Sunday, July 30, 2006
Keeping myself busy
It's been a while since I wrote my last blog entry, so I decided I would be nice and write a new one. A few weeks ago I went to a concert (at which some different bands were playing) and had the surprise of meeting one of the bands. The band's name was Sugarland, and when I had listened to them perform their music (a few minutes before I knew that I was going to meet them), I must say that I wasn't very impressed. So, I got up in the middle of one of their songs to go get a hot dog. On the way back to my seat, one of the band's stage crew walked up to me and asked if I wanted to go backstage to meet them. I hesitated for a second and was about to say no (since I didn't like their music very much) but then I thought that I'd accept the offer since I could always sell something they'd autograph on Ebay. Instead of getting to go back to my comfy plastic seat in row 3, direct center, I had to stand in a line with a bunch of people who were waiting to go backstage. To make a long story short, I got to go backstage and meet them after standing in that line for about half an hour. It was nothing special, the two singers of the band just signed my shirt (which I am thinking about selling on Ebay) and then I left. Even though I was half tempted to tell them that I thought their music sucked, I restrained myself and just smiled.
The next day I left for another vacation. I traveled to Philadelphia, PA and Washington DC. Looking back on the two places I'd have to say that I liked Washington DC a lot better than Philadelphia. There was just so much more to do in DC than there was in Philly. I could probably spend a good month in DC and still not see everything there is to see. All in all, I had a blast on the vacation. There was only one point during it that I got aggravated (which is not something you should get while on vacation). "When did I get aggravated", you ask? It was while I was taking a tour of the capital building and I went into the House of Representatives. Since the House was in session, I was able to sit on the balcony and watch them work. And work they did! (I'm being very, very sarcastic when I say "work".)
As I looked over the balcony railing, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There weren't more than two dozen people on the whole floor! I don't know exactly how many members there are of the House of Representatives, but I do know that it's a lot more than I saw. And while I sat there, looking at the people below me, I began to get angrier and angrier. There was one Representative who was giving a speech about a bill he was in favor of, and I swear that there was not one person on the entire floor who was listening to him. The people that were down there were either messing around with their Palm Pilots or attempting to sleep. As I witnessed this, I thought: Wow, this is our government in action. It's no wonder why nothing gets done in the US government! When I asked my tour guide why there was barely anyone on the floor, she told me that most members of Congress very rarely actually sit and listen to the speeches. She said that the vast majority of Congress members just watch CSPAN from the comfort of their offices. So in other words, a Representative or Senator's most valuable tool is a television.
Something about that just doesn't seem right. The entire purpose of the House of Representatives and the Senate (Congress) is to allow the sharing of information and the exchange of ideas. If everyone is sitting in their separate offices watching a TV, that's not happening. As I sat there, I realized that I was watching the entire foundation of our government being chipped away, one television set at a time. Even though it was frustrating to watch, and I walked away from the balcony angry, I concluded that it had been an educating experience. And looking back on it, it's one experience I think every US citizen should have. I now strongly believe that every single American citizen should, once in their life, pack their suitcases and head to DC so that they can sit on that balcony and watch their own government at "work" before their very eyes. Because frankly, it's a real eye opener.
I think I've ranted and raved on the subject of the US government enough for one blog entry. So, I'll step off the soapbox and just say this: it's good to be back home after this most recent vacation, and I'm glad to be back to my old computer work. No matter where you travel in the world, it's always nice to come back home and lay your head down on your own pillow.
The next day I left for another vacation. I traveled to Philadelphia, PA and Washington DC. Looking back on the two places I'd have to say that I liked Washington DC a lot better than Philadelphia. There was just so much more to do in DC than there was in Philly. I could probably spend a good month in DC and still not see everything there is to see. All in all, I had a blast on the vacation. There was only one point during it that I got aggravated (which is not something you should get while on vacation). "When did I get aggravated", you ask? It was while I was taking a tour of the capital building and I went into the House of Representatives. Since the House was in session, I was able to sit on the balcony and watch them work. And work they did! (I'm being very, very sarcastic when I say "work".)
As I looked over the balcony railing, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There weren't more than two dozen people on the whole floor! I don't know exactly how many members there are of the House of Representatives, but I do know that it's a lot more than I saw. And while I sat there, looking at the people below me, I began to get angrier and angrier. There was one Representative who was giving a speech about a bill he was in favor of, and I swear that there was not one person on the entire floor who was listening to him. The people that were down there were either messing around with their Palm Pilots or attempting to sleep. As I witnessed this, I thought: Wow, this is our government in action. It's no wonder why nothing gets done in the US government! When I asked my tour guide why there was barely anyone on the floor, she told me that most members of Congress very rarely actually sit and listen to the speeches. She said that the vast majority of Congress members just watch CSPAN from the comfort of their offices. So in other words, a Representative or Senator's most valuable tool is a television.
Something about that just doesn't seem right. The entire purpose of the House of Representatives and the Senate (Congress) is to allow the sharing of information and the exchange of ideas. If everyone is sitting in their separate offices watching a TV, that's not happening. As I sat there, I realized that I was watching the entire foundation of our government being chipped away, one television set at a time. Even though it was frustrating to watch, and I walked away from the balcony angry, I concluded that it had been an educating experience. And looking back on it, it's one experience I think every US citizen should have. I now strongly believe that every single American citizen should, once in their life, pack their suitcases and head to DC so that they can sit on that balcony and watch their own government at "work" before their very eyes. Because frankly, it's a real eye opener.
I think I've ranted and raved on the subject of the US government enough for one blog entry. So, I'll step off the soapbox and just say this: it's good to be back home after this most recent vacation, and I'm glad to be back to my old computer work. No matter where you travel in the world, it's always nice to come back home and lay your head down on your own pillow.
# posted by Answerthis @ 5:00 AM 
