War against the debt ceiling

So the country's debt ceiling has been reached, or to put it in layman's terms "America has maxed out its credit cards." If the federal government can't get another card it will only be able to pay a little less than half its bills. Yeah, less than half.

I wish I could say "so what, the federal government is run by a bunch of ego maniacs, let them go bankrupt" but I can't. If the government can't get another card it would be a pretty big deal. Suddenly Congress would be making decisions like, should we pay US soldiers, grandma's medicare or Joe College's financial aid. On a global scale, not getting another card would cause the US's credit rating to drop and, more than likely, tank the stock market. Bye-bye retirement investments!

However unlike you or I, the federal government can essentially create its own new credit card. All Congress has to do is get together and agree on the terms of the new card. Yes, they would have to agree on something and in the poisonous environment of Washington the chances of that are slim to none.

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that we need the new credit card and that the terms of getting the new card should include a plan to lower the US debt so something like this doesn't happen again. The sticking point is how do they lower the debt. Dems want a two-pronged attack with cuts and new revenue (read: new taxes/ letting the Bush tax cuts expire). Reps want a plan totally made up of cuts, which would require them to take a knife to sacred cows like Medicare and Social Security.

HOLD ON PEOPLE! What I haven't heard from anyone on either side or those on no side is the fact that the country is currently engaged in three wars: Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. THREE WARS! The military is already expensive, having the military in one war even more so, in two even more and in three, holy hell it's a financial smelting plant.

Check this out. Yes, it is legit: www.costofwar.com

Normally when countries enter wars they ask their populace to take part, to sacrifice. During WWII the US populace bought war bonds, planted victory gardens and rationed their purchases of countless items. When the US entered these wars, Washington under the Bush Administration cut taxes. YOU DO NOT CUT TAXES DURING WAR TIME.

We are still at war, and as such the whole country must step up and fight it. It can't be fought only on the backs of the elderly, single mothers and soldiers with cuts to social services. Taxes on all must be part of the plan to lower the debt, as the debt is built on the costs of the wars we are fighting. Yes, it may hurt but it's not just the military at war, it's the whole country.

Bizarro World

Sorry I haven’t updated in a while. With the roommate out, helping the parents and being a lazy ass it can get a little hectic.

So at a recent McCain campaign rally the crowd became so worked up when the Senator mentioned Obama they started yelling “traitor” and “terrorist.” McCain did the decent thing and condemned such talk but holy shit! People are losing their freaking minds.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen people lose their heads like they have during the run-up to this election. I’ve seen and heard so many hypocritical, ridiculous and insane things I’m starting to wonder if I’ve stepped into some sort of Bizarro world.

Below are just a few examples of what I’m talking about:

NPR had an old lady on the other day who said she was a life long Democrat who has never considered herself racist, but she’s not sure she’s going to vote Democrat this time because Obama would put “his people” first.

And who can forget the Republicans who’ve lambasted Obama for not having enough experience and then embracing Palin.

Or the Republicans who’ve lambasted Obama for not having enough experience even though they voted George W. Bush into office.

Then there was the female Democrats who are so upset about Clinton not being named the Democratic candidate they're voting for the McCain/Palin ticket.

We also have the evangelical females who believe a woman’s place is in the home caring for children but are championing Palin.

And there are the masses at MCain campaign events booing government regulation, when McCain says that deregulation is partly to blame for the country’s housing crisis and subsequent economic downturn.

There are also the Hilary Clinton critics who told her to stop whining about her media coverage but are sick of the liberal media’s coverage of Governor Sarah Palin. On the same page, we can’t forget the Palin critics telling her to stop crying about the media coverage when they cried about the coverage of Clinton .

We also have all the crazy things each candidate has said, like John McCain saying the economy is “fundamentally sound” and Obama saying the surge of troops in Iraq is not working. (Again I would highly recommend that everyone research the truth in each candidate’s words by hitting up PolitiFact.com and FactCheck.org.)

Still, I think the oddest thing I’ve seen is the independently produced Hilary Clinton campaign video: Hilary for You and Me. This, in my opinion, is why she was not chosen as the Democratic candidate. Through no fault of her own, I believe this video actually will cause people who see her in the street to run up and punch her in the face.

The video above is enough giggity for today.

It's so conventional

So the Democratic National Convention is in the bag. Hilary Clinton didn’t raise hell, Biden talked a lot but not so much that he put everyone to sleep and Obama rocked the mic to close the whole shebang Thursday night.

In my opinion the best and most powerful speech was given by disabled Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth. She really stressed Obama’s emotional and political investments with soldiers, sailors and airmen by giving concrete examples of actions the presidential candidate has taken. Not only that, she talked up Obama as strong and right, not only for veterans but for the military.

Hands down, the best line out of any of the speeches was Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s bit about Bush starting on third base and stealing second. Classic!

Overall all I’d say the Democrats did a pretty good job of getting their message across; painting Obama as a common man with excellent judgment and McCain as out of touch, but more importantly as Bush’s little crony. Over and over again, McCain was linked to Bush and his failed policies, which I think is really going to put the heat on McCain during next week’s Republican Convention.

I assume Bush will speak, but I highly doubt he’ll be seen with McCain. However, even having McCain’s name coming out of Bush’s mouth is going to leave a taint. It’s going to be a very interesting and I’m actually looking forward to the Republican convention more than I did the Democratic one.

Linkity goodness: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3981669.stm

Why I voted for Bush, a message board from 2004.