Dear Congress (re: Debt Deal)

You didn't push the button... You made a deal to make a deal to push the button if you can't agree to push the button.

via The Huffington Post:

Congressional leaders and President Obama on Sunday night announced they've cut a deal to avert a historic U.S. default, saying they have assembled a framework that cuts some spending immediately and uses a "super Congress" to slash more in the future.

The deal calls for a first round of cuts that would total $917 billion over 10 years and allows the president to hike the debt cap -- now at $14.3 trillion -- by $900 billion, according to a presentation that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) made to his members. Democrats reported those first cuts at a figure closer to $1 trillion. It was unclear Sunday night why those two estimates varied.

The federal government could begin to default on its obligations on Aug. 2 if the measure is not passed.

The next round of $1.5 trillion in cuts would be decided by a committee of 12 lawmakers evenly divided between the two parties and two chambers. This so-called super Congress would have to present its cuts by Thanksgiving, and the rest of Congress could not amend or filibuster the recommendations.

But if the super Congress somehow failed to enact savings, the measure requires automatic cuts worth at least $1.2 trillion. Those cuts would be split equally between military and domestic programs. Social Security, Medicaid and programs for the poor would be spared, but Medicare providers -- not beneficiaries -- would take a hit.

Compromise is a concept that everyone likes to espouse. It is so lauded and aggrandized in mainstream society, yet few people are truly willing to compromise. In this age of opinions, we like to say that everyone's opinion matters, yet when it comes time to move, most people are so stuck holding up their ideologies that they can't even begin to agree. Such is the case with you today, Congress.

Throughout the summer, and dating back to the 2010 midterm elections, the rising national debt has been a topic of hot debate. The hard (or imagined; no one really knows) date of August 2nd was engraved in our country's mind as the day when the United States would no longer have cash to sustain its spending. Congress, you were entrusted with finding a solution that would not only stop the bleeding from our credit cards, but also to bring in some additional cash so that maybe we wouldn't have to resort to rampant borrowing to make ends meet. I won't go into the specifics of whether I supported cuts or new revenues (you can look back at my other letters for that). The debt deal is already done, so having a written standoff about the ideological standpoints is futile. What I will take a stab at, though, is that the deal is little more that a deal to make another deal.

Congress, your job is simple: enact laws and legislation that reflect the views of the American people, and the realities of an eminent future. The months leading up until tomorrow have been a political three-ring circus, to say the least. Your simple duties have been absconded in a haze of filibusters, name-calling, misguided lone-rangering, misinformation and inactivity. From the Tea Party and GOP's unwavering insistence that everything with a pulse be cut, to Obama's 'holier-than-thou' approach, to the Dems disappearance, it seemed like no one on Capitol Hill really had the cojones to do what was right in the shadow of an impending financial collapse. Since none of the key players or sides in the debate were willing to concede, and our President forgot that he is the Executive of our fair country, we ended up with a deal that does nothing other than postpone our D-Day until Christmas. I can just feel the holiday cheer already.

Yes there are cuts, but they're mostly discretionary, and to things that already had one foot out of the door. Medicare and Medicaid, while pet programs of the Dems and sworn enemies of the GOP, are essentially going to be outmoded by Obamacare. Defense, with the Iraq and Afganistan wars simmering, was already a target. No new taxes or elimination of tax loopholes. No creative solutions to spur the economy. No infrastructure or educational plans to get the wheels rolling. Just... a deal to make a deal, and another 'bipartisan committee' to place the onus on balancing our books on. That's just not efficient, Congress. While I am liberal to the core, I understand what conservatives mean by there being too much 'government' when I think about a 'trigger' for more cuts or the new committee.

Congress, your task was to compromise so that we as a country don't have to think about defaulting on our national debts in another year's time. Instead, you effectively put off the hard decisions for no reason. We aren't any closer to a balanced budget than we were a year ago, because there is so much posturing, so many 'my way or the highway' leaders, and too many opinions (some corporate-funded, some just asylum-insane) for there to be any real consensus. If you think for a minute that this deal accomplished something more than attempting to placating the media and the few political extremist hell-bent on their own ideologies, you're dead wrong. This debt deal, and the negotiations that brought it along, proved that you are running about as efficient as a Ford Pinto with rear-end damage right about now, with no plans to put the fire out anytime soon.

