So much happened this week, I do not know where to start! I have a list of 5 important things…number 5 is the least important of all of them.
5. 20 protesters were removed and arrested from the gallery after the interrupted business to bash John Boehner.
4. We received a standing ovation from the members of the house when Nancy Pelosi congratulated and thanked us.
3. WE ARE NOT GOING TO DEFAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. I shook the hand of the Vice President and talked with him on the floor!
NOW WAIT FOR IT!
1. After being shot in the head just a little over 7 months ago, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House Floor to cast her vote on the debt ceiling. It was truly an amazing moment…one I will never forget. In other news, yesterday was the start of my last week in Washington D.C. I officially stop being a page on Friday, but I am spending two extra days in Washington with my grandpa. I cannot wait to come home, this has been a long and tiring six week expedition that I am happy to have participated in. I have met so many great people and did some many amazing things. I do, however, miss my summer back home.
Last Sunday, my roommate, Brian, and I went to Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington is one of those places where you are just in awe when you start walking the paths. There are approximately 300,000 gravesites in the cemetery; just seeing them is an experience. We also saw the JFK Eternal Flame, Bobby and Ted Kennedy gravesites, Tomb of the Unknown, Changing of the Guard, USS Maine Memorial, and a few other Presidents. Arlington was one of my favorite places that I have been to since I came to DC.
Back to the politics. If you have been watching the news, or are just alive, you have heard about the debt ceiling. The house passed the Boehner Bill, and the Senate rejected it. The Senate passed the Reid Plan, and the house rejected it. The House passed Cut, Cap, and End Medicare or Cut, Cap, and Burn or Slash, Freeze, and Unbalance or as Republicans call it, Cut, Cap, and Balance which the Senate rejected while POTUS (President of the United States, a Hill Term!) has made/given no plans and is letting Congress take the blame. All of the plans have been terrible, but as we have been taught, a bill that pleases neither side is most likely a good plan for the country. On Thursday, it looked as if the talks had broken down and we were heading for a default, but just minutes ago, we were informed of a deal reached between GOP leaders, Reid and Obama that will raise the debt ceiling through 2012. If it doesn’t pass, for some strange reason, the deadline is Midnight Tuesday. Not actually midnight Tuesday, but Midnight Wednesday (Tuesday night, Wednesday Morning), it is what is termed Media Time. For three days, us pages have been arguing about what day we actually default, is it Actual Midnight Tuesday or media Midnight!!! Thankfully, the sides agreed and the house passed a bipartisan bill that also passed in the Senate. It seems that the default crisis is over, for now.
I have 2 more days left of being a page and I am going to try to make the best out of it. I have met everyone I wanted to meet. I wished Joe Donnelