Responsibility

-I meant to post this yesterday, but I was too busy-


Someone special to me told me something that meant a lot yesterday -- and at the same time, weighed on me more than I realized at first:


"Even though you don't know it, someone is always looking up to you."


Those are powerful words anyway -- but coming from someone who means so much to you, that's intense.

I had to stop and think: What am I doing with my life; how am I living so that the people around me will benefit and could potentially follow my lead?

It's a huge responsibility.

Think about every time that you stood in the corner; every time you thought no one was looking, so it'd be no big deal -- just this once.

You're not flattering yourself, if you hold yourself to a higher standard than those around you. It's not some pipe dream -- a wish that people around you would take notice so that you mean something.

Think about it: you watch those around you closer than you'd ever admit. You look for examples, you look for similarities, you look for ideas -- you look for flaws, shortcomings.

That's something to consider in life. Sure, you may say that it's not anyone else's business so you can do what you want. But people make it their business. And if that's not good enough for you, you're a part of society -- you give and take -- so people will see and watch.

Everyone is accountable for his or her own actions.

Here's a real-life example: this morning I found out that my program director has read this blog before. You may say, "Duh, it's on the Internet. Don't do something stupid." But who'd have thought? Honestly, I'm flattered. But it's a good reminder.

Let's get to the point, though.

I've gotten a wake-up call. These are not things I've never know before. But just knowing that someone I care about is actually watching me -- of all people -- and taking note makes me want to live a life worth seeing and emulating that much more.

So here I am deciding to make every moment of my life mean something.

And I'm telling you to tell those you watch -- it'll encourage them (and flatter them a little).

Let me light up the sky for you.

I Wish...

... I had more time to post today. I have something really important to me that I need to put into words. But right now I have looming deadlines: Economic Theory paper and Economic Final Exam.

Oh, the joys of life.

Do I ever cherish them so.

It's just one of those [busy, busy] days.

Time

For many, it's just another dull, dreary, disappointing Monday morning.

For me, it's my last Monday morning in D.C. for a long, long time.

I woke up a little groggy and a little grumpy. I shaved and took a shower. I ironed my shirt on the table over a tower because after eight weeks here I still don't have an ironing board. I decided against a bagel, so I could sit with Alex on the eight o'clock bus, but she wasn't there -- I didn't get my Alex fix this morning before work!

It hit me on the bus: this is my last week in D.C. I got sad. I thought, " This isn't fair. Why do good things always have to end?"

Then I saw a Porsche on the road -- it made me smile. It kind of knocked me on the head: life isn't bad just because I'm leaving. It just means I need to cherish everything that much more!

So this morning I took extra care to notice everything -- to notice anything. I thought of a mental picture my economics professor used: when you look at a fence, that's all you see, but as you gradually move closer and look between the slots, a whole new world opens up behind them.
This morning I looked for that world.

I'm wearing my favorite pants -- they're gray pin-striped slacks from Banana Republic, and the only reason I could afford them is because my aunt and uncle got me a gift card for Christmas last year.

I listened for all my favorite songs on my MP3 player (and since it's a mix, I wasn't disappointed ever!).

I saw a Porsche, a Mustang and Corvette -- I love cars!

I saw a funny man riding a bike with a Connecticut jersey.

I saw a quaint little antique shop I'll probably never walk into, but I know my parents like antiques, so maybe I'll give them a heads up.

I saw the hotel at Dupont Circle I thought was so cool my first time there. I want to stay there sometime, even if I end up living in D.C.

I loved Dupont Circle to the same degree I did my first time there. I walked to the escalator and saw the man passing out Express newspapers -- I kindly declined.

I noticed all of the people frowning. I decided to be the one person smiling because I love life and D.C. and the Metro, even if it is late sometimes.

I took 91 steps down the escalator -- yes, I counted!

I looked at every person on the Metro and tried to see something different and unique in each of them. Highlights: I saw a man with Harry Potter glasses. An old man had a roller backpack -- I HATE them. I want to KICK them! Another man had a hearing aide. I saw a cute older woman in all black and white. She had these awesome glasses with beaded string to hold them on. She looked like a librarian only classier -- Library of Congress maybe?

I also saw a younger man get on. He stood in front of me, and he had a buzz haircut (i.e. really, really short). I love people like this. I like to look at their heads and see if there are bald spots. If they are really big or long, they probably ran into a table at some point in their life or got kicked playing soccer. Maybe that's morbid -- I call it a good time.

Oh, and he only had one little bald spot (probably just genetic or something).

I got off the Metro and proceeded up the escalator at Union Station. I cut off a man that tried to cut me off. I went into commuter mode and outwalked almost everyone. I love how fast I can walk comfortably. It makes me feel like all business all the time.

I got my favorite breakfast from my favorite place (Swiss oatmeal: cold oatmeal with milk and yogurt and raisins, bananas, apples and craisins). It's simply to die for! And I got my morning coffee.

I came to work. I LOVE our receptionist. She calls the me and one of the other interns here partners in crime -- we do keep this office lively! I passed out newspapers (got new print on my hands!) and caught up on my Facebook. And I had a "Gtalk date" with Alex.

Now it's time to bust out the econ paper, study and actually get a little work done too.

Since then I've been blogging about my glorious life.

Oh, and I'm in print again today! I don't think the thrill that brings will ever die -- something I've written has been immortalized. I love words, the craft of putting them together and the huge responsibility that comes with doing so -- it's powerful.

Sure, I only have one week left in D.C., but I'm going to make the most of it. I have an amazing job, amazing classes and even more amazing friends here. There's no way I'll let what I have waste away as I pout about it ending.

Now, I'm just hanging by a moment. And I wouldn't change it for the world.

Perspective

"For the dead and the living we must bear witness."

That's what my souvenir Identification Card from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum says on the front cover.

Yesterday Alex and I paid the Holocaust Museum a visit. It was quite possibly one of the most intense and solemn times in my life.

A few weeks ago my friend went by herself -- it almost felt weird being there with someone because it hit me more as one of those experiences you need to just take in rather than gleefully prance from exhibit to exhibit with giant smile painted on.

Rather, we provided a sort of silent moral support, hearing each other's soft inhales and sniffles. It was a nonverbal way of saying, "Yes, this is real and horrifying, but you're not alone; it's okay." Each touch said, "This is not a dream; this really happened to these poor people."

If you think I'm being overdramatic, you're either coldhearted, have never been to the museum or couldn't comprehend what you saw.

Human life is sacred; every man is created equal. So many people say these words, but how many people fail to live them out?

Yesterday, I saw some of the most horrifying images I've ever encountered in my life. And to think that it really did happen -- that it wasn't just a movie or some freak show -- is mind-boggling to me.

The lies, the torture, the killing -- the sheer inhumanity.

There was a survivor of the Holocaust in book store signing copies of a book she had written. I wanted to go up to her, but I didn't know what to say: "Thank you? I'm so sorry?"

I wanted to express to her somehow that I appreciated her courage to talk about a time in her life that was so terrible, helping us not forget so it couldn't happen again.

Freedom and equality are precious gifts -- not commodities. While they may be labeled as basic human rights, not everyone is afforded them.

What I saw at the museum intensified what I already believed; it gave me new perspective on humanity and life.

I saw what too much power can do. I saw what lying can do. I saw how truly evil man can be.

"We must bear witness" so that something like this will never happen again. Man has already proved it's possible.

I choose to stand in the gap -- to make it improbable.

Wastefulness

I just sat through the last lecture for my "Economics in Public Policy" class this morning. All I can say is "Wow."

As a print journalism major, an economics class was something I had yet to experience at the beginning of this summer. Now, I can honestly say that my world has been changed -- for the better.

Let me brag for just a second: my teacher is a professor at George Mason, a school known for its economics program. And might I add, he's a distinguished man in his field.

Needless to say, I've learned a ton about economics. I've also learned a ton about economics in public policy (you'd expect that, since it's the title of the course).

But I say it's changed my world -- not only how I view the world outside myself -- because I have started looking at things I do from an economic perspective.

I started thinking about my schedule: does that time I spend doing this or that yield the most gain? What's the opportunity cost of choosing this option versus that one? Is it efficient for me to research this issue, or should I opt for rational ignorance in this case or that?

These questions and more have put my life in new perspective.


Economics has opened up a whole new world for me. Sure, I'm a hopeless romantic, but it's true -- I promise I'm not exaggerating.

I can look at things in my life -- not just public policy -- from the viewpoint of economics. I hope that it'll change my life for the better, because I'm positive it has changed.

To sum everything up, I'll share a quote my professor began the class with (I'm not positive it's verbatim or that I spelled the person's name correctly, so forgive me):

"We can see the greatest miracles are before our very eyes, if we take the time to notice them."

-Frédéric Bastiat, economist among other things

Unpublished Article Update

How cool is this?!

There's not enough room on the front page of our website to post my article, but I can stick it in archive, so it can still be pulled up under my name where I can show it off to possible employers (and fans).

Another reason to be happy.

Oh yeah, and it's the weekend -- almost.

Time for some jazz in the park!

Contentment

So, I can't help but be happy.

During the past seven weeks, I've met some of the most amazing people in the world, learned some great news things and done things I've previously only been able to dream about.

Washington, D.C. is an amazing city. And it's a city unique from any other I've ever been to.

Before this summer, I had high hopes: I wanted to live in a high rise apartment building on the top floor with a great view of Lake Michigan. I wanted to work for the Chicago Tribune (heck, I wanted to be the editor). Now, that's changed.

I've fallen in love with D.C. So many things happen here -- it's the nation's political hub -- but you already knew that.

The truth is this: I didn't care about politics at all before I got here. I wanted to be a journalist -- and objective journalist (unlike a lot of the media crap going on right now). I wanted to make a difference, being an example of not to polute your work -- to the best of your abilities -- with you political, social or religious (to name a few) stances.

Since then, everything has changed.

I've taken classes in ethics and economics -- both have rocked my world. I can look at things with new perspective. I know what I'm hearing now when candidates talk about socializing medicine or making tax cuts.

I was placed at a political newspaper. Everything's written from a conservative political perspective, but that's the premise of the paper, making it okay. There are no false claims of objectivity here.

I've learned so much, and I've come to love politics. My supervisor at work said it's like following a sport -- might I add, on steroids!

I plan on coming back to D.C. after I graduate from college. I don't know what capacity I'll serve in yet. But I do know that it will hopefully happen here.

I've also met so many amazing people here.

Sure, a lot of the interns in my program here (including me) complain about how incredibly busy, tired and stretched we are. But if we weren't we'd accomplish so much less. And ultimately, it's this program that has brought us all together -- that's something I wouldn't trade for even the most agreeable of schedules.

I'm going to miss these people so much in a few short days when we all part ways (notice the rhyme). Yet I know we're all destined to do great things -- we're all great people.

I have new hope for journalism in America. We're so different, and we all have different values. But thinking that we'll be a large part of the driving force in journalism in the years to come -- after hearing all the discussions in our ethics class and seeing a genuine desire in everyone to do right -- all I can do is wait patiently for that time to come.

These friendships are friendships for a lifetime, I'm convinced. We understand each other. At first it seemed a little creepy how we were so different but similar. Then I thought, "Duh, we're all political journalists."

Yes, sometimes I'm rather slow (in the head). But I love to walk fast.

Speaking of which, I don't say excuse me much anymore, I don't look when I cross the street, I walk in front of people to get on the escalator, I ever-so-subtly push my way to make room on the Metro and if I see those doors about to close, I run!

Washington is great. People and politics, I love them both.

Oh yeah, see the monuments too. They're great...

So circling back to my first sentence, it's for the reasons above that I can't help but be happy. I've done amazing things, accomplished so much (and yet so little) and met incredible people.

I just wish it would last forever. I'd be happy -- content -- forever.

My Unpublished Article

Well, I covered a press conference on Tuesday and wrote the article, but now my paper isn't running it, so I decided to post it here.


