Don't talk Money, Religion, or Politics
Lots of radio silence, been busy with the move to Boise for my new job with Micron. It's going well, very busy filling my brain with the information fire hose.
But that isn't the point of this post. I want to vent for a minute for what has been grinding my gears outside of work. The news about the US Debt Limit.
I am pretty certain, at this point, I really don't need to do a read in for any of my readers. Reds believe it's a good idea to play chicken with the debt limit, and as of now, there just isn't any time left for a real solution to be reached. Personally, I wouldn't be half as concerned if we weren't talking default while Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal seriously circle the financial drain.
Personally? I'm terrified and it's been keeping me up. I just graduated, I am fresh and green in my job... I am not yet endeared, I am completely expendable. Give my industry (high tech, semiconductors) enough of a jolt? My job and many like it move to Taiwan, Singapore, and China. It isn't enough to be as highly educated as me, to be an increasingly rare commodity here in the US. The overall number of engineers is pretty constant, most of them just aren't US. That leaves me with a less-than-zero resume and a bucket of debt. Okay, that's a bit apocalyptic... but not unforeseeable.
Frankly, I am flabbergasted. I am floored that policy makers would be willing to honestly crash the bus off the cliff for the point of politics... of winning an election, or making their counterparts lose theirs. And what shocks me more is the lack of concern from my coworkers. Most of them of the very conservative ilk, think the solution is something simple like "End 'Obamacare'" or "stop sending out welfare checks". Or they just think we hold off spending and the debt number will stop going up. Somehow the solution is to turn a few fed buildings black and just float to next fiscal year... regardless of the fact 2011's budget is already passed and in full effect. It floors me that my fellow engineers would so easily swallow the political rhetoric and not even give a second thought to the situation.
You know what? I'm kinda convinced that America has officially become too fat, stupid and lazy. When I constantly see and hear positions that are honestly too stupid to be believed (anti-vaccination, anti-immigration, anti-moon-landings) and the absolute complacency of my peers who are honestly well educated enough to know better. Guess the ship is officially sinking... how the fuck do I get off?
But that isn't the point of this post. I want to vent for a minute for what has been grinding my gears outside of work. The news about the US Debt Limit.
I am pretty certain, at this point, I really don't need to do a read in for any of my readers. Reds believe it's a good idea to play chicken with the debt limit, and as of now, there just isn't any time left for a real solution to be reached. Personally, I wouldn't be half as concerned if we weren't talking default while Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal seriously circle the financial drain.
Personally? I'm terrified and it's been keeping me up. I just graduated, I am fresh and green in my job... I am not yet endeared, I am completely expendable. Give my industry (high tech, semiconductors) enough of a jolt? My job and many like it move to Taiwan, Singapore, and China. It isn't enough to be as highly educated as me, to be an increasingly rare commodity here in the US. The overall number of engineers is pretty constant, most of them just aren't US. That leaves me with a less-than-zero resume and a bucket of debt. Okay, that's a bit apocalyptic... but not unforeseeable.
Frankly, I am flabbergasted. I am floored that policy makers would be willing to honestly crash the bus off the cliff for the point of politics... of winning an election, or making their counterparts lose theirs. And what shocks me more is the lack of concern from my coworkers. Most of them of the very conservative ilk, think the solution is something simple like "End 'Obamacare'" or "stop sending out welfare checks". Or they just think we hold off spending and the debt number will stop going up. Somehow the solution is to turn a few fed buildings black and just float to next fiscal year... regardless of the fact 2011's budget is already passed and in full effect. It floors me that my fellow engineers would so easily swallow the political rhetoric and not even give a second thought to the situation.
You know what? I'm kinda convinced that America has officially become too fat, stupid and lazy. When I constantly see and hear positions that are honestly too stupid to be believed (anti-vaccination, anti-immigration, anti-moon-landings) and the absolute complacency of my peers who are honestly well educated enough to know better. Guess the ship is officially sinking... how the fuck do I get off?