More Debt Talks...No Decision.

      As the deadline to resolve the debt ceiling problem moves closer (August 2^nd to be exact), many plans have been developed to try and find a solution. The issue is, are any of them actually making any changes?

                My most recent post was about the hybrid which is a joint proposal being proposed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D).  This plan would mean less cuts and no tax increase, the cuts are not specified and decisions do not have to be made until after the 2012 election. Today, an article was posted on CNN about the plan’s development. Currently, the plan will allow President Obama to raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion without the raise actually being allowed by Congress.  According to the fallback plan, Obama will be allowed to raise the debt ceiling but it will have to be approved in 3 segments (one $7 billion raise and two $9 billion raises). Obama would have to submit proposed cuts with each debt ceiling raise request, the loop-hole here is that Obama is able to veto Congress if they decide to not pass the increase. Along with each request, Obama will have to submit a list of proposed financial cuts. These cuts are only proposals and will not have to be enacted for the debt ceiling raise to be approved.   This plan is now gaining some popularity among Congress members.

My main concern with this plan is that nothing is being solved, we still don’t know where the money is coming from to take care of our growing debt. Granted, we won’t be defaulting on our loans and debt but that seems to be the only perk. This seems to be just another example of politicians being politicians. Since no official tax raises or financial cuts will be made, no one risks upsetting their constituents…until 2012.  Congress members have been arguing for months about where the money should come from; Republicans don’t want increased taxes and Democrats don’t want a ton of spending cuts. This plan doesn’t actually solve anything, it simply pushes back the time line until tough decisions and compromises need to be made. It’s time for Congress to step up and make a decision.

Hybrid Plan In Washington DC

    While looking for a blog post to critique, I ran into a few problems initially. First, I don’t lean too far right or left in my conservative views so finding a blog that didn’t come off as “Democrats rule, Republicans drool” (or visa versa) took a while.  (As a side note: I realize blogs tend to be a little more one sided, I was just hoping for something a little more midline). Secondly, with the deadline for a debt ceiling decision looming over our heads, it was impossible to find a blog written about anything else.  I understand this is a big deal, but since I wrote my last blog post on the debt ceiling, I was hoping to vary it up a bit. That and, I am horrible at numbers/math/finances so reading/trying to understand budget articles is somewhat exhausting to me.

    After reading through several blogs and blog posts, I decided to look more into the “hybrid plan” that was mentioned a few times.  When you just read the phrase “Hybrid Plan” you think hey, a compromise! Well yes, and no. After reading the blog posts I realize that the plan really only does two things.  The plan allows us to not default on our loans, which would destroy the economy. It also allows politicians to put aside the tougher issues of the budget debate until AFTER election season.

   

   Here is the “hybrid plan” in a nutshell. 

   1)      No tax increase (happy Republicans) 

   2)     1.5 trillion in cuts versus the proposed 

           2/2.5 trillion (happy  Democrats) 

   3)     Extension of the debt ceiling until AFTER the 

          2012 elections season (happy Obama)

   Now, if I read all of this correctly (and properly understood it), this seems to be a way for politicians to simply put aside the tough issues that couldn’t be decided. In this plan, the Democrats and Republicans aren’t really working together to change anything.  The plan appears to be a way for the 2 sides to say they passed something and then move on, hopefully without upsetting constituents and loosing votes…politics at its finest.   If this plan goes through, we don’t really know where the cuts will be spent and this leaves our economy with a lot of uncertainty.  This seems to be a temporary solution to a much larger problem.  Although, I do have to say that some sort of “deficit commission” could be useful at this point in time.  While I don’t agree with this plan, at least some sort of “compromise” is being attempted as opposed to arguments.

   One thing that stood out about this particular blog post is that it does not read quite as one sided as other posts that I read. It is more left leaning, and that is who the author is writing it towards; but the author stays relatively neutral for the most part which I found important. Overall, I felt that the post was written well for a blog post. There were a few arguments towards the end that showed a more Democratic view point, but I felt informed of both sides while reading.
 

