My summers tend to be boring and work-filled, so I try to eke entertainment from wherever I can find it. One unexpected source of excitement came from the debt-ceiling crisis and the run up to the presidential election in 2012. I would not categorize myself as particularly politically active other than when I drunkenly voice my opinions with friends at 2 a.m. I did vote in the last election for John McCain and for a while considered myself a Republican. My opinions changed this summer with the unfolding of the standoff between Democrats and Republicans.
I had been neutral and even sympathetic to the Tea Party cause before I saw that their representatives in Washington were prepared to destroy America before compromising. Pragmatism and political reality were thrown out the window in favor of ideology and blind anti-tax dogma. The Tea Party claims to be a movement whose purpose is, according to their website, "reforming all political parties and government so that the core principles of our Founding Fathers become, once again, the foundation upon which America stands."
I would argue that the strengths of our Founding Fathers were not only found in their varied opinions but also in their ability to compromise in order to make political progress. Although the bill to raise the debt ceiling for the 78th time since 1960 easily passed with a 269-161 vote in the House of Representatives, the squabbling had taken its toll on the confidence in the idea that the country was headed in the right direction. Standard & Poor's cited the political infighting as one of the main reasons for demoting the United States credit rating from AAA to AA+, putting us in the same category as countries such as Belgium and New Zealand. While the consequences of this downgrade are debatable, especially with the recent flood of buyers for government bonds, the point remains that the fighting in Congress is detrimental to the overall health of the nation.
I have long considered myself a financial and social conservative, but I was overwhelmed at the lack of effort on the Republican side to make a bipartisan effort to address the debt crisis — a crisis that was itself manufactured by Republicans. Republicans voted seven times to raise the debt ceiling under former President George W. Bush and as much as I would like to see the debt reduced or even eliminated, the time to have a debate about spending would be better suited to a time when the unemployment level in the nation is not at almost 10 percent.
Obama was prepared to offer a bill that would have slashed the deficit by trillions while cutting spending $3 for every $1 of new revenues. But House Republicans effectively gave the president and working-class Americans the finger when they turned down the bill, citing the increased taxes for the wealthy and corporations. I am in favor of cutting spending. I do not like taxes. But compromise is a necessity in politics and in life.
I like beer but dislike shots, but if someone would only give me a beer if I took a shot, by God I am going to take that shot. Buddha once said, "Life is suffering." We are $14 trillion in debt. Republicans cannot expect to significantly reduce the debt without new revenue. I can no longer associate myself with either party, and in the 2012 election plan on voting for least crappy candidate.
Get it together Congress. America needs you.
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Sam Chapin is a junior majoring in religion.
