out of many, we are one

After watching the President speak last night I feel it's my responsibility to make a few comments. First of all, the President spoke well. If nothing else, he's an eloquent speaker and has good speech writers. But he didn't really say anything. There was no substance, no time line and no announcement of an agreement. Where is that speech? I am a "real American" (what does that mean anyway???). I depend on both national and local forms of government to maintain my lifestyle. I'm a voter and a taxpayer. I have a voice, a keyboard and internet access. So here I go: I, like many of you, have been following the debt ceiling situation over the past few months. The media tells us that the government runs out of money on August 2nd. What does that mean? I don't know. Does it mean that we will default on our current loans? If so, what does that mean? Does it mean that millions of social security checks will not go out? I doubt it because old people vote and no state or local representative can get elected without the votes of old people. Does it mean the wars are over? I don't know, but probably not because someone has to get elected in 2012 and if we pull out of the war, it will be spun that democrats are week and unable to manage a time of war. Does it mean the Chinese will move into Camp David and the US government will charge them an agreed upon rental amount? Probably not because it'll take 3 branches of government 25 years to agree on how much to charge and by that time China will have bought America and turned it into their cornhole court. So, where are we in the eyes of the government? I don't know. In order to get a better perspective on this situation, I emailed Congressman Larry Kissell this morning (my representative for the 8th district of North Carolina; THE FIGHTING 8TH!). I have not yet received a response, but it's still early. I'll comment on what I hear back when I hear back. The media continues to doom and gloom us into thinking the country sucks and we have to watch the news in order to survive. Heaven forbid we change the channel and Nike and Miller Lite won't buy advertising time. Michael Jordan needs to sell those shoes man. For a perfect example I just heard this statement on a news program I watch every morning, "Washington can't agree on a deal. But maybe they will. We'll be right back to discuss it more." What? Then to 3 minutes of commercials about violent films, beer, shoes and carpet replacement companies. Is anyone as outraged about this situation as I am? Or do you have more sense than I do and ignore the news and go about your life? I'm pretty sure that regardless of the debt ceiling situation, I'll still have to go to work on August 3rd.