New Budget Agreement

Finally, after sixteen days of stalemate between the Democrats and Republicans over the nation’s budget and debt ceiling problems, they all have agreed to a deal that will only solve these problems temporarily. According to FOX News, the new budget deal only last until early 2014 and the debt ceiling will run out a few weeks after that. Even though this last-minute deal was struck between the two sides the problem is not going disappear overnight.

 

The deal that President Obama signed yesterday funds the government until January 15th and the he rose the debt ceiling until February 7^th. After these dates, who knows what might happen. With the Republicans and Democrats never being able to agree on simple American issues they might never be able to agree on the terms for our national budget. This is becoming an annual problem that seems like it will never end and sadly the fighting will probably never stop between these two very different sides. The Republicans slammed Obama over the government shutdown because they said he refused to negotiate any issues.

 

This deal was just agreed to on Wednesday and it all seems like everything is solved and everything is working again, right? Wrong! Yes, it does open back up the government and thousands of people can go back to work, but the damage is already done. Also, President Obama said that there, “were no winners” from the budget argument and that the “spectacle” hurt the United States economy and credibility (FOX News). This deal pretty much stalls this entire process and we will probably be in the same situation here in January of 2014. This entire government shutdown happened only for them to “compromise”, I guess you could say, and just push back the problem even farther. So again we could be hearing about this in a couple months and Congress might not make any progress in between now and when the debt ceiling and budget runs out.

 

Obama mostly got what he wanted. His Obama Care bill passed and I guess you could say that the Democrats won the argument of who got what. In my eyes, the Republicans were the ones to pull their big boy pants up and get the deal done. With no major compromise between the two sides the Republicans finally gave in and gave the Democrats what they were “whining” for in the first place. If they hadn’t done this we would still be in that crisis and who knows when this entire thing would’ve ended. But up until January and February we can all take a deep breath and relax, but not for long because all of this could happen and we would all have a Déjà vu of what happened this time. And sadly, nobody can see the end of this road of fighting and arguments. I think that nothing will get done until we vote in some people who will actually get the job done and not just sit around and wait for one side to cave.

 

America Heading Towards Default

If the debt ceiling is not raised by Congress in the next week or so the United States Government will go into default or bankruptcy. This practically means that the United States will have no money and we will not be able to pay back debt or spend money because we will virtually have no money to do any of this with. This is just another issue that the government shutdown has brought upon the entire nation.
 

In my opinion it might actually be a good thing if America goes into default and we won’t have any money to do anything with. It gives Congress and President Obama a chance to get all of their priorities straight to make sure we get back on track. The downside about all of this is we will not be able to pay back debt that we owe to other countries especially China. This could all lead to back lash from these countries and who knows what they could do, if anything, to retaliate for not getting paid. Those countries might benefit even more because we would have to borrow more money over time to get America back on track if all of this goes through.

            This entire government shutdown and default scare could all lead to a trust issue that is already there to some extent. And in the 2014 and 2016 elections for new Congressmen and a new president it could all lead to a total overhaul of all three branches. It is not clear who is directly “winning” this battle over the national budget and it’s not evident if anybody is winning at all. All I know is that if we don’t get these issues resolved through compromise this could be a stressful and bad couple of months or years for all of us if this isn’t all settled in a timely manner.

 

ObamaCare Website and other issues

Ever since last week, people could go to the ObamaCare website and sign up for cheap and quick health insurance. But with all of the people going to the website, it has glitched up and most people have not been able to access the website. This is a big deal because if people don’t sign up for health insurance by March 21, 2014, they will be fined for not doing so. The Speaker of the House, John Boehner, who is the Republican leader, has said, “How can we tax people for not buying a product from a website that doesn't work?" This is true and this could lead to backlash from people who get fined if this website isn’t up and running smoothly by early 2014.

 

                This is just another thing that has probably helped the Republicans during this Government Shutdown. The website, which has been deemed a, "train wreck,” by most critics, is just another thing that is helping Republicans and hurting the Democrats. Also, this health care website has gone from costing $93 million to $634 million dollars, according to Fox News. President Obama’s approval rating has dipped to an all-time low of 37% and this makes it seem like most people have lost faith in President Obama. And his entire ObamaCare plan isn’t go as plan which is mostly his entire campaign idea during his first term as President and through the early months of his second term.

 

            With this being said, Obama is hurting big time. With all of these things going wrong it’s no wonder why he has gotten so grey over his tenure as President of the United States. Don’t get me wrong it is an incredibly demanding and hard job but as President, you have to take control and make sure that everything stays in line and doesn’t get out of hand. And none of this is getting any better due to this Government Shutdown and his glitched up website that has come back to cost America more money that what it is really worth. The question is, is all of this really worth it? For all of this trouble with his health care plan is all of the money we are spending to fun it really worth the time and money in the long run? This answer will be answered hopefully soon and all of this will be figured out to make sure that this nation gets back to where it was before all of this took place.

What is Politics?

In this blog, politics is the major topic that I have been writing about since I started it. But the real question is, what is politics? Yeah, it is the government and the people that run it but how does it affect our everyday lives? It is how people view different issues of a nation and how those issues are resolved. This post will tell you how this all leads into a normal person’s lives and what the term “politics” actually means.

 

            The proper definition of the word politics is, “the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.” This is a fairly good definition but what does this all mean to you? I think the main line in this definition is the part where it says that certain people or parties hope and look for power and how those people or parties have issues or conflicts with each other. This is very evident today. You have the Democrats and Republicans, who are always fighting for the upper hand in Congress. They do this because whichever party has the most representatives in Congress, the more power or control they have. And with more power and control, each party can do what they want and what they think is best for the nation.

           

            Politics is one of those things that will always lead to conflict. Everybody is going to have their own opinion about some things and when two people have different ideas on a subject it will always lead to conflict. That’s how it is today and it will always be like this until there is no more government. This is happening right now in Washington D.C over the budget and debt ceiling. Both the Republicans and Democrats have two different plans for the United States to go and they always clash. This is what makes politics and democracy so interesting. Yes, we vote these Congressmen and women in for the better of the people, or so we think, and it always leads to conflict, no matter what the situation may be. It would be so much better if there were no political parties that existed. It would stop some conflict and make the Congressmen and women go in favor of something they would like themselves and not just favor it because the entire party approved it. Here’s an example, let’s say that there is going to be a vote for the national budget plan today. If there were no parties it would make the people think for themselves instead of just going with what others are doing and saying.

 

            Politics affects everyday life for most people, not just here in the United States, but around the world. Government officials are always trying to persuade people to come their side and join them and they always try to convince you why their ideas and actions are better than the others. Just watch television before a big election, all of the commercials will be about, who is better for the job in the Senate or why these people shouldn’t be elected for the Presidency. It’s a huge rollercoaster that never ends and it always leads to conflicts one way or another no matter what happens

Veterans over run Barricades at WWII Memorial

             Since the Government shutdown took place earlier last week all federally funded parks, museums, and monuments had been shut down. This includes the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. But Government shutdown didn’t stop over ninety veterans from Mississippi from crossing the barricades to see the cherished memorial. This is a very hear-warming story and is something different from what we have been hearing over the last couple of months. But the spin on this story is that congressmen from the House and Senate were there to greet the veterans at the memorial. This makes me kind of mad because those congressmen could be at the House or Senate trying to open back up all of these monuments and museums so nobody has to break down any barricades to see something that they have the right to see.

                This all ties back to some of my other blog posts about how central minded these congressmen are. Instead of trying to be the solution they are being apart of the problem. They shouldn’t be at the memorials that are shutdown, greeting guests that walk by, they should be in the Capital Building coming up with a plan to open back up these monuments. These veterans fought for these rights to see their name in the memorial. They fought for our freedom and nothing should be able to stop them from seeing what they successfully fought for. They are the reason that we are free today and not even a government shutdown should take that away from them.

                Also, the Statue of Liberty was shutdown obviously because it is a national monument. Isn’t the Statue of Liberty supposed to show the freedom of our nation as a whole? With the shutdown, it is kind of taking away that right in some way shape and form and it’s just not right. So instead of congressmen being there greeting people, why don’t they actually go and walk the walk, not just talk the talk.  

Greedy "Winner's" in Congress

                Earlier this week, an unknown White House representative said the Democrats believe that they are “winning” in the fight over the budget and Obama Care, which has led to the first government shutdown in almost twenty years. This is a bold statement that could get the Democratic group criticized over time. What this White House representative is particularly saying is that it is mostly or entirely the Republicans fault for the government shutdown. They say this because in previous polls people were to pick which party they would rather have, Democrats and Republicans. According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 43% of people chose Democrats and 34% chose Republicans. This is where the Democratic Party believes they are winning this fight.  

                 But the one question the Democrats really need to ask themselves is; is anybody really winning during this government shutdown? To me this is a very cocky approach that could come back to bite them in the long run. Even though they think they are winning, in reality, absolutely nobody is gaining anything from this shutdown. Hundreds of thousands are off of work, not being paid, national attractions that draw millions of dollars a year are shut down, and still the congressman are still being paid for really doing nothing but fight over something  that should be somewhat of a quick fix. This entire situation is like two brothers or sisters fighting over a piece of cake or candy. Both sides want more or what they can’t get and it’s hurting the entire nation. I guarantee that if the congressmen and women were not getting paid right now, they would have already had a solution written up. This is how greedy they really are.

                 Another sad thing about this entire situation is that they are not even trying to come to an agreement. An example would be that Congress took a three day weekend instead of sitting down and getting things done. This just shows how much these people, who we voted in ourselves, really care. They don’t have to live check to check like some of the families have to while they cannot work because of this shutdown. It seems like all they care about is themselves and their own well-being.  And all it is doing is making this entire situation worst as time goes on. So next time the Democrats or Republicans think they are “winning” this battle, they need to look at the bigger picture and think who is really losing and hurting from this situation.  

  

             

Government Shutdown Cont.

It is official, the United States Government has shut down after both Democrats and Republicans couldn’t come to an agreement over a National Budget for the United States. And until this gets settled, which nobody knows when it will, all federally run programs like the Smithsonian and all National Parks will be shut down until there is an agreement. Since this has happened, 800,000 federal workers will be staying home without pay and they could be home for quite some time.

 

            What’s worst about this is that even though those 800,000 workers will not be getting paid over this period of time the congressman, who get paid from our tax dollars and is the main problem in this dispute, are still getting paid. This just shows that these men and women are taking the American people hostage during the shutdown and not doing anything to solve this problem. Even though that I am a republican supporter both sides are to blame for this dumb and stupid situation. We should never be in this situation where even our own government, who the people have voted in themselves, can’t even agree on a national budget to keep this nation going. Also, due to no budget being passed Obama Care has taken affect. This means that all Americans must apply for health insurance by March 31^st or they will be fined for not doing so.

 

            This is what’s holding Congress back. Republicans want the Obama Care act to not be in the new budget and the Democrats will not compromise with them in order for both sides to agree on a budget. And even better yet the United States will go into default (bankruptcy) if the debt ceiling or the amount that the country can borrow will go up! This is all just a bad situation for everybody and nobody truly wins in the end. And who is the only one who can raise the debt ceiling? You guessed right, the House and Senate! So until these issues are resolved nothing will get done and our nation could be in great jeopardy.

           

            All the people want is for the nation to run smoothly and as problem free as possible. It’s either the stubborn or greedy Congressman come to an agreement or the United States will lose money over time. And even though the United States Government has shut down multiple times over the past forty years this may be the one that can really damage the great reputation the U.S has. The people were already sick and tired of how the government was running and this never helps. The only way anybody would be happy about this is if schools were federally funded and all of the school would have to shut down until this is all resolved. Sadly, that is not the case so nobody really wins in this situation or is happy at all.