Category: news

Why Not Try To Balance The Budget…

by rhealitycheck

instead of making false promises? Like our two candidates currently are. I mean don’t get me wrong, I like some of the things being proposed like putting more money into education but I think that we also have to look at the bigger picture. Our entire economy is struggling. Severely. I simply cannot respect candidates who cannot prioritize which programs may not make it with a modified budget. I mean $700 billion just went to bail out our banks. If that isn’t significantly increasing our deficit I don’t know what is. Not to mention the pointless wars that we’ve been funding for the vanity of an under-educated over-funded egotistical maniac who cannot admit when he is wrong. Unfortunately for us he is also happens to be President of the United States and therefore we are not allowed to question him (now whatever happened to that wonderful first amendment giving us the right to free speech? Silly me, I forgot the Patriot Act, drawn up by his “servants”, severely limits those rights). But I digress, this is supposed to about the two men who are trying to replace the current misplaced ninny.

What really gets me is that neither one of them can let go of all the promises they are making. Typical politicians we would rather lie and stretch the budget into something unbearable rather than admit that some things are simply not possible and that we need to prioritize.

If it were me, and I were in Obama’s shoes, I would say, I’m sorry everyone, I think education is extremely important it *is* our future but if our children cannot be healthy, they cannot think. If their parents cannot afford to give them nourishment, their brains will suffer. If our country goes into a recession and children drop out to help their families pay the bills, pouring all the money in the world into our education system is not going to fix that. We need to start with basics. We cannot cut social security and I am not sure we can add to it, which would be the ideal but let’s just leave it as is for now until we get a better idea of budget. We can pull in the purse strings around the war and we will. We will be bringing our troops home and start focusing on more internal problems. And yes, I will raises taxes on the upper class because our middle class is struggling not to mention the lower class that I’m not even sure is barely making it. We need to start taking responsibility for ourselves at home, right here, right now. This is the time to act, this is the time to make a change for the better. This economic crisis is just the wake up call that should tell Americans that greed is not the answer, that we must work for the benefit of the whole in order to stand up as a successful society. Now is not the time to let the wealthy just waltz off into the sunset with their offshore accounts and avoiding taxes. Taxes are what afford us the first-world lifestyle we are accustomed to and it is not solely the responsibility of the middle and lower-classes to have to pay it because the upper classes have the benefit of loop holes.

If I were McCain, I would say, I’m sorry my friends, I know that I call all you corporations my base but unfortunately we are in an economic crisis and I cannot give you tax cuts. Do you want to know why? I’ll tell you why, those taxes just bailed your irresponsible, greedy selves out of poverty. So you will have to live with taxes for a few more years, if for nothing else than to give back what we have given to save you.

Well ok, so the pseudo McCain compromises are pretty easy for me because I don’t believe in tax cuts for the rich. But the pseudo Obama compromises are actually quite difficult for me to think of because I was a teacher and I hugely value education. And I believe that we should have nationalized health care. There are a lot of things that I think are important that should have more funding, such as medicare and the aforementioned education and health care but I also think that in hard times you have to make hard decisions. And so I leave you with the thought, if you were the candidates what promises would you make compromises on?

Is It Really “No” Child Left Behind?

by rhealitycheck

Because really, I think it seems more and more like every child has been left behind as we keep letting this ineffective measure remain in place.

This morning as I was riding the train to work I was expecting the financial markets to still be all over the headlines of my paper and sure enough they were but hidden away at the bottom right of the front page there was something else that caught my attention. There was a piece titled Under ‘No Child’ Law, Even Solid Schools Falter. Now having been a public school teacher, education still holds a special place in my heart (I just don’t have the patience to be able to deal with public school administration to continue in the system).