You, Congress are in session for less than half of the year, usually taking summers off. That none of this became urgent until mid-July showed how truly disorganized you are. A compromise was your only task, and you couldn't even get a real one. Just a nice story for the papers, and another six months of uneasiness and anxiety for the American people to have to cope with. We elected you to make decisions for the country, not argue about who really cares about the country. Rather than be talking heads, why not be thinking ones? Thinking heads who look at the facts above all else and put strict party lines on the back burner to get the job done. Thinking heads who take the lessons of the past into consideration to make for a successful future. Thinking heads who have innovative plans while continuing to listen to the constituents that put them in office. Democrat or Republican, Independent, Moderate, Progressive or Tea Partier, liberal or conservative, you have to share the brunt of these decisions. Compromise doesn't mean anything if the status quo continues to be protected. Perhaps it's time you began compromising like there's more at stake than re-election...

Greetings From: Detroit, MI

Robocop's coming back to Detroit. Check the story here

via CNN Money:

In an effort to close a yawning budget deficit, Michigan has approved a proposal to drastically shrink Detroit's troubled school system over the next few years.

The plan calls for the closure of 70 schools, which would cut the number of schools in the district in half by 2014, leaving only 72 public schools in Detroit. The closures would be on top of the 59 that were shuttered last year. As a result, high school class sizes would jump to 60 students each over the next few years.

The goal is to eliminate the school system's current $327 million budget deficit, according to the plan's author, Robert Bobb, who was named emergency financial manager of the 87,000-student Detroit Public Schools in 2009.

Hey friends!!! It's another edition of 'Greetings From'. This time we're hailing from Detroit, Michigan where it's apparent that people are wayyyyyyyyy too obsessed with the city's regal past than what's shaping up to be an extremely bleak future. In the wake of a massive budget deficit with the auto industry still struggling to get back on its feet after numerous government bailouts, Detroit is set to close half of its public high schools. That is in stark contrast to a $50,000 bid to erect a statue of none other than Robocop in downtown Detroit. Now, I love Robocop just as much as the next sci-fi fan, but where does this fit into the budget that funding for schools doesn't?

My beef with the typical American city's mindset, is that rather than use funds to educate young people so we can have a future generation of thinkers, governments are quick to halt spending. Governments would rather cut spending under the guise of 'saving' and turn a blind eye to frivolities than use money on things that improve cities like infrastructure, education and innovation. The sad part is, that Detroit is an exact microcosm of the economic reality of the United States as a whole. If one wants to figure out the US's budget problem, they need look no further than Detroit and how it staked its financial well-being on outmoded technologies, irresponsible borrowing and sports teams. You couldn't pay me to live in Detroit, and now that Robocop is going to be one of their main attractions, I'm sensing a future even more depressing than the one in the movie. No worries, though. [sarcasm]I'm sure those Eminem commercials will boost the economy...[/sarcasm]

Dear WikiLeaks

via TechCrunch:

A lot of people, including many governments, have problems with WikiLeaks, the site dedicated to publishing sensitive and often classified documents. (Read more background on the controversial organization). The site is currently under a distributed denial of service attack, according to a Tweet from the WikiLeaks account. The site seems to be withstanding the attack so far. It is up right now.

The DDOS attack comes just as WikiLeaks is preparing to release another set of U.S. government documents—this time diplomatic cables which may prove so embarrassing that the State Department decided to warn foreign governments ahead of their release.

'People shouldn't fear their government; the government should fear their people'

That was the crowning quote from the institutional thriller V for Vendetta, in which a civilian uprising started by the release of supposed classified government information. In the real world, however, there is a lack of fervor for calling BS on the things that the government doesn't want to tell us. That was until you came about WikiLeaks. From the moment you came out with a set of government documents detailing the failures of the Iraq and Afghanistan military offenses, it's been an uphill battle to keep you afloat. I say that not because you're losing the battle. As a matter of fact, by releasing these documents and allowing the media, and more importantly the people, to see what the government really is up to, you're making good on the idea that the government should be transparent as possible.

