Obama's Debt, War and Spending?

Hope and Change? I can't say that is exactly what we have seen since the Obama Administration came into power, well at least not the hope and change many Americans expected. However, I can say that I've gotten absolutely fed up with the bombardment of Obama with claims that he is the reason the economy is doing poorly, or that we have a massive deficit or that we are still at war. The fact of the matter is that Obama has had a little more than two years to clean up an eight year mess left by his predecessor.

At the end of the Bush Administration's ransacking of the country and the economy, Obama stepped in and made very important decisions to which people seemingly withhold their praise. In order to not sound bias, I want to assure everyone that I am not under the impression that everything he has implemented or not implemented be perfect, but he has made some very positive decisions. Healthcare, Financial reform, foreign relations, reduction of military presence in Iraq. So, with all due respect to all those people who just completely hate Barack Obama, he's done a fairly decent job. Most of the problems are Bush's fault, but I guess blame doesn't get put on him. After all, it was Clinton's fault the housing market collapsed and it is Obama's fault that we hold 14.29 trillion dollars in debt.

Raise The Roof or We'll Suffer A Concussion!

It's official, the United States has reached it's debt ceiling. So, then why hasn't the economy started spiraling out of control, unemployment run rampant, or people start looting in the streets? Well, that is easily answered by the fact that the U.S. Secretary of Treasury decided to move some money around so that we could cover our bills for a little while, buying us some time to legally raise the debt ceiling. However, time is once again running out and since June has started, that leaves a little over two months for the US to reach the August 2nd deadline.

Now, as a caveat, I want to assure everyone that a US default on our loans would cause seriously devastating damage to our economy. This issue seems to evade the comprehensive abilities of some people and I find that it is much easier explained with a simple, micro-example. Take into consideration a regular person with credit cards all at the given credit limits, but all their money is tied up and they can't bring themselves to borrow money from a friend or family member because they are either too prideful or think they owe too much already. So, that person decides to just default on their debt obligations. Now what happens?

1. They break their credit limits causing an over limit charge to be assessed by the creditor.
2. They fail to pay on the agreed upon date causing a late charge to be assessed by the creditor.
3. The creditor can renegotiate their repayment terms if default persists.
4. The creditor can require full payment if default persists.

Of course there are many more scenarios that can play out in the case of a default, but generally the outcome would cause negative effects on the defaulting individual. While this is a fairly simple example, the general ideas remain the same in the case of the United States' debt obligations, if the credit limit isn't increased and we cease to service our obligations then it isn't good for anyone. 

And I Was Just Like LOL!

Communicate Effectively...Please!

This post is going to be actually fairly short with respect to the length of my other posts, but I feel it necessary to at least touch on this subject and with a whopping 66 percent of my readers requesting shorter posts. This will definitely be a nice change of pace. The topic I want to touch on is modern day language. Of course, as a writer, I hold a certain respect for words that I suppose wouldn't be expected of the average run-of-the-mill person that doesn't write anything more than a grocery list. However, I have a deep-seated distaste, a rather adverse disposition with regards to the pseudo-language that people have so well adapted in communication. For instance, I see how acronyms such as L.O.L. could come in handy and I'll admit I'm one of the numerous culprits that have diffused this into text messaging, email, and many other text communication, BUT it should be left in text communication along with the S.M.H's, L.M.A.O.'s, and whatever other lazy conceptions of textual speech we've come up with over the years. There is absolutely no reason that the new generation should be verbalizing acronyms to express actions! If you Laugh Out Loud, then just fill up your diaphragm and bellow out a deep chuckle or if you decide to Shake Your Head, then just perform the action. Honestly, how ridiculous can we get?  Especially, when we speak roughly 3 to 4 times more quickly than the average person can type! So, while I'm not generally the type to rant about things, I felt it was necessary to share this exhibition of lingual decay that has penetrated our younger generations so deeply. With that, Please just verbalize your thoughts and express your emotions like a normal human being. 

Death Relief

After a week of coverage and debate about the death of Osama Bin Laden, there are a lot of contradictions that I have realized throughout the American media, the American public, and American politics. So, I would find it personally neglectful if I were to fail to address these inconsistencies in the name of rationality and realism. Let me first begin with a short quote by the Voltaire: "Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities." 

Before I begin, let that statement infiltrate your mind and metastasize throughout your thoughts and germinate in the depth of your subconscious. Maybe that request was a little over done, but what does that mean? Do you take it at face value and interpret it as such to mean that one whom is misguided by irrational thoughts will allow themselves to execute heinous acts? And if so, what determines the legitimacy of a thought or the degree of atrocity? Well, this is a subject that can be debated endlessly and has been debated beyond documentation. This quandary becomes relevant in the question of whether the means we used to locate Osama Bin Laden were justified by the ends of killing a terrorist leader. Also, if they are justified then was it also justified for the mass celebration that ensued in light of his death? 

These are the questions that have been swirling around the media and the general public. Is it acceptable that we: (1) used torture as a tactic to gain information about Osama Bin Laden, (2) violated Pakistani sovereignty by executing a mission on their soil without their consent, and (3) erupted into mass celebration with the news of death? Well the answers to these questions may seem quite obvious, but there is always room for debate. The law in the United States protects against inhumane treatment of prisoners, so then torture is wrong. Unless, it is done outside of the United States. For instance, let's say Guantanamo Bay Cuba. Then, it's allowed once no one sees it in the United States? Regardless of the legality of torture, I think it's useful if it led to locating Bin Laden, but did it actually? For a hardcore Islamic extremist, I'm almost positive that torture will embolden the struggle and empower them to withhold information, after all these people are willing to commit suicide. So, in my eyes, torture is a slippery slope to terrorism. 

For the second point, there is no debate here on the issue of whether or not we violated Pakistan's sovereignty because we did. However, is it okay that Pakistan is quite possibly harboring terrorist while playing politics with the United States? The Pakistani Minister of Defense said that if the United States conduct any missions in the pursuit of terrorist on Pakistani soil, then they will have to rethink the foreign relations with the United States. So, what does that say about Pakistan? In my eyes, it's admission of guilt. It's naive to assume that the Pakistani Intelligence were unaware of Osama Bin Laden's compound and with the statements from the Pakistani government, it is unlikely that they aren't involved in providing a safe haven for terrorists. For the future, the United States will probably start viewing Pakistan as a hostile nation as compared to a turbulent beneficiary. 

The third leg of this post is a little more intricate than I think many people realize about the death of Osama Bin Laden. Almost everyone I know was and is over joyed that he is dead because it brings a sigh of relief that reassures national safety. However, I've heard a lot of people talking about if it's right to be happy some is dead because in the eyes of God, they can be forgiven. Now, I understand the reasoning because of the whole religious aspect, but if we had just killed him and then didn't say anything, would it have made it more righteous?  And with that respect isn't it safe to say that war in general is against religious teachings, but somehow the most religious people are the most militant. 

What Now?

It would be appropriate for there to be a post dedicated to Osama Bin Laden, but in my eyes, he doesn't deserve the attention that he has gotten. After all the people he has murdered, suffered and deceived, I am overwhelmingly happy that his reign of terror has been brought to an end. Unfortunately, the death of Bin Laden does not equate to the death of Al Queda or that of terrorism. So, the question that remains what implications does the death of Bin Laden have on the United States of America?

There is mass speculation that there will be some serious repercussions from militant Islamists groups that idolize Osama Bin Laden that the United States will possibly have to face. This is a grave possibility based on the established vengeful nature of these groups. However, I do not believe that the death of Bin Laden will necessarily be the impetus driving these groups. It is more likely that the pro-democracy uprisings and revolutions in the Middle East will be a more feasible foundation for any future aggression. Most of these uprisings have spread through American made social networking sites driven with American political and social ideals. In essence, the death of Bin Laden is a significant event, but the American influenced shift from Islamic dictators to democratic states may prove to be more detrimental.