So the title of this act is just phenomenal propaganda but it doesn’t actually address any of this issues plaguing our public schools such as the budgets continually being cut. (Unless of course you are fortunate and live in a wealthy neighborhood where parents will rally and raise money for the local schools themselves out of their own pockets). But really the only thing this act has done is require more testing in the schools. Personally I don’t think that standardized tests are always a great measure of what people know. I happen to test well and yes they do reflect that on some level I am smart but I have friends who are just as smart as I am and who generally perform better in class than I do who test horribly. In fact when these standardized tests are so heavily weighted because of funding there is a lot of pressure to teach to the test from the administration (and no I’m not making this up, I actually worked in a school and was told to teach to the test). When you teach to the test you miss a lot of material that is just as important but because it’s not on the test teachers will just skip it. Especially new teachers who are being pressured. I mean these could be very innovative inspirational teachers yet they are being given instructions to expect the worst from their students and often times given nearly impossible goals. Not to mention students lose from these measures too. It is much more important to instill some joy in learning, what joy is there when you are constantly under pressure to pass a test. These days they even have exams in grade school, which I know did not exist when I was growing up (thankfully). I think it is absolutely ludicrous to think that some exam will miraculously mean that suddenly American public schools will perform better. Also how on earth do you call it no child left behind when every single state has a different standard. You cannot make unreasonable federal regulations when you choose not to help out the states. That is irresponsible and unjust. I dearly hope that whoever wins this next election will reconsider the state of the nations educational systems and try to create a system that may be a little less dysfunctional instead of continuing to make demands of the school system without giving them any support.

On a bright note I am supremely proud of Chicago for approving a gay friendly school for teens that are at risk of dropping out due to harassment.

Alan Greenspan & the Credit Crisis

by rhealitycheck

So I was just reading this article yesterday on the way to work and I was really surprised by what I was reading. Granted for the better half Greenspan’s term as head of the Fed I was still a kid and had a shady understanding of politics let alone how the economy was run. Now, that I’ve grown up I do like to try to understand economics a little bit but I’ll certainly admit that my understanding is still rather foggy.

What troubles me about this article and the way the economy has been going is that it seems that we have completely forgotten about why there were so many regulations on banks in the first place. I know that we have new financial instruments and that in theory the market will regulate itself and so we do not need to have regulations in place. But it seems to me that this follows the same path as much of Marxist philosophy.

Should we believe the best in people then communism/socialism would work beautifully because everyone would be living equally and all contributing to society. Now in real life, that is not the case. For one, many people believe that they deserve a bigger piece of the proverbial pie than everyone else, which is why capitalism exists. For two, there are people who are leeches on society who choose not to work (yes, they actually choose not to work… trust me I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes). So while I am a big proponent of socialism, I just do not think it is possible implement well in a pure sense. Therefore we have to work around human nature.

In the same sense the financial markets should regulate themselves and should those people working in the financial markets never take higher than necessary risks or advertise falsely then we’d be great. Essentially if we could eliminate greed then it’d be perfect. But let’s face it, why do most people work on Wall St, I assure you it is not because they are do-gooders and think economics is fascinating, I would hazard a guess that even the most philanthropic Wall Streeters have at least a small greedy streak. If you truly loved the theory of economics I doubt you’d be on Wall St, you’d much more likely be a professor teaching and researching the theories.

That being said, I find it flabbergasting that Greenspan can still support essentially complete deregulation of the financial markets. Especially with financial instruments such as derivatives now being seen as rather controversial as far as deregulation goes. I mean just looking back at history regulations were put in place so that we could avoid the financial catastrophe that is occurring now. I mean just look at what the after effects have done to Iceland.

Another thing I would like to mention is that Greenspan fought for deregulation not for a small period of time but for the entire time he was in office. Granted, I would like to blame this whole thing on the Republicans (being the good little liberal that I am) but it’s not entirely their fault. I will say that they hold a large share of the blame but I don’t see any Democrats that were crying “wolf” when they should have been. We, as a country, were far too greedy for far too long and these are simply the consequences – depressing as they may be. I surely hope that we can finally learn from our mistakes and that the economy will smooth out sooner rather than later.

Another Look at Palin

by rhealitycheck

I just love this op-ed by Thomas Friedman on Palin’s patriotism. I feel like someone has finally pinpointed some of the little bitty things that she says that just crawl under my skin and stay there irritating it but I just can’t always find the words to express them. Thankfully every once in a while I find a more eloquent political columnist who does just that.

