Capitol District

Once again, our nation’s most pressing issue has leapfrogged a myriad of other crises, occupying the time of Senators and Statesmen from every state in the union. In a time of international conflict, environmental catastrophe and large scale economic uncertainty, what is on the mind of our country’s elected officials? Baseball. Granted, as we close out the dog days of August and teams gear up for a playoff push over the final fall weeks, baseball is probably at least occupying more brain space than usual for fans of the game nationwide, is there really a place for MLB-related issues to occupy should-be jam packed list of concerns for Congress members? Just recently, Roger Clemens was formally indicted by a Federal Grand Jury, charged with lying to Congress, while under oath, and obstructing congressional inquiry. But the question remains, exactly what business does Congress have poking around in the affairs of professional baseball?Sure, the shutdown of Stephen Strasburg for the season might be fine for dinner table chatter among Senators and House Representatives who keep up with local teams on their own hours, but when it comes to official government business, one can be pretty sure the founding fathers didn’t intend for the legislative branch to check and balance the rules regarding performance enhancing drugs. (more…)

The economic climate in the United States has been volatile over the past few years to say the least, at least compared to the general sense of security American’s enjoyed over the course of the past decade or two. Social Security, a system that has long been the friend of citizens preparing for their retirement, is soon to be a subject breeding more concern than comfort. This year marks the first time since 1983 that Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it will receive in tax revenue, starting a deficit trend that should only continue to expand as the baby-boomer generation ages towards retirement, finally collecting money after many years of paying social security taxes. Not only is there projected to be a deficit for the foreseeable future, but the gap between benefits paid and tax revenue collected is only expected to increase with each passing year. One contributing factor to the problem is the continued growing life expectancy. As technology increases, Americans are living longer. While great news on an individual basis, in terms of Social Security, this only places more stress on the system as longer lives mean more annual payments as people grow old well past the retirement age. So, the Social Security issue is universally agreed upon as an impending problem, but what kind of discussions are taking place on Capitol Hill? (more…)

With the near collapse of many global financial institutions not too far back in the rear view mirror, in all the efforts to resurrect the spiraling economy, perhaps one consideration has been undervalued, the looming national debt. In a time where Americans are scouring for money, it would be wise to consider the repercussions of mortgaging long term financial security for short term stability. The national debt is a product of spending beyond our means as a nation, forcing the United States to offset its yearly national deficit between government spending and tax revenue by borrowing from foreign entities. As it stands the national debt is currently well over 13,000,000,000,000, or for those not accustomed to so many zeros, 13 trillion. (more…)