Over the Independence Day holiday weekend, my husband and I took a road trip to Houston. We met up with his sister, Andria, one of my most favorite people, and her fiance', Victor, who has quickly become the newest addition to our crazy-awesome-loud-funny family. We enjoyed two Red Sox-Astros games at Minute Maid park, along with the excellent fireworks shows afterward. They just retract the roof of the dome and set the fireworks to popular music. The best part is that there really isn't a bad seat in the house; anyone in the ballpark can take in the 15-minute show with a nice view. Apparently, this happens after every ballgame on Friday nights - "Friday Night Fireworks" sponsored by Marathon Oil. Oh, to have that much money.
On Saturday we walked around the mall without purchasing very much at all. We frankly don't have the money to spend and have enough bills to think about that we can talk ourselves out of buying almost anything. We ate yummy Mexican food, sat around the hotel room and talked, talked, talked. Sunday was the second ballgame and another win for the Red Sox - there were a significant number of cheers and our fan base must have outnumbered the home team fan base quite a bit. Embarrassing, I know, but what can I say? New Englanders take their baseball more seriously. :D Sunday night's post game fireworks were a special event, unlike the typical Friday night ones. They were set to patriotic music for the one holiday that brings all of America together, Independence Day. These were sponsored by Chesapeake Energy, if you were curious.
Later that day we went to Dave and Busters - a really, really fun place, kind of a grown-ups version of Chuck E Cheese. You can play different arcade-style games, eat at the restaurant, or play billiards. The four of us are definitely just big kids, so it's perfect for us. I even won a stuffed dolphin from one of those big bins with all the stuffed animals in them and the claw that grabs them after you get it positioned just right (no idea if these things have a formal name). Anyway, I NEVER win at those things! The dolphin's name is Astro and he lives in my office now. :D
One of the coolest games at D&B's, however, was the arcade version of "Deal or No Deal?" You've probably seen the game show while flipping through the channels on TV. It's a game of statistics, in which you select and open briefcases with a mysterious amount of cash, hoping to hit the jackpot. As you narrow down the briefcases, you can decide whether to take the offer suggested by "the Banker" - money in your pocket - or risk winning more from the briefcases that are still left. Playing it at an arcade like this is great because you get to gamble without losing any actual money. It's almost like a game of chicken - the game is fun until you walk away with nothing. You have to balance risk with reward, of course, and think sensibly.
I wish I could translate this kind of thinking into the thick heads of our government.
Our weekend was fun and whimsical; we were free from responsibility for a moment. We always have fun just spending time together, and a weekend like this before returning to work after the holiday is always refreshing. It was only for a short while, though. We know that if we were to just stop going to work altogether we would lose our jobs, our paychecks, and the fun would NOT last. Now that our government is mere days away from a financial Doomsday, any fun political bantering and debate is long gone. Someone has to swerve their car in this very dangerous game of chicken, or a huge chuck of America (and many beyond our borders) will suffer. Seriously.
The natural next step, to me and others, is to withhold the pay of our elected officials. If they aren't doing their jobs by attempting to end this stalemate and keep the country running, they really don't deserve their paycheck. They need to work like the rest of America, balancing risk with reward and thinking sensibly. They need to speak with one another as competent adults, with mutual respect and compassion. They need to shut up and listen to one another with a bit of humility, checking their enormous egos at the door.
Is this really too much to ask from the people we charged with the leadership of our nation? I would be willing to bet that many Americans had never heard of a debt ceiling before this whole ridiculous thing began. We have our own problems and responsibilities to juggle without becoming experts on politics. This is why we elect people that (presumably) we feel we can trust - they do their part, we do ours. We work, pay taxes, and know that our government is there to support us. Now they are not holding up their end of the bargain. I love my country and I want to keep faith in my federal government, but this current situation has me feeling exasperated.
Can we make a deal already? Can we compromise, the way that coworkers, family, friends, and spouses compromise everyday? Can we just put aside the part lines and do what needs to be done? We've already gotten a tiny preview of what can happen when governments shut down in our own state of Minnesota. They were shut down for nearly two weeks at the beginning of this month. State workers had nothing to do but wait and the state lost millions in revenue. Of course, political bickering has always been crazy, but it seems to have amped up in intensity. It all seems more childish, with both sides claiming that the other stole the toy out of the sandbox that was meant for them! Feel free to picture me crossing my arms and pouting my lips defiantly at this point.
Let's move beyond the soundbites and the empty promises. Beyond the symbols that politicians love to wave in our faces, like those little American flag pins you always see them wearing on their jackets at a press conference. Let's do away with the tweets that barely scratch the surface of the problem and actually sit down and discuss the issues that deserve discussion. Let's do so with an open mind. We all have life experiences and knowledge to contribute to the discussions of important issues, and we need to be open to these views if we're ever to learn and grow - this applies equally well to federal governments as it does to individuals.
So, let's get to work. If necessary, let's confine all of Congress and President Obama into a bunker somewhere in D.C. As my mom pointed out to me, we can "slip them pizza under the door and not let them out until they come to a compromise!" They could wear pajamas or whatever they're most comfy in, with some coffee provided, too. No cameras or press would be allowed, no stenographer to keep track of who says what. No entertainment, no internet access. Just a room with a locked door, forcing them to all speak with each other.
Quite the fantasy, right? It's kind of funny but also kind of sad to picture such a scenario. Has it really become this challenging for our country's leaders to sit down together and talk? Part of the problem has to be that politician's are always worried about offending their base and getting enough votes for reelection. In fact, how would they behave if there was no possibility of reelection? If they only had one shot, one term in office, from the lowliest mayor to the President himself?
Mayor Michael Nutter, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, was recently a guest on the Rachel Maddow Show. He mentioned the 9% unemployment rate in Philadelphia and said, "When people in Philly talk about the debt limit, that's usually them talking about their own personal debt limit and how much debt they're accumulating in their own lives". It's got to be true elsewhere as well. We have our own lives to manage and we take them seriously. And we expect the government to do the same. Mayor Nutter went on to say, "Folks [in America] are truly suffering...and we don't have time for this kind of gamesmanship".
