Saturday, September 27, 2008

Domestic Abuse

So I watched the 1st Presidential debate last night and I can't say that I thought either candidate came away with a decisive victory. But this debate was on foreign policy and I feel that this was McCain's debate to take and the fact that he didn't walk away with it...well, I don't think he'll be happy with all of the polling results today. To be clear- I support Obama. I just thought that if McCain was going to have an opportunity to do an end-zone victory dance, it would be after this particular debate.

During the debates, McCain said that he would consider a freeze on all domestic spending except for certain programs like VA and entitlement programs. I have a major problem with this statement. Ok, several major problems:

1. Entitlement spending (Medicare, Medicaid) is the fastest growing chunk of the federal budget. Entitlement spending accounts for anywhere between 50 - 60% of all federal spending. Not having a plan in place that takes into account the rapidly growing money suck that is entitlement spending is not going to help reduce government spending.

2. Domestic spending includes programs like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration (which we can all agree needs more money, not a budget freeze), the National Institutes of Health (in the spirit of full disclosure, I work at NIH so I have a vested interest in not seeing the budget cut) where medical research is conducted. Other domestic programs include the Environmental Protection Agency, The Education department, the Small Business Administration, the Transportation Department, The Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of the Interior. Despite the vast width and breadth of domestic, non-defense, non-entitlement spending, these programs only account for roughly 15% of the federal budget. Saying he'll freeze 15% of the budget as a way to get government spending under control is like saying, "Here, apply light pressure to this arterial wound. That should help."

3. Inflation dramatically reduces the purchasing power of federal agencies. This means, even if there is a budget freeze and agencies are kept at previous year funding levels, these agencies can not fund as much research, screen as many people, test as many drugs, etc, as they could the year before. The budget numbers might look the same on paper but the power of the budget decreases. What does this mean in real terms? A frozen budget = a cut budget.

Personally, I think it is the height of irresponsibility to suggest a spending freeze for domestic programs. And that's all I've got to say about that.

Monday, September 8, 2008

goal oriented

So I am reading 'The Last Lecture' by Randy Pausch on recommendation from a kindly therapist that thought perhaps I needed a little perspective in my life so that these seemingly random bouts of debilitating depression become a little less frequent.

I'd watched through the actual last lecture on YouTube and thought it was pretty slick, as in my desk and keyboard were slick with the tears that I unabashedly shed everywhere during Dr. Pausch's hour long presentation. The book expands on the themes of the lecture, concentrating the tear jerking power of the original into a compact and handy book so that emotion can be wrought forth on trains, in beds, on couches, and at lunch tables all across the world.

I bring all of this up not to launch a discussion about my over-worked nasolacrimal ducts, although that could be an interesting topic, to be sure. I bring this up because Dr. Pausch talks about setting and achieving his childhood dreams and this has prompted me to really think about what my dreams in life are. So, I've thought about them and I think I have three that in some way, shape or form, have been with me since childhood.

The first dream will come as no surprise to anyone who even remotely knows me.
1.) Write a book and get it published.
I've always wanted to be a writer. Due to a lot of reasons, I've sort of run away from writing as a career, but lately I've begun to embrace and explore it a little more.

My second dream is not one that I've discusses with many people but might not seem too far out in left field.
2.) Teach at the University level.

My third dream is something I've never discussed with anyone.
3.) Swim in the Olympics.
This will probably come a total shock to everyone. Consider I never took swimming all that seriously when I did swim competitively and couple that with the fact that I am not swimming now and the chances of achieving this dream are very very very small. Think 10 to the negative a lot of zeros. But, the fact remains, this is a dream that I have had since I was maybe 14 and I never gave voice to it, but it was always there, tucked away in journal entries and day dreams.

So there they are - my childhood dreams. They may seem silly to some, unobtainable to most, but there they are none the less.

I've currently got an idea for a book that I think has some promise and I am organizing my schedule so that I can start swimming with a Master's swim team starting in October. I'm working on a plan regarding the University teaching appointment. Who knows what will happen? But I wanted to publicly state my dreams, and in doing so, perhaps take the first step in making them a reality.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

climbing the ladder of success

The alarm went off at some ungodly hour this morning, I think it was close to 5am. I seriously considered calling in sick just so I could sleep for, you know, four or five more hours, which is messed up because I went to bed around 10pm last night. However, calling in sick after taking off for a week to go to Tokyo didn't strike me as the best career move.