I say you're fighting an uphill battle because there is such a thin line between releasing useful information and information that might be detrimental to our safety. In this day and age, homeland security is ironically synonymous with secrecy, even while terrorism continues to run rampant. We're in an age of constant security checks and less privacy at the expense of that security. WikiLeaks, I'm not going to lie. As enticing as the idea of knowing exactly what the government is up to is, that information in the wrong hands is a terrorist attack waiting to happen. As much as the 'embarrassing information' might be juicy and give liberal folks like myself fodder to trash the government, your leaks are a threat. Yes, the government should come clean with the people, but some things just shouldn't be public knowledge. WikiLeaks, I appreciate your truth seeking, as well as the fact that you keep the leakers anonymous. God help those leakers if they ever get outed. I see a lifetime of waterboarding and Guantanamo Bay-style torture in that case.

Moving along, WikiLeaks, your site doesn't deserve to be shut down or blocked. There is always going to be such a thing as freedom of speech, and that right should always be respected. The government has no right to intervene in your operations no matter how much they think you will have (or already have) sullied its name. That said, it's up to you guys to show some discretion. If you're handing out complete blueprints to the White House, maybe that's not the best thing. But logs of war and conferences determining our fate abroad are fair game, in my opinion. The government can't be mad at that. If they really were concerned about the effects of some of your leaks, they wouldn't do the classifying in the first place. I guess it all goes back to whom should fear who. If you're putting the country in a compromised position, the government should fear you. If the government is going to slam the books on you, then vice versa. Just make sure your sources are reliable and won't be too upset if the entire military descends on their house in a terrorism sting...

Dear RIAA (re: Piracy)

5 years ago, I would've laughed.. Now I shudder, because it really could get this bad

via Information Liberation:

While they may never be able to truly defeat piracy and drive it from the lurking depths of the internet, copyright protection attack-dog organizations like the RIAA and MPAA have long dreamed of the day when they would no longer have to pay for their own copyright enforcement. Now that dream is on the verge of coming true, thanks to the Obama administration. After countless lobbyist dollars from the music and film industry and a brief "public review", the administration rolled out its vision to fight piracy yesterday afternoon. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden -- whose blunt speech has sometime left him in trouble -- did not mince words.

He states, "This is theft, clear and simple. It's smash and grab, no different than a guy walking down Fifth Avenue and smashing the window at Tiffany's and reaching in and grabbing what's in the window." The sound-byte comparing downloads to stealing jewels from New York City's finest jeweler quickly lit up the web. Bob Pisano, interim chief executive officer at the Motion Picture Association of America praised the VP, "It is especially critical that the United States has an effective framework for protecting creative content online and enforcing intellectual property rights in the digital environment."

According to the Obama administration, the RIAA, and MPAA, the world economy is pretty much doomed if we don't start prosecuting pirates at home and abroad. Without such a crackdown, businesses will go bankrupt the coalition argues. Biden states, "Piracy hurts, it hurts our economy."

The White House press release was full of buzz phrases, but short on details. It did however indicate that the U.S. government may increasingly monitor filesharing networks and BitTorrent sites and assist media groups in their prosecution/threat letter efforts. It speaks of improved "law enforcement efforts at the Federal, state and local level." The biggest effort, though, will be devoted to cracking down on piracy websites in the U.S. and overseas. The administration was short on details of how exactly it would convince piracy-loving nations like China to change their ways, but it did say it would try to do so by "being as public as we possibly can" about infringement.

This is a hard letter to write... As an avid music fan, I find myself always finding new music. The problem is when I want to own it for myself, and don't feel like dropping $14.79 (it's never on a round number, is it?). I remember in elementary school, we used to record over tapes, in middle school, we burned CD's, and in high school we used Kazaa & Limewire to download loosies. Now, I get my music through other means, that shall not be revealed at this time. Regardless, those three eras in my life were pervaded by something that is finally coming for its day in court: music piracy. You, the RIAA, have been waiting forever for the government to back you up on this whole copyright thing. To me, though, this has failure to adapt written ALL OVER IT.