Train Wreck in Washington: Debt Ceiling Talks Continue

     Our nation's debt has been a big topic of conversation in Washington lately. While both the Democrats and Republicans have made suggestions, neither side has made any significant movement towards a compromise.

     Today, an editorial was published in The Washington Times discussing the continued debt debate going on in DC.  It's author Emily Miller appears knowledgeable in the subject matter but does lean more towards the right in her view points. It also would have been helpful for her to elaborate on some points, as I had to look up information while I was reading to fully understand what she was trying to say.  Not many sources were listed for points she made in the article..

      One of the biggest points made in the editorial is that both parties seem to be looking out for themselves versus the American citizens they are working for. Many of the proposed changes would take place over the next decade and would not provide immediate debt relief. It appears that politicians in both parties are hesitant to pass legislation which would result in substantial tax increases or spending cuts in the short term due to the possibility voter backlash. Miller mentions proposed changes such as a tax increase for people whose income is above $250,000, as well as unspecified spending cuts over the next 10 years; both of these could result in unhappy constituents. There have also been what Miller calls  "illusory cuts" which are unsubstantial and will not truly make an impact on our current debt crisis.

     Miller believes that if this type of progress continues, Congress will be forced to attempt to pass a last minute deal that will be a "hard sell with the American public" as it will likely brush over important issues. I am not particularly knowledgeable in this area of politics, but it does appear that both sides are avoiding making large, present day changes to the budget in order to avoid unsatisfied constituents. We are in crisis and something needs to be done. In order to properly serve the public, politicians should consider what our country needs versus the next election.

Some information found here.
       

Mental Health Stigma in the US Military

   While searching for an article to write my post about, I came across this line: A Mixed Message about Stigma in Military Mental Health Care Coming from a psych background, this is one thing that I find not only interesting, but important. I have spent the last 6 years working in the mental health field, the last year has been spent working with adults through my ER and Austin State Hospital.  One of the things that became very clear while working at ASH is that there is a problem in how veterans are treated for mental health issues after serving overseas.  Many of our patients came into ASH shortly after serving tours in Iraq. Generally these patients were male, and in their 20's.  They tend to suffer from severe, uncontrollable anger as well as schizophrenic symptoms such as paranoia, delusions of grandeur and persecution, and flat affect.  The symptoms these patients were suffering from were never experienced until after going overseas. According to about.com, 30% of US troops develop mental health problems within 3-4 months of returning home. The government and the military need to find a way to get proper treatment for our veterans so that they can live a normal, successful life. The stigma of having mental health symptoms or a diagnosis causes individuals to not seek treatment, which leads to unemployment, substance abuse, and suicide. When reading this article, take into consideration the men and women you know that are serving in the military, then think about what you would want for them if they began to suffer from mental health problems.

A bit about me...

    I will be the first to admit that I am not very politically active/involved, I tend to vote more in local elections then national. (I always start to follow national campaigns but get tired of the trash talking and switching around that politicians do).  I have many personal opinions and view points but am not really a fan of the way our government seems to function so I tend to follow the "don't complain if you don't vote" view point. I consider myself moderate but socially, I lean more to the left. I am not very religious and that plays a big part in my social opinions. I understand that our country was founded with a religious basis which plays a role in how everything developed. However, our country's population currently has people from all over the world making up it's population. Therefore, not everyone has the same views/beliefs when it comes to religion. I feel that this should be taken into consideration when laws are formed, laws should not be developed based on one religion.  I feel that women have a right to choose, and that we have a right to love and marry who we choose, no matter the gender.  I tend to be more conservative when it comes to social services and spending, I feel that the money being spent is not necessarily being spent in the right areas.

    I decided to take the Civics Quiz, and got 7 out of 11 right. To be honest, most of my knowledge comes from my husband talking to me about something he has seen on the news, or articles that he reads and sends to me. I have decided that I would like to just have a more general knowledge of the government and how it works, maybe then I will be more involved in voting and political processes going on today.