People seem to have forgotten that elections have consequences. Efforts to recall recently-elected Republican governors are underway in both Wisconsin and Michigan. No Democrats have put forth their own ideas to fix the economy...they just don't like what the other party is doing. I suppose they figure that simple dislike justifies the recall movement, but I'm not convinced it does.
My parents recently attended a planning meeting for the recall of Michigan governor Rick Snyder. They haven't decided if they want to be part of such a scheme, in part because the people behind the recall don't actually have any alternate ideas. Michigan is in financial trouble, clearly. Unemployment is still high and the state has a cash flow problem. Even if you don't like what Republicans are doing, at least they're attempting to do something.
Additionally, recall efforts in Michigan started two weeks after Snyder was sworn in. At that point, the recall effort can't possibly have been about any specific legislation or plan, but rather a reaction simply to the fact that Snyder is a Republican.
The effort to recall Scott Walker in Wisconsin is a little more understandable. He pushed through legislation to end collective bargaining for public employees and he did it in a way that completely thwarted the political process. The law was just struck down, in fact, for violating the Wisconsin open meetings law. It has also become apparent that this "budget repair bill" actually had very little to do with fixing the state budget. If Walker is recalled (probably unlikely given that most of the state still supports him), it could at least be justified as getting rid of someone who concealed his true motivations and ignored state law.
I'm curious to know how many people who support recall efforts actually voted last November. Voter turnout numbers in the U.S. are frankly embarrassing. Far too many people take their freedoms for granted. If you don't vote, I don't think you have much right to complain.
Furthermore, it seems to me that simple dissatisfaction with election results does not mean that those who are elected should immediately be recalled. Furthermore, unless you have a better idea, what's the point? Might as well let the Republicans screw up and use that to feed the fires of 2012.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Home Sweet Home
"Home is where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." - Diana Gabaldon, Voyager
Moving back home with the parents is every 25-year-old's worst nightmare. It's been two days and already my desire to get out has exploded, my motivation to find a job greater than ever.
Moving back home is complicated by the fact that my grandma now lives with my family, meaning there are three people for two bedrooms. I'm currently camped out in the basement, but once the new bunk beds come in, my 22-year-old (also unemployed) sister and I will be sharing a room. Not exactly the way either of us planned to start our adult lives.
It's easy to feel like a failure in this situation. I'm trying hard to keep my head up, to move forward. It helps to know that I'm not alone - about 50% of my law school class graduated without a job. I just have to remember that eventually I'll find a job and will be working in a field that I enjoy and find fulfilling.
And really, my parents are awesome and funny, and in some ways it's nice to be back in a place where everyone appreciates me for who I am.
I do have to wonder, though, if this delayed adulthood thing is good in the long run. It's going to be years before I'm in a position to buy a house or start a family. The gap between my high school peers and me is huge - many of them are now married with kids, and I'm still living with my parents. I suppose it depends on how you measure success. I've had academic but not personal success, and my old classmates are the opposite. As to which is better for a stable society, I have no idea. A balance of both is clearly needed, but that possibility escapes me, at least for the time being.
My job search does have a necessary expiration date, though. I lose my health insurance when I turn 26, so that gives me until Halloween to find employment.
Moving back home is complicated by the fact that my grandma now lives with my family, meaning there are three people for two bedrooms. I'm currently camped out in the basement, but once the new bunk beds come in, my 22-year-old (also unemployed) sister and I will be sharing a room. Not exactly the way either of us planned to start our adult lives.
It's easy to feel like a failure in this situation. I'm trying hard to keep my head up, to move forward. It helps to know that I'm not alone - about 50% of my law school class graduated without a job. I just have to remember that eventually I'll find a job and will be working in a field that I enjoy and find fulfilling.
And really, my parents are awesome and funny, and in some ways it's nice to be back in a place where everyone appreciates me for who I am.
I do have to wonder, though, if this delayed adulthood thing is good in the long run. It's going to be years before I'm in a position to buy a house or start a family. The gap between my high school peers and me is huge - many of them are now married with kids, and I'm still living with my parents. I suppose it depends on how you measure success. I've had academic but not personal success, and my old classmates are the opposite. As to which is better for a stable society, I have no idea. A balance of both is clearly needed, but that possibility escapes me, at least for the time being.
My job search does have a necessary expiration date, though. I lose my health insurance when I turn 26, so that gives me until Halloween to find employment.
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