The other questions that this news brings is that of the re-election of President Obama. A mist the troubled finances, partisan divides, economic instability, Taliban resurgence and all of the other issues affecting the nation; how much weight will the death of Bin Laden place on the President's bid for re-election if these prominent issues are no partially resolved?

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Healthcare?

It's not exactly the most original title for this post, but I thought that it fit quite well based on the recent events with states attempting to pass bills restricting the semi-universal federal healthcare overhaul bill and building lawsuits against the legislation. Well, I took it upon myself to help my readers fully understand the rationale behind the opposition of healthcare, just in case you aren't completely aware of the reasons we should oppose affordable healthcare for approximately 32,000,000 uninsured Americans.

The primary argument against the P.P.A.C.A (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) is that the requirement that all Americans pay into the program through purchasing health insurance is an encroachment on individual liberty. This argument is solid, except for the fact that it does not make any sense when one takes into consideration the other mandatory programs in the United States. Just to name a few instances, one is required to hold car insurance if they plan to drive or Americans between the ages of 5 to 15 are required to pursue education in some form. Also, we are all required to pay into Social Security, Medicare and other programs that our taxes are allocated to fund.

So correct me if I am wrong, but I cannot fathom being a radical liberal socialist by approving of the P.P.A.C.A for helping many Americans either acquire or maintain healthcare. In all honesty, I would put one's own health at the utmost importance especially since we would not be able to appreciate that liberty we are afforded in the United States of America if we are not alive. Of course, I am not speculating that without healthcare that a person would outright die, but there is a strong correlation between the lack of healthcare and mortality rates. However, I have realized that REAL statistics do not matter once you incorporate a dramatically overemphasized statistic then renege on that by simply having your administration say "the statement was not intended to be factual". And just as an aside, it is called LYING!!!

In addition, the constitutionality of the P.P.A.C.A. is also challenged. The idea is that requiring individuals to hold health insurance is not constitutional. Another great argument that does not really have much bearing because we require people to pay taxes, which, when categorized, the individual mandate falls into. So, the reasons for opposing the plan is beyond my comprehension because the biggest winners are the insurance companies and doctors since they are guaranteed business.

Ultimately, I have yet to understand why the P.P.A.C.A. is such a adverse event that will cause the collapse of America and destroy constitutional rights. In my eyes, I can not find the logic to oppose the act formidable in any gauge, other than President Barack Obama and the Democrats passed it. However, feel free to challenge my stance on the topic. I am more than willing to accept it if I am wrong, but please read the bill so that we are on the same page(s)...all 906 of them. I have taken the liberty of including a link to the entire document.

http://democrats.senate.gov/reform/patient-protection-affordable-care-act-as-passed.pdf

US Debt, "Poor" Credit, and The Grand Old Party!

Hello to all my readers, I want to thank you for coming back to my blog and for appreciating my thoughts. I have noticed that not many of you have really commented on any of my posts. This saddens me because I would really love feedback. Remember that this country was built on discussion and debate and while there are many people we can look to for an intricate analysis, it can always get better through fervent questioning. So, with that being said let us delve deep into today's discussion, shall we?

DEBT! It is a big deal and I have yet to meet someone who enjoys debt, but here in the United States we are just drowning in debt. In fact, most of us probably think of debt as our outstanding credit card balances, loans, etc. and that would be a good indication of personal debt. However, the nation is in debt in excess of $14 trillion dollars establishing that each United States citizen holds an additional $50,000 dollars or so in "public" debt, but that is not taking into consideration tax brackets. The most interesting thing about this figure is that if tax brackets are incorporated, the elite actually hold less of this debt than the middle and lower classes.