I love that Friendman discusses how Sarah Palin statement “You said recently that higher taxes or asking for higher taxes or paying higher taxes is patriotic. In the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been all of our lives, that’s not patriotic.” is really a contradiction on many levels. And I agree with him wholeheartedly that paying taxes is patriotic. Perhaps I wouldn’t have used that phrasing because I don’t think in jargon but I do believe that taxes are necessary to preserve our standards of living and basic human rights. I would like Sarah Palin to answer how on earth without taxes we would have come up with the $700Billion bail out that is saving our economy. And how without taxes we could afford to send our troops to Iraq? And without taxes just how exactly does she get paid?
I understand taxes may not be the most pleasant thing to think about. And I understand that it stings when it comes out of your paycheck. But I also believe very strongly in the greater good and in social responsibility. And if being socially responsible isn’t patriotic well then I don’t know what is. In fact, I would like to question all those people out there who think taxes should be eliminated completely and ask them how exactly they would like our military to function? Not to mention our government and economy? Because really if we were to eliminate taxes altogether that bailout never would have happened. And while I may not be a fan of the bailout, I can tell you right now that Dubya’s wonderful legacy of taking absolutely no social responsibility has left many millions of Americans in the lurch right now.

So I think I’ll take the taxes and be socially responsible, even if that means I’m not patriotic.

Bush’s Big-Time Bail-out

by rhealitycheck

So just a few days ago my roommate and I were talking about the upcoming bail-out for all those big banks. Now I can’t complain too much because I work at a bank and while I’m IT which makes it a little less tense for us than it is for the real finance folk, it is still a stressful time for all parties here.

[Disclaimer: I am not an economist or in any way shape or form into finance, aside from the bits and pieces I’ve picked up from work. These are simply observations and opinions and I could be way off-base and if so I invite you to respond with your opinion.]

But this whole bailing out the banks. I want to know exactly why this is such a great idea. I mean from my very basic understanding of the market is that when you risk a lot, you stand to lose a lot. So if you are going to invest in something that tanks, well that’s your own blasted loss. So why is it that we now have to “save” all these people. Our beloved fearless leader (or village idiot as I like to call him) is now proposing that we spend about $700 billion in these bail-outs which could increase to $1 trillion. What I’m wondering is where that money is coming from because if I’m correct in my understanding those would be all our tax dollars. All those dollars that couldn’t be used for health-care (God forbid we actually help the poor/middle class in this country), also can’t be used for education (who needs an educated public anyway, you should be able to afford private school and if not well you’re not worth it), oh and let’s not forget social security can’t give too much to those old geezers, they’re gonna kick the bucket soon anyway, let’s just help them along. But we can help those giant investment banks that give their executives millions of dollars in bonuses. We can help those funds for all those people investing serious money in the market. Clearly we need to help the wealthy stay wealthy. Why on earth would we let them actually take a loss? Obviously we shouldn’t just let the market bottom out and then right itself as it should in normal circumstances and let people who took big risks lose their money. What ever happened to accepting the fact that with large risk there can be large losses as well as large gains? I just find it fascinating that we can afford to put this much money to save money for those that already have but it is a really battle to try to get any money invested for regular social services. Just makes me so proud to be an American, clearly trying to get away from the class system was totally overrated.

On a more serious note, it makes me really happy that I can’t afford to save money right now because it is all going to grad school. At least at the end of that I get a degree.

Feminist != Idiot

by rhealitycheck

It seems to me that the Republican party thinks that all feminists are idiots (in case you’re not a geek such as myself the title translates to Feminist “does not equal” Idiot). However, I do believe it is quite the opposite. I know that I have made it perfectly clear in the past that I have been very luke-warm about Obama’s candidacy. Being a Democrat and without any better options I would most likely have voted for him anyway but I wasn’t going to go out canvassing for him or talking about what a great candidate he is. That was until Sarah Palin entered the political arena.