RIAA, you never were down with the digital revolution, and now you're paying the price. When Napster first came out, and every person under 16, without a job and the subsequent funds to purchase music suddenly had said music at their fingertips, that should've been a sign for you. You should have seen it coming. The internet was young, and full of little loopholes and ways to impress your idea on a small population of users. Instead of innovating around this new technology, you tried to stifle it. You called every aging rock star who needed a booster check you could find, and made sure they spoke out about Napster and illegal downloading. When filesharing sites became the norm, rather than encourage music labels to embrace the new norm and try their hand at it, you had Congress fine teenagers millions of dollars for downloading a couple hundred songs. RIAA, you're the worst type of managing entity, because you only take action when you see your bottom line dropping. And it's sad, because the music industry is always going to be in a state of flux if you don't solidify it with fair and balanced rules on filesharing. Honestly, I think that you guys are lying about how much money you're losing. For all of the talk about how much piracy is messing with your wallets, I don't see you guys rushing to drop any figures or for your participating companies to drop any artists.

By all accounts, aside from yours, the music industry is alive and well. There is a vibrant and ever-expanding online presence from the music industry, with blogs, online publications and Twitter making big moves for artists and labels. Yet and still, you seem to focus more on what you're losing through music piracy rather than what you could gain through the new technology at your fingertips. There have to be at least two halves of an idiot in your entire organization who can find a way to placate the artists and labels being pirated, without discouraging fans or even making the problem worse. It's not that hard... If guys like Curren$y can be thriving in the industry without labels and your backing to keep their music private, why can you find a compromise or common ground that we can all agree on. No, I'm not going to say that illegal downloading and music piracy is right. However, of all the things to nitpick about and waste your time over, this should be at the bottom of the list. The fact that the government has to help you clean the mess up is even more indicative of your organization's inefficacy. To say that you're behind the curve is an understatement at this point. Then again, Obama does seem pretty serious about this new initiative. Guess I'll keep re-finding torrents until his boys come knocking on my door...

Dear Congress

The biggest piece of legislation since my generation was born...

via The New York Times:

House Democrats approved a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health system on Sunday, voting over unanimous Republican opposition to provide medical coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans after an epic political battle that could define the differences between the parties for years.

With the 219-to-212 vote, the House gave final approval to legislation passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve. Thirty-four Democrats joined Republicans in voting against the bill. The vote sent the measure to President Obama, whose yearlong push for the legislation has been the centerpiece of his agenda and a test of his political power. After approving the bill, the House adopted a package of changes to it by a vote of 220 to 211. That package — agreed to in negotiations among House and Senate Democrats and the White House — now goes to the Senate for action as soon as this week. It would be the final step in a bitter legislative fight that has highlighted the nation’s deep partisan and ideological divisions. On a sun-splashed day outside the Capitol, protesters, urged on by House Republicans, chanted “Kill the bill” and waved yellow flags declaring “Don’t Tread on Me.” They carried signs saying “Doctors, Not Dictators.”

Inside, Democrats hailed the votes as a historic advance in social justice, comparable to the establishment of Medicare and Social Security. They said the bill would also put pressure on rising health care costs and rein in federal budget deficits.

“This is the Civil Rights Act of the 21st century,” said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat in the House.

Kudos Congress, kudos. Though there was arm-pulling, hair-pulling and numerous shots fired (all metaphorical), a bill that will change the social course of the United States is officially a GO. By a vote of 219 to 212, you in the House and Senate finally passed the Health Care Reform that President Obama promised in his epic 2008 election. That said, I have one question: WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG?? Congress, (or the House, more specifically) ALL of you have above satisfactory health care. In fact, none of you will ever need to go through the bureaucracy, heartache and bullshit that 32 million Americans faced up until this bill's passing. Why was it so hard to make that move for the people who put you in office. Whether it was the insurance companies in your pockets, or the incredulous screams of 'death panels', nothing should have kept America from making good on the 'life' part of it's promise of 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'. Every piece of reasoning that you guys pushed in front of the bill dwindled when compared to the savings and overall good that the bill would ultimately do, and you know it.

Yes, the bill will take some time to balance out the budget that you guys unbalanced through numerous military expenditures and interest rate hikes. However, since when has your job as Congress been to protect the interest of the military or private insurance companies? Congress, your job is to represent the people; the same people that voted you in (many of whom are still in the dark about the benefits of the bill). Your job isn't to stand in the way of progress simply because you believe health care reform is detrimental to the interests of the few. Am I a political pundit? No. Am I a concerned voter who believes that everyone should be entitled to satisfactory health care? Hell to the yes.