Boehner comments on energy, ANWR, Republican agendas


Republican House Leader John Boehner as well as other ranking GOP members spoke at a press conference Tuesday afternoon focusing on current events regarding the Republican Party, namely America’s energy crisis.

Other issues touched on include the Republican economic, security and health care agendas.


Energy Crisis

Boehner covered the American Energy Tour he along with 10 freshman Republican House members attended last weekend, which included visiting the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden, Colo., as well as a trip to Alaska to view ANWR.

The tour stressed the importance that Americans do “All of the Above” (renewable energy, energy efficiency and domestic energy production) in order to increase American energy and lower gas prices.

The NREL has been in Golden since the ‘70s, working to create viable forms of renewable energy as well as energy efficiency development. The members of Congress were able to learn about fuel-cell powered cars, solar and wind energy, cellulosic ethanol and solar-powered shingles.

“Today 70 percent of our energy needs are imported oil,” Boehner said. “I think this jeopardizes our national security and certainly jeopardizes our economy.”

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota’s 6th district who also went on the trip spoke with HUMAN EVENT’s John Gizzi about it.

She added that the members on the trip are not opposed to alternative energies, but available energy not being implemented needs to be opened up.

“We -- the members that went -- are for all forms of expansion of American energy production, and that’s where we’re coming from,” she said. “We’re working on alternatives whether it’s traditional sources of energy, we believe that Congress has been the problem on energy, and Congress can be the solution on energy by getting out of the way, essentially, and unlocking the handcuffs of every form of American energy that there is.”

Upon visiting ANWR and seeing the conditions -- of drilling equipment as well as wildlife and terrain -- Boehner, and other participants on the trip have concluded that it is environmentally safe and economically imperative that America utilizes the resources available.

“We’re going to look for every option we can to increase American [energy] production, whether it’s ANWR, whether it’s the outer continental shelf, the inner mountain west where we’ve got oil shale,” Boehner said. “We are going to look for every option we can to force the vote.”

Boehner says the reason he and his colleagues are pro-drilling lies not only in the energy independence it will spawn but also in the fact that technology has made it possible to drill without hurting the environment.

“Technology has advanced to the point where they can use about one sixth of the land mass than they did 35 years ago and even 20 years ago in the Prudhoe Bay area.”

Bachmann put it in perspective saying, “The portion of ANWR that would be used for drilling is the size of a postage stamp on a football field -- it’s a very small area.”

Boehner mentioned another incentive to begin drilling: If the Trans Alaska Pipeline System’s oil transfer -- which is about 700,000 barrels of oil a day currently -- drops below 300,000 barrels a day, it will be rendered useless.

Twenty years ago the production rate was 2.1 million barrels a day, and the current decline in production is 20 percent per year.

Yet Boehner said there are still three people standing in the way of producing more domestic energy -- something he says the majority of Americans are in favor of.

“The only thing standing in the way of what we want -- what the American people want -- are Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama, who do not believe that increased energy production is what’s necessary to fix the current prices,” he said.

In spite of this opposition, Boehner said he will fight for increasing domestic energy production.

“We’re going to look for every option we can to increase American [energy] production, whether it’s ANWR, whether it’s the outer continental shelf, the inner mountain west where we’ve got oil shale,” he said. “We are going to look for every option we can to force the vote.”


Four-Part Agenda: Energy, Security, Economy, Health Care

In addition to energy, Boehner mentioned the remaining three factors of the Republican’s four-part agendas: the economy, security and health care.

Boehner said the Republican economic agenda will stop Democrat tax hikes, reform the tax code and show that Republicans are serious about entitlement reform.

The Republican security agenda will strive to increase security -- both foreign and domestic.

“Our security agenda will help combat the rising crime rates and further address terrorist threats that we face.”

Boehner also addressed the Republican health care agenda.

“This week we’ll unveil our health care agenda where we put doctors and patients back in charge of our health care and reward quality and innovation in our health care global system,” Boehner said.

Following Boehner’s initial briefing, the conference included a Q&A session touching on a variety of issues, including the eliminating earmarks and pork-barreling and strengthening the Republican Party.