Now, I am not unique, quite a few of my friends have been less than excited since Hillary tragically did not break the last and highest glass ceiling out there but we were complacent with the Obama-Biden ticket. This development with Sarah Palin has sent us screaming at the top of our lungs, just because we are women does not mean we will stand behind a woman who does not share a single value in common with us. If we were luke-warm about Obama before, I know many of us are ready to hit the streets to canvas for him now. It’s amazing the kind of turn-around people can have when struck in the face with a truly frightening candidate.

I mean let’s consider the facts about Sarah Palin:
– She believes in creationism, which is fine by me believe whatever you want at home, but do not put an unproven non-scientific theory into my schools. You are free to not believe in evolution but I do think that it should be taught as it does have a very distinct place in science and without it we, Americans, continue to look like uneducated neanderthals.
– She believes in abstinence-only sex-ex, clearly that’s worked well. I’m sure Bristol Palin was practicing that when she got pregnant.
– She believes that abortion should be banned regardless of cause or implications of pregnancy.
– Her husband belongs to the Alaskan Independence Party that wants to secede from the union and she supports him in that.
– She believes that more drilling will solve the current crisis around oil, regardless of the fact that we *know* that oil is a limited natural resource and we really are just running out.
– She believes that destroying our natural habitat does not have any effect on the planet, global warming is clearly just liberal jargon.
– She went to four different schools (one of them twice) in six years to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, yet oddly enough no one at any of the schools can seem to remember her.
– She truly believes that the economic crisis can be fixed by focusing on the small business that “drive” America like that belonging to her family in Alaska.
– Her only political experience is in a state that is not even the size of lower Manhattan and she has no experience on an International scale and in fact has even said she has never thought about foreign policy before.

Now I want to know how many feminists who were supporting Hillary really feel that any of those characteristics listed above would be appealing. For one, Hillary Clinton was very prominent in her college and graduate career as a student and while that may not be the only mark of a great person it is a tribute to her intelligence. I find it disturbing that not even a single professor has a remark about Sarah Palin, it doesn’t matter where you went to school or how long it took you to graduate but certainly remarkable people are remembered for their intelligence. And I, for one, would like to have a remarkable person be in charge of running this country (or even being second in command). Secondly, Hillary Clinton is a senator from a very significant state and has had significant experience with International politics, which is critical for the position of Vice President. How can anyone be expected to take Sarah Palin seriously if she cannot think on a global scale? Let’s face it people, being governor of Alaska isn’t exactly the greatest qualifier out there. I mean to put it simply it’s like saying the manager of your local Walgreens should become the CEO overnight because that’s a good idea.

Perhaps I’m biased but I don’t really believe that Sarah Palin believes a lot in thinking too hard and that is not something I find particularly attractive in a highly public political figure. In fact, I find it wildly distressing to think that someone who may have the possibility of becoming president would be like that. She stands for everything that feminists have fought against. Gloria Steinem, Eve Ensler and Tim Wise have all actually made equally valid points about her view points that I happen to agree with and are perhaps more eloquent than myself.

Sometimes this election makes me think that America is one giant high school and we’re trying to elect our prom king and queen. Clearly the beauty queen has been making her mark and it seems there sure are a lot of people that love her but I’d like to point out that this is not a beauty pagent nor is it a popularity contest. We are electing these people to lead our country and we are currently in a phenomenal economic crisis and we have a war that has been going poorly for years and no end in sight for either of those two. I don’t know about you, but I, personally, would like the most intelligent people I can think of to try and navigate us around those two very significant road blocks. Someone who has not shown much thought for either of those things until the last few weeks, such as Sarah Palin, isn’t really someone I want to trust with that future.

Becoming a Biker

by rhealitycheck

So I think I can officially say that I am well on my way to becoming and avid bicyclist. I originally started this biking kick to just start living a healthier lifestyle and I think I can officially say that I’m starting to accomplish this. Being in grad school just kills my motivation to go to the gym or try to fit extra things into my day. I guess partly it’s just that between work and school it’s hard to justify spending hours at the gym when I could be studying which is what I need to spend time doing considering I am paying lots of money for this education.

