Why Georgia Why??

Georgia. No, not the state, the country. This has been the setting for perhaps one of the most landmark events in the last decade of Russian- American relations. Unfortunately, it would seem that the bad continues to get worse. In the recent weeks following, what appears to be a dispute over the two countries' border, we've watched as Russia has pummeled highly western favored Georgia. We've seen multiple cease-fires agreed to and we've also seen them broken by the Russian Armed forces. One anchor described the scene accurately saying, "we can no longer treat Russia like a paper tiger." Personally, I think this is the beginning of the souring of an already stretched relationship. Russia in recent times has begun to look more and more like the regime that we squared off against some many years ago. They have a leader in Putin that will not exit office. They've increased the power of their government while simultaneously decreasing human rights. But what's really bizarre to me is that the people prefer this type of government. Russia in a nutshell is embarrassed. They still see themselves as a world superpower and they want to re-assert themselves as such. I think that's why specifically we see them on the wrong sides of a lot of political issues (i.e. anything to do with Iran). I'm hoping that this issue will continue to diffuse over the next week, but I honestly think that we're just hitting the tip of the iceberg. 

BIG GOVT!!

I'm sure many of you are aware by now of the latest in our economic woes. Alas, IndyMac has fallen and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are struggling as well. To most, this news really means very little. In fact, I would venture to say that the majority of Americans haven't a clue what this news means. Though I probably can't tell you what the future of these groups is going to be like, I can tell you how very dangerous the government's response to these issues has been. Whether you realize it or not, our government (who already has a failing economy to worry about) is trying to bail out these groups. They're going to back these groups financially in order to "get things out of the red." But at the same time, what does this say about our government? What does this say about the integrity of our financial systems? While I'm happy that everything is going to work out for the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's of the world, I don't think that our government should be in the business of buying out or extending credit to these groups. Capitalism is a system of risk and reward. And just because some institutions are taking more risk in some shady lending practices, that doesn't mean that the U.S. government should necessarily be there to pick up the pieces. This is a very dangerous precedent to set. In fact, I think that this action will not help at all in the effort to curb Predatory or Shaky lending. 

The Heart of the Matter

I don't mean to get caught up in everything that's going on in this election right now. Frankly, I'm less than enthused about either candidate. But something about this election has quickly caught my eye. It would be naive of me to think that things haven't always been this way, but it's so much more apparent now that in national politics we DON'T EVER TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES. I'm about sick of hearing banter over what Jesse Jackson said or didn't say. I'm sick of hearing about John McCain's military record being dragged through the mud. What I want to know is about the REAL issues of this election. Now more than ever, we're facing a huge energy crisis. The price of oil has reached record highs and still both parties sit idle. Sure, we've heard about John McCain's contest. And yes, I'm familiar with the promise of more nuclear and coal power plants, but what kind of detailed plan has either candidate really laid out?? While I'm glad that we're planning for energy reform in the long run, I want to know about what's going to happen now. I want to hear about initiatives to ban bottled water to save petroleum. I want to hear about how we're going to alleviate the tax on gasoline. But most of all, I want to hear about how we're going to put pressure on Big Oil and on OPEC. 

What makes this crisis worse is that we're already facing a stagnant economy and a failing dollar. So don't tell me about how Obama is a Muslim or whether he's finally left his church. Don't tell me about how we've stumped McCain, with questions about coverage for birth control. Make the media cover the issues that are really important in our country today and let's make these candidates resolve to confront these tough issues...

First Try

I can't think of anything more appropriate to begin this blog with than something that I heard today. I went to a church that I haven't attended in some time, but left with one question in my head: "What makes me angry?" What makes me angry... I know that sounds funny, but give me a moment to explain. You see, in life (especially at my age) I've often heard that I will know what I'm supposed to be doing once I find my "calling." Or I hear that I will have everything figured out as soon as I figure out my passion. Instead, "what makes me angry?" I know it may sound strange, but when I say angry, I don't mean the anger you experience when you're cut-off in traffic. I don't mean the anger you experience from having to wait in line at the supermarket. I'm talking about getting angry over injustice in the world. What makes you angry? Does poverty in 3rd world countries make you angry? Does genocide in Sudan make you angry? Or are we still stuck in anger at the pumps?? It's time in life that we get beyond ourselves and stop looking around for someone else to solve the problems that make us angry. It's time for us to stand up and do something about it. Just a thought...