Anyway, there has been a lot of discussion circulating with regards to raising the debt ceiling and the catastrophic events that would ensue if Congress were to fail to approve such an increase. Just imagine if they did not raise the debt limit, and we were unable to service our foreign debt. It would put the United States in a similar situation as Portugal and Greece including but not limited to a downward spiraling economy, massive currency inflation, and dramatic increases in unemployment. Thankfully, our trustworthy Secretary of Treasury, Timothy Geithner, has assured the media that the Congress is ready and willing to raise the debt ceiling without issue. The only problem with this is that he actually has no method of guaranteeing that the Congress actually will increase the debt ceiling, after all the government just recently came frighteningly close to shutting down. So, what we can all do is HOPE and PRAY(to whichever god of your choosing, or not) that Congress and Senate can get it's act together to pass a CLEAN bill for the increase in time, which is mid-May.

Moving right along, CREDIT is really all that the United States has left to go on given our massive debt, growing trade deficit, deteriorating education system, etc. Unfortunately, at the start of this week, the United States Government's credit rating was given a negative outlook by the Standard & Poor rating firm. Intuitively,  you would probably think that this isn't that much of a huge event since they didn't actually lower the rating, but it did cause stocks to tumble dramatically. In example, the Dow Jones Industrial average lost a hefty 200 points during the trading day. In summation, this indicates that investors, foreign and domestic, should be cautious when investing into the United States due to possible instability and "long term fiscal pressure". 

And lastly, I really feel compelled to touch on the GRAND OLD PARTY, the Republicans. It amazes me that they were voted back into office after eight years of destructive decisions. I agree that the Democrats were not doing great, but I felt a lot safer. The GOP is incredible because they are so united in their hatred of Barack Obama. Then coupled with the Tea Party, it's a detrimental force in United States politics! I could probably write a dissertation on the corruption and dishonesty within the Republican Party, but I will save it for another day. All I think is necessary to say is if you are looking for someone to blame, it's the GOP!

Thank You for reading once again! Comments are encouraged and appreciated!

I Suppose Now It Will Be Monsoon

Just to preface, this is about the economy! I will admit, economic humor isn't the most titillating genre of comedic styling, but I seem to think that a little bit of humor is appropriate with regard to the content of this post. So please, grab a nice glass of Merlot and cozy up to the screen because I'm about to pelt your palates with handfuls of rational thought!

The Budget

I know, it is unfortunate that Washington cannot get its act together and put aside moral differences in order to keep the government running smoothly without speculation of a massive government shutdown. Well, good news, it didn't shutdown. I mean could you imagine the largest, most successful operational democracy shutting down? It probably wouldn't do much for the credibility of the United States. It was heroically averted by our trustworthy elected officials. But--yes, there is a but and it is a big BUT, definitely something that would implore an ogle from Sir Mix-A-Lot! 

The main issue was that the government requires a budget be passed by both the Congress and Senate in order to spend taxpayer dollars. You would think it is a fairly simple process. Just do what is the best possible thing for the nation, collectively. Intuitively, the government should execute efficiently since it has to do with funding themselves, BUT(here is what I was talking about) that isn't how Washington works!

The debate was framed to be between the Democrats proposing $30.5 Billion dollars in cuts for the fiscal year, which ends in September, versus the Republicans proposing $61 Billion dollars in cuts. Of course, as usual, the Republicans want to cut more social spending than the Democrats. You know, silly social spending, things like Education, Healthcare, etc. Nothing Important. So after a long, drawn out battle that was completely unnecessary, they come to a compromise of $38.5 Billion in cuts for the fiscal year. YES! Agreement made! Champagne falls from the Heavens and what not! BUT here is the kicker, they forgot to include defense spending so it's more like a savings of $352 MILLION! 

The only additional comment I have on this is as follows--ATTENTION: FOX NEWS, MSNBC, CNBC, and CNN! No one won. Not Obama, Not Boehnor, Not the Dems or the GOP! WE ALL GOT SCREWED!! Bringing me to the next topic...

The Deficit

I'm sure we are all privy to the insane amount of discussion circulating with regards to the massive debt that the United States has so masochistically entrenched itself. So, let us review the plans that are proposed.

"The Path to Prosperity"

This fiscal plan boasts the reduction of $6.2 Trillion dollars in the next 10 years and expects to completely balance the budget in the 2030s or early 2040s. It was birthed and finely tuned by Republican Paul Ryan. The issue with this is that, in layman's terms, it adopts the idea of "trickle-down" economics and basically violates the poor and elderly in order to let the insanely rich keep more of their money.

