99 days
Today is my 99th day of sobriety. While I know I can manage to continue to stay sober, I worry about my sobriety a lot. I have never been this sober for this long. Also, I have not been to a meeting since Tuesday
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I still haven't seen Weeds, but I hear it is very good.
Also, yes, I do support the debt ceiling being raised. I'm not sure why you asked that, actually. That being said, I do think there needs to be massive restructuring of the debt and the way not just America but the way the whole world uses money. Of course, I'm not an economist, I have no formal training in any of the related issues, but I think it is something that all politicians need to deal with it. Of course, because it is a complex policy issue with far-ranging implications, and not much good can be said, no one is willing to sacrifice their popularity --even if Congress enjoys popularity in the low 20s and the president is under 50%.
Also, let's face facts: the debt was 1 trillion in 1980. What has happened since then? Massive military spending (Reagan alone took the 1 trillion dollar debt and turned it to at least 4 trillion), tax cuts for the rich; under Clinton, we saw drastic reductions in the welfare system; and, of course, under Bush II, we saw even more needless military spending in the so-called War on Terror. The problem? BOTH parties are responsible for all of this; Reagan had to contend with a Democratic Congress, just like Clinton dealt with a Republican Congress. And, naturally, Bush II got what he wanted because of 9/11 and for 6 of his 8 years, the GOP held Congress. So, really, why are we in this mess? Because we continue to spend MORE than the ENTIRE world combined does on national security. This is because both parties have blood on their hands.
Clinton said in '92, "It's the economy, stupid!" Well, a parallel argument can be used now: "It's the WARS, stupid!" But no one will say that; there's maybe, maybe, one or two congressman (from both houses) that may have voted against the war. I'm not sure, I'd actually have to look at it.
As I was trying to explain on the phone the other day: society --by which, I mean, the state, really --, by and large, exists largely in order to protect people. Thus, a military is a core component of any of the "great" civilizations. Also, you can read this a similar, though rather different, argument in a very interesting, very influential (but also out-of-date) book from 1987: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy. Maybe I could send you MY copy? Ha! Anyways, the book traces modern-times (Renaissance/roughly 1500 to the late 20th century) and argues not about why society exists, but why those powers rise and collapse. Unlike Jarod Diamond, it does not offer any sociological or anthropological theories; it is, a political-economic text with the premise that once a state becomes top-heavy (i.e. too much on military spending) that usually brings upon its collapse.
I hope all is well.
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