This isn't a letter condemning your sloth in passing the bill as much as it is a regale of a 2-year long struggle. I will never understand how some of you voted against the bill, but to those of you that helped pass this landmark legislation, I give the utmost respect. It takes cojones to uproot a system so closely guarded by bureaucracy and special interest. Hopefully the ideal of bipartisan support doesn't halt any other reform, yet I can't help but think the 212 of you who voted against it are foaming at the mouth to shoot down another Obama bill. Don't let your own personal idiosyncrasies affect what's best for the people, or you might not even be around for the next big vote...

Dear Washington Wizards

What did he really do to deserve this??

via The Washington Post:

Gilbert Arenas was charged Thursday with a single count of carrying a pistol without a licence, a felony that carries a five-year sentence, but the Washington Wizards guard has reached a plea agreement that would result in much less or even no jail time, several sources close to the case said.

Arenas is scheduled to enter his plea on Friday afternoon before D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin. Even if prosecutors agree not to seek prison for Arenas, it will be up to Morin whether to sentence Arenas to probation, community service, a fine or some combination. The judge, a former defense attorney, also could send Arenas to jail.

Regardless of whether Arenas goes to jail, the star's future in the city that once embraced his jocular personality and his ability to hit clutch jump shots is in doubt. The 28-year-old former all star, whose birthday parties made the television news, has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA, and it is unclear whether a felony conviction would give the Wizards the right to void the remaining four years of his six-year, $111 million contract.

There are certain moments when the direction of the law makes absolutely no sense. It's a sad day when the justice system completely overshoots it's boundaries and makes a move to severe for it's own good. That said, Wizards, it's an even sadder day knowing that you threw your player under the bus for something that turned out to be a joke (by some accounts). Yes, Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton (who should be kissing Gilbert's ass for the rest of his life) were in the wrong for both having guns in a locker room, and for making light of it afterward. Gilbert is getting charged with an unlicensed pistol (funny, because Dick Cheney can ACTUALLY shoot some one, and not even be arrested), facing 5 years of a felony, and you guys decide to turn your back on him.

Not only is that foul ethically, but Gilbert has done soooo much more for the Wizards that Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison. Antawn is too scared to take the big shots, and Caron Butler has been playing terribly this year. In fact, the first player you should be cutting ties with is Caron. At least Gilbert is playing like a shell of himself. We could just blame it on the government's knack for knocking black athletes harder than anyone. At the end of the day, had you guys just stuck by Arenas, you might not have won a 'ship, but you wouldn't be poised to take a nosedive in the East. Too bad Javaris didn't get the long arm of the law.


Can anyone deny how ill Gil is??

Dear Google

via The NY Times:

Google said Tuesday that it would stop cooperating with Chinese Internet censorship and consider shutting down its operations in the country altogether, citing assaults from hackers on its computer systems and China’s attempts to “limit free speech on the Web.”

The move, if followed through, would be a highly unusual rebuke of China by one of the largest and most admired technology companies, which had for years coveted China’s 300 million Web users.

Since arriving here in 2006 under an arrangement with the government that purged its Chinese search results of banned topics, Google has come under fire for abetting a system that increasingly restricts what citizens can read online.

It's always a great thing when corporate America stands up for what is right, in a humanitarian sense. Whether it's Nike NOT working Asian children to the bone, or GM trying not to kill their employees' pensions, companies that care about something other than their quarterly reports are always a good look. Google, you've always been groundbreaking in terms of human resources, and how your company was run. That's why you suspending operations is so dope. You're like the Gandhi of the internet age, refusing to eat unless everyone's search engines are treated equally.

Yeah, we know having China on your roster was a security risk because people were hacking your site to get access to it. Yeah, we know you'll probably have to let go of a hefty amount of Chinese workers. In the short run, this might hurt. But in the long run, this sends a message that no country should be able to censor its people. Information is a right everyone needs to be afforded, and China is trying to play hardball, for what reason I don't know. It's not as if the Chinese people are a downtrodden, poor population. China is actually losing out by not cooperating with you. Hopefully they know that. Lord knows no one of the 1.3 billion heads in China wants to lose all of their e-mails and contacts. That'd be the real tragedy...