But what I have discovered is that if I bike places then I take care of the being active and staying fit/healthy while actually getting to my destination. It’s like the greatest thing I’ve ever managed to discover. Not to mention biking around Chicago is just great because the bike paths just off Lake Shore drive are just so pretty and nice to bike on. I have to say sometimes the wind can get a little obnoxious, especially when it’s a head wind but I think I just need to get more used to it. It’s been a little sad for me because I don’t really have the time to read the newspaper as I’m used to but I’m trying to work a way out for me to get up earlier so I can get down to work a little earlier so I can grab breakfast and read the newspaper for half an hour before I actually start working. That way I’ll get my news and I’ll be doing something healthy! At any rate, I think my bike is one of the best investments I’ve made and I absolutely love it. I’m so glad I’ve stuck it out and haven’t quit, which I definitely felt like doing because the ride to/from work is a touch long for a novice cyclist who isn’t used to that much exercise.

Student Discount for New York Times!

by rhealitycheck

So I meant to post this yesterday but since I have been bleeding money to grad school (I just got my tuition bill last month) I decided I should cancel my subscription to the Times. I mean I love reading the paper on the way to work and when I have time on the weekends I also adore it not to mention my roomies happen to benefit from it too – they like the Sunday Times with the Magazine. I happen to be a fan of the Tuesday Science section and the Thurdsay Styles. I also like the one with the dining guide and the recipes. So anyway when I called to cancel the woman told me that they have amazing student discounts. In fact I am now paying $22.10/month for the paper delivered every day. I am so excited about it, especially since I can now afford it!

Hurricane Update from the Family

by rhealitycheck

Well mom is safe and sound and so are all of our family friends from what I can tell. Apparently there is debris all over but no one got hurt and from what I’ve heard none of our circle have had their houses or cars flooded and it has stopped raining. I am very thankful for that piece of news.

On the unfortunate side, from what I’ve heard there is no power in Houston and it probably won’t be coming back for another two weeks. The water is also out for the next 36 hours which sucks but you know when it all comes down to it that’s not so bad. I wish I could be there to help clean up but to be honest I can’t say that I’m sad for missing no a/c in Houston, I can just imagine how miserable that is.

I am so glad to hear that things are ok in Houston. I am also thankful that everything has been so organized in Houston so far.

Hurricane in Houston

by rhealitycheck

So I haven’t lived in Houston for a long time, a little over 7 years to be more precise and while I still love my home I don’t know that I’ll ever live there again. I’ve never regretted the choice to move away nor have I every truly wished to go back (in a remotely permanent sense)… until I heard about the hurricane. I know this sounds bizarre but it has more to do with the fact that my mother is alone and scared in a boarded up house waiting for this to pass. And I absolutely loathe to see her do it alone. I have never felt bad about making the choice to travel and explore while I am young but I also have never had to seriously worry about my mother. I do feel the occasional pangs of guilt when she complains about her athritis and having trouble with the groceries but she is an amazingly competent woman and I generally have nothing to worry about. The hurricane on the other hand is a huge natural disaster heading straight for my home and what really upsets me is that I cannot even be there just to give her company through the storm. Houston has weathered many storms and I have no doubt this will be just another one. I am fairly confident (and hope I don’t sound overly confident because I’m trying to walk the line between confidence and panic) that nothing will happen and she will be fine and they just won’t have power for a couple of days. But I wish I could have flown down and been there with her. If I weren’t in grad school with finals this Monday and Tuesday, forget flying, I would’ve hauled my butt into my little car and “flown” down there as fast as my dinky car could carry me.

I hope that any others who have family and friends in Houston (or elsewhere in the path of our good friend Ike) are keeping safe and have plenty of water and food to tide them through. From what all the reports tell me it shouldn’t be too bad but let’s face it a few days without power or running water is never any fun. So my very best thoughts and prayers go out to all those in the path of the storm.