The End is Nigh.....or Just a day off

The issue on the minds of most legislatures is our massive debt on the state and federal level. Currently the federal government in teetering on the edge, and is looking as though it will have a government "shut down" very soon. What will the government shoot down look like is the topic of interest for many government employees. As the Washington Post and other news organization have reported the government shut down is not as apocalyptic as some of the Representatives try to paint it as. The Washington Post created a short video discussing the impact and events that let up to the potential shut down. (Link: Washington Post Video)

General speaking the only impact of the shut down will be the temporary shutdown of the "non-essential" aspects of government. So fire, police, military, and other such service will go unfazed from the "government shut down". You might not be able to go to the DOL or get audited by the IRS but over all life will go on as normal.  The question in my mind is once this political stunt is over. Which side will come out "on top". Hopefully something constructive will come out of this. But in all reality a government shut down will just be another tool for the campaign session.

The Power of our Generation

“IT BEGINS”, concludes the video launching Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, “with us.” That is, it begins with ordinary, hard-working, upstanding citizens getting together to speak out for what they believe in. And what is that, exactly? A woman in Arizona (Gladys, a caption helpfully informs us) talks vaguely about finding a job, owning a house and putting kids through college. Aside from these unobjectionable goals, however, there is no hint as to what Mr Obama stands for or how he intends to achieve it." (The Economist)

As many of you have already seen Obama has begun officially running for re-election. The interesting part is that his primary focus is on the young voter. With the over whelming majority of college students and young adults having voted for Obama last election it seems like a logical place for his campaign to start. This year however with the unpopularity of some of his actions as president, the margins will not be as high as last election. More people of my generation were left with a feeling of confusion in regards to his presidency. What has he changed for the better?

In a move to recapture his strongest demographic Obama will be hosting a Facebook town hall conference. Where people can post on the Facebook page questions for the president. But one has to wonder why is he putting so much time into the youth so early?

Some political researchers and analysts feel that if Obama doesn't win the youth he might not be able to win reelection. How is that for a interesting thought. Could the very fate of our nation fall on to the shoulder of our generation? With the amount of money and time spent trying to capture the youth vote it might just be true.

With that fact made clear, will our generation help shape our nation come 2012 or will they let the direction of our nation be decided without us?

UW Students visualize the debt.

Last week the Young Americans for liberty chapter at the University of Washington engaged their fellow students on the important of debt reduction. The Student were generally meet with curiosity more then hostility, which is unusual for a libertarian club on any campus. Most onlookers stooped for a brief moment to look and the display. Others took photos and walked up to there booth to learn more about our national debit.

During the event a local school group of 4th grader visiting the campus stopped to learn more about our national debit. The president of the student group explained the danger of over spending and what their future might look like if we don't fix the national debt. A few of the 4th grades tried to pronounce the debit. After multiple failed attempts, the student frustrated proclaimed, "This number is way to high!".

The Visualize the debt event was part of a nation day of protest to try and engage people on the issues surrounding our national debt. The student group was interviewed my MSNBC and the local papers as well.

Its good to see this tough issue discussed so plainly with the community. One would hope that this discussion would not just stop on campuses but would start to be a major focuses for most of the conversation focusing on our future. If a 4th grader could get the message i hope the maybe our legislature would also come to the realization that "this number is way to high!"