Obama's Fiscal Plan

I am not sure if this fiscal plan has a name yet, but the current name will suffice. The basic pillars of this plan is cut unnecessary spending and raise taxes on the people earning $250,000 dollars or more. It will cut less money than the GOP plan, but it will still eliminate something like $5.4 Trillion dollars in 12 years. All this without  forcing the people without money to pay more to stay alive!

The obvious solution to this, in my eyes, is to combine the tax aspects of both plans. Let the Bush Tax Cuts expire, raise taxes, close tax loopholes and eliminate deductions like private jets. However, rational thinking in the Congress and Senate is useless. Oh well, there is nothing to worry about though--THE HOUSE PASSED THE PAUL RYAN PLAN! 

So, Hang in there America! I know we were promised a trickle-down, but its shaping up to be a monsoon! NOAH START BUILDING THE ARK and GET TWO OF EVERY BILL!!

Un-Education

I'm sure by the title, one can infer that I am most likely referring to education is some way, shape or form. That inference would be completely rational and I thank you. To elaborate further, the United States was ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science, and 25th in mathematics among the 34 O.C.E.D. participating countries. Now, to be fair, there was a standardized test that were given to 15 year olds in order to arrive at these figures, but nonetheless there are only two real explanation for these results. Either, the youth of the United States, as a whole are gradually losing the capacity compete intellectually with the rest of the developed world  OR they are just lazy. 

I recently came upon a statistic that claims 33% of High School students drop out of school  and I thought to myself--BUT IT'S FREE! In addition, assuming that this is correct, then that would mean that MORE than a third of High School freshmen never make it to the University! Obviously I don't want to be too harsh because of course the argument can be made that there is a lack of motivation, bad curriculum, biased teachers and the list can be continuously built. However, there is absolutely no reason that a student shouldn't take it upon themselves to learn. In my own personal opinion, I find it unacceptable that education has to incentivized beyond the fact that it supplies the means for a successful adult life just so that students will attend classes. Additionally, I've heard all of the excuses about being from a low-income neighborhood and having a hostile living environment, but some of the most extraordinary scholars have arisen from the very same conditions. So, that idea is a fallacy.

In essence, my concern is the downward spiral of intelligence in the United States. How exactly are we to compete with the rest of the world if this is where we currently stand and they plan to cut funding for education? What more do we have to do to encourage our children to take it upon themselves to learn? 

 

Natural Born Right?

I first must say that I am a foreigner in the actuality that I was not born in the United States, but I have been raised here since a very early age. So, my question is that, does that make me an American. In my mind, the answer is OF COURSE! I pledge that I am a patriot to this wonderful country of ours.

I know many people that boasts that if you aren't a natural born citizen of a country then you have no dealings saying that you are loyal or patriotic. So, my question has always been does being a natural born citizen of a country make you more loyal? Is it impossible to be born in America and still hate it? Well, the simple answer to the latter question is-- YES!

I find, being an immigrant, I have much more loyalty to this country than most people were born in the United States. I feel that most people here take for granted the difficulty that many immigrants endure to just step foot on United States soil! 

Oddly enough, when the Earth first emerged there were no signs of boundaries other than the natural boundaries of mountains, lakes, and canyons. In essence, the Treaty of West Phalia was incredible for the precedent it set, but at the same time did it not just add a superficial label by which you have no control over.

In my mind, natural born, is just that, a natural birth. Insemination to conception to germination to ejection to existence. So, at the end of the day, what does nationality really mean?

Welcome!

Hello All!

     I would like to as my first post to inspire any and all visitors to be as inquisitive as possible. The acceptance of reality is only realized through perception and if one allows themselves to conform without question then they forsake the most profound characteristic of higher thought. Free will! Of course, I hope to maintain rational and realistic discourse. So, I hope that you enjoy and please do not hesitate to comment.

Thank You