, that had kind of a sappy sweet vibe. but when we were walking through the actual venue, i almost went into cardiac arrest. it felt claustrophobic and constricting. and so very ordinary. not to mention that it was nearly double the price of the first place we saw.
and that was when i lost my shit. i mean, tears, drama, the whole stupid girl thing. and i feel bad for my fiance because he liked the place that made me throw up in my mouth. the thing is, this whole wedding thing, it's just not me. don't get me wrong, i want to marry my fiance, and i want to have a super fun day with our families and besties, and capture every amazing moment in photos. but some big show that's more about everyone else than it is us, i don't want that. and neither does the person i'm marrying.
i just don't know how or when we're going to figure out what, where, and when is right for us. we're less than six months from our august-ish goal, and haven't really settled on anything. we are leaning toward a weekend - the one when the cubs are in town (oh what fun that would be!), but as far as a decision. nada.
oh woes us.
~k
my fiance and i have now looked at two possible venues for our upcoming nuptials. the first was okay. it is very conveniently located and it looks like it'd be a real nice, small-ish, outdoorsy spot (we had to use our imagination as it was covered in the remains of a blizzard). and there's a carousel in that park which could result in some super fun wedding pics.
the second almost gave me hives. it was on the other side of the missouri river so we had to cross a bridge. not sure i've mentioned it, but i really hate bridges. it was in this super quaint, cute little historic area of the burbs, that had kind of a sappy sweet vibe. but when we were walking through the actual venue, i almost went into cardiac arrest. it felt claustrophobic and constricting. and so very ordinary. not to mention that it was nearly double the price of the first place we saw.
and that was when i lost my shit. i mean, tears, drama, the whole stupid girl thing. and i feel bad for my fiance because he liked the place that made me throw up in my mouth. the thing is, this whole wedding thing, it's just not me. don't get me wrong, i want to marry my fiance, and i want to have a super fun day with our families and besties, and capture every amazing moment in photos. but some big show that's more about everyone else than it is us, i don't want that. and neither does the person i'm marrying.
i just don't know how or when we're going to figure out what, where, and when is right for us. we're less than six months from our august-ish goal, and haven't really settled on anything. we are leaning toward a weekend - the one when the cubs are in town (oh what fun that would be!), but as far as a decision. nada.
oh woes us.
~k
11 February 2011
i'm back...
i can't believe it's been almost a month since i've been here. that has to be a record for me. and what a month it's been!
being unemployed is a lot busier than you might think. i mean, don't get me wrong, it doesn't suck, but it's not very relaxing either. i'll admit that i've blown a few hours here and there watching tv and reading, and maybe even sleeping too much now and again, but packing, moving, unpacking, and getting organized is a nightmare. fer reals, if i move again i will seriously consider burning it all before putting it back into boxes. but i'm here, the rest of my life here, and i really like it. a lot.
for starters, i get to wake up next to and fall asleep with my favoritest person every single day. i get to live in a big, beautiful house with lots of peace and quiet, and i can't believe how refreshing it is to be back in the midst of mid-westerners. people are genuine here. and genuinely nice. i've no doubt i'll meet my fair share of douchebags in st louis, but it'll be more like 1 in 10 than 1 in 2, and i'm pretty stoked about those odds. and whilst i definitely live in the bum fucked suburbs, the city is close enough to be convenient while still being far away enough to be a novelty. and my fiance got me my new york times :)
where i read every day about what's happening in egypt, and the fire spreading all over the middle east. and i pray to whatever god will listen that it continues to spread until all the autocrats fall, so that people all over that region can take control of their own destinies. because once that happens, the zealousness that breeds violence will begin to lessen, those who turn to extremism will find fewer and fewer reasons to do so and fewer and fewer places to turn. and the rest of egypt (or tunisia, or syria, or jordan), run by and for its people, will not allow terrorists to threaten its new found freedom. the united states can go in and start wars and force our values on a conquered people. or we can wait until those people have a fire in their bellies to do it for themselves, to fight, bleed, and die for freedom. and only then do we win. because it's only then that we _all_ win.
~k
being unemployed is a lot busier than you might think. i mean, don't get me wrong, it doesn't suck, but it's not very relaxing either. i'll admit that i've blown a few hours here and there watching tv and reading, and maybe even sleeping too much now and again, but packing, moving, unpacking, and getting organized is a nightmare. fer reals, if i move again i will seriously consider burning it all before putting it back into boxes. but i'm here, the rest of my life here, and i really like it. a lot.
for starters, i get to wake up next to and fall asleep with my favoritest person every single day. i get to live in a big, beautiful house with lots of peace and quiet, and i can't believe how refreshing it is to be back in the midst of mid-westerners. people are genuine here. and genuinely nice. i've no doubt i'll meet my fair share of douchebags in st louis, but it'll be more like 1 in 10 than 1 in 2, and i'm pretty stoked about those odds. and whilst i definitely live in the bum fucked suburbs, the city is close enough to be convenient while still being far away enough to be a novelty. and my fiance got me my new york times :)
where i read every day about what's happening in egypt, and the fire spreading all over the middle east. and i pray to whatever god will listen that it continues to spread until all the autocrats fall, so that people all over that region can take control of their own destinies. because once that happens, the zealousness that breeds violence will begin to lessen, those who turn to extremism will find fewer and fewer reasons to do so and fewer and fewer places to turn. and the rest of egypt (or tunisia, or syria, or jordan), run by and for its people, will not allow terrorists to threaten its new found freedom. the united states can go in and start wars and force our values on a conquered people. or we can wait until those people have a fire in their bellies to do it for themselves, to fight, bleed, and die for freedom. and only then do we win. because it's only then that we _all_ win.
~k
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