07 April 2011

Let me be clear...

I love politics.  It is what I want to dedicate my life to in some way, shape or form.  But man, I am so sick of reading/seeing/watching about this WI Supreme Court race, how it’s a reflection on Scott Walker and the Budget Repair Bill, and the potential government shutdown.  
Politics has become less about the issues and more about who is in bed with who, so to speak.  In November, voters in Wisconsin overwhelmingly went for Scott Walker and other Republicans who wanted reform, particularly in the budget area.  The Republican’s voices were heard.  Now, there are efforts all over the state to recall politicians—Democrats and Republicans alike—basically because constituents don’t like what they have done.  If I recall my 8th grade civics class correctly, recall is reserved for a politician who did something illegal.  Republicans did not do anything illegal in the process of formulating and attempting to pass the budget repair bill—and according to multiple sources, the passing of it was legal (I am not a lawyer—yet—so all I can go on is what I have read from various news outlets, from all perspectives).  Now I don’t know the legality of it, and I won’t claim to, but the Democrats fled to Illinois to avoid a vote, which, while in my opinion, is a bit unethical, but I haven’t read/seen/found anything that says it was outright illegal (as in, a recall-able offense).  This is not the democracy I grew up with (and I am only 20!) and this is not the kind of democracy I want.  It shows the fickleness of our voters.  
As the WI Supreme Court battle plays out, it will be interesting to see how the recounters and certifiers will handle it.  I would imagine that it is no small task, and I hope that all of the people involved will use the most ethical behavior possible when determining this very important race.  Either way it goes—Prosser or Kloppenberg—a lot is at stake.  Depending on who comes out victorious, it will swing our Supreme Court one way or another, which could have a significant impact on the outcome of various legislations that are pending, namely the legality of the Budget Repair Bill (though I read that this matter should be settled long before the winner takes office).  
I hope for wisdom for all involved, and I hope that our country can figure it out and make some headway.  Each party needs to give a little and take a little in order to meet in the middle so we can avoid a government shutdown; something I don’t think anyone would like to see.
I will reiterate that I love politics, but it is frustrating to watch.  Albeit interesting, this “politics as usual” is beginning to make me a little bit upset.
On another note, I wish I could write a political blog every day.  I love it.

04 April 2011

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Yep, the times are a-changing.  My life is changing.  I am changing. The people in my life are changing.  Change means a couple of things: things just don't remain the same, and sometimes things have to become different in order for them to be sound and for me to retain my sanity.  

Yesterday I did a thorough Facebook cleansing--where I went through my friends and deleted several who I no longer interact with.  Why does someone I barely know and have any contact with in my day-to-day life need to know or (and especially) care about what I am doing?  Why do I care about what they are up to?  Is this pure nosiness?  Stalking?  "Falking," (Facebook+Stalking) I think is what it's called.  Whatever it is, it's weird and unnecessary.  In this age of social media, it is interesting that we are often friends with 500+ people on Facebook and barely know half of them...and now our face to face communication is lacking because we sit behind a screen and expect it to suffice for human contact.  In case you were wondering: it doesn't.     

I have been finding out that the people who really matter are the ones who stick by you no matter what, and who aren't just there when they feel like it.  Everyone is busy, everyone has their own lives, but there is always time to be a friend.  Always.  Between homework and jobs and significant others and everything else, it can be difficult to balance things, but it is really unfortunate when friendships fall apart because one (or both) parties "doesn't have time" to nurture it.  Time is a restraint that we use as an excuse way too often.  "No, I don't have time to help you because I am busy."  "Even though I am aware you really need my help, I can't because I have to go to lunch with my girlfriend/boyfriend/other friend/family member."  "I know you have dropped everything to be there for me when I needed you but since I have something else that involves, you aren't that important anyway."  

Since my knee surgery, and especially in the couple weeks following it, I found out who my real friends were--the ones who didn't mind walking with a gimpy girl, the ones who came over and said hey, the ones who called just to see how I was, the ones who took time to even send a text or a Facebook message asking how I was doing.  I was surprised that in many cases, the people who did this were not the friends whom I thought would; they were the ones I least expected.  

Sometimes, I guess, life and the world have a funny way of working.  Life surprises you.  People surprise you, for better or for worse.  I guess that's what life is about: finding people you can count on.  We all need human contact and we all need friends to fall back on when the going gets tough...but I for one do not need the kind of friends we have grown accustomed to: the kind that are behind a computer screen, the kind that use you for whatever they need at the time.  It is ridiculous to expect people to reciprocate your actions--you do things for other people because you WANT to, not because you expect something in return.  But, sometimes it is okay to step away and realize that you are worth more than what they give you.  Have respect for yourself, and the rest will fall into place.  

And that is exactly what I am doing. 

01 April 2011

Goodness...

I cannot believe how fast everything is happening.  It just dawned on me that I am -almost- half way done with college.  What?!  I decided to stay in tonight to do homework (yeah, I know, on a Friday...but I have had a lot to catch up on in light of surgery.) and I ended up figuring out my schedule for next semester, which led me to wonder if there were any spots left for the Aspin Center for Government in DC for Fall 2011.  Sure enough, there are.  However, I don't particularly want to study "abroad" for an entire semester; it would really mess with my four year plan since in DC you take 9 class credits (3 classes) and then 6 credits worth of internship experience.  With a double major, it would be very difficult to stay on track if I went away for a semester and neglected my Corporate Communication major.  But, as luck may have it, it appears as if there may be spots open for Summer 2011...if there are, and if I get in, I would absolutely love to go there this summer and intern on Capitol Hill and learn all about government...I am really excited right now.  It is just weird to think that I only have four semesters left; time flies so fast.

In the infamous words of Ferris Bueller:

"Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."