President Obama’s Address to Congress

Well, like most other Americans, I also tuned into President Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress and was struck by three things:

1) He is unparalleled in his rhetorical ability

2) He actually lied on at least 3 or 4 different occasions but people don’t seem to care because it’s Obama. Here’s a big one “I’m proud to pass a stimulus bill with no earmarks”…what?!

3) His speech was like a campaign speech: high on rhetoric, low on substance. People love to hear all the nice things he’s saying but don’t seem to notice the real inconsistencies between what he’s promising and what he’ll actually be able to do and how he would have to do them (like…by raising taxes…a LOT)

I thought this Economist article was illuminating on the topic

A theme that permeated the speech was rapidly rising national debt, following the budget-busting $787 billion stimulus that Mr Obama just signed. “Everyone in this chamber—Democrats and Republicans—will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars. And that includes me,” Mr Obama said. But he has yet to say what he is prepared to sacrifice. He still plans to expand publicly financed health care, make permanent tax credits to the majority of workers, expand college assistance and invest in alternative energy.

I thought Governor Jindal‘s response started off slow but picked up steam towards the end. I was reading along in the pre-released text and it definitely read better than it sounded. But I think this is the fundamental difference between Obama and Jindal. Obama is unmatched in his ease with the teleprompter, but is quite lost without it. Jindal is not very comfortable reading a speech, but he can talk with great ease about policy because he actually is brilliant when it comes to policy.

This interview on the “Today Show” should make that point abundantly clear:

Economics…and Gender Roles?

In a more atypical Saturday evening activity – I’m just sitting on my bed (for lack of a better place to really relax) and I’m reading the Wall Street Journal…and I come across this article which states that

The impact of these uneven job losses will be felt along lines which have been apparent for quite some time to some of us concerned with basic biology. Ever since females gained control of reproduction, mainly with The Pill, there has been a cascade of subtle but extensive shifts in sociosexual experience. Now, in both a real and symbolic sense, women are acquiring control of production too.

But they are also being more controlled by it. Like men in the past, they no longer have a sassy choice between job or family. Bread before self-expression and “fulfilling potential.”

First find a job. Maybe then, find yourself.

Essentially – the gist of the article is that this recession is claiming an inordinate amount of jobs currently held by men, therefore altering the dynamic not only in gender roles (which were apparently already shifting due to ‘sociosexual’ shifts) and now women go from ‘liberation to obligation.’

The article ends with this:

Irritated slogans about equal opportunity will fade, replaced by dour acceptance of equal obligation. Or if the current data are predictive for women, unequal obligation.

I find that Lionel Tiger doesn’t seem to be making any point. He’s more or less acknowledging the current shifts in socio-economic reality.

I suppose what caught my eye about this article is that he mentions that men are increasingly unpalatable to women as a mate, particularly if that man is unemployed. Women are already having to step up in unprecedented ways to provide for those they love as well for themselves – and how is a man supposed to carve out a place for them in a woman’s life if he is unable to provide in any meaningful way?

It’s hard to find women that yearn to be provided for (or at least women that make it clear that they are indeed yearning for it), it effects this–

It is so refreshing to actually encounter a woman who acts in such a ‘counter-cultural’ way, and it challenges me to also broaden my horizons when considering what is to be expected or even desired in a marriage relationship.

Rewind|Replay

Apparently there’s some sort of power outage going on at work which has shut down Outlook (no email) and the network (no work) so…I’m just sitting here at my desk. It’s sort of a funny because everyone who’s in the office today is sitting at their desk, but we all know that none of us could actually be doing any work because the network’s down…but yet we still sit at our desks as if we’ve got things to do.

For my part, I’ve done my daily read of the major dailies with the related sharing via Facebook, Mixx, Digg, Delicious and the newly minted Yahoo! Buzz (I’ve only Buzzed 2 things…but I’m just starting…). But usually this is my routine of things to do right before I launch into my professional duties…but today, there is a palpabe and tangible lack of things to do. But I can’t leave…I just have to sit here, chained to my desk (as it were) until something happens that creates work for me. This is like jail.

As I continue the train of thought that began long ago yet continues its path around my mind…I begin to think of ways that I might be able to rewind my life. Rewind in the sense of trying to right things that were wrong in the past (redeem might be an operative word here) and replay it in the sense of giving things new beginnings. But…how?

There are those with whom I would like to be reconciled – but it’s been so long, perhaps they neither recognize the same need nor share the same desire? But at a fundamental level – I suppose that’s really not what matters – what matters is what I can say, what I can do, to do my part and if it’s not reciprocated, I can move on.

Life has been very interesting lately if for no other reason than the fact that it feels as though I am crawling on hands and knees with a flashlight in my mouth to barely and clumsily  see what’s before me.

That which is, and that which is not, meant to be

The sharper the contrast, the clearer the lesson.

Change is a’coming…

Well, other than the impending election of one B. Obama, that’s not really the kind of change I’m talking about. Well…I guess I’m more or less tired of this election. Intellectually I am willing to assent that it is a “historic” election (aren’t they all?), but I’m not really excited about it – and this is not really about the fact that Senator Obama looks poised to win. It’s just that I’m not really excited about either. One I just disagree with on just about everything, and the other…well, pretty much the same thing.

I’m ready to be truly inspired by a candidate – and I have a few ideas of who could be that kind of candidate.

But that’s not even the point. The point is that no President will “fix” this nation; no President will bring salvation – so perhaps it’s high time we stopped acting like he would.

Okay – sorry, I’m not intending to be so down on politics and government – when these are the things I feel called to. The point of this post was simply to say that change is coming – at least in my life. Law school, Foreign Service, military, new place to live…all these things are possibilities, hypothetical scenarios and vague pipe dreams – but they’re mine. Where will I be in 6 months?

Who knows?

But I’m almost willing to guarantee that it will be a different place than where I am now. And that’s exciting.  That’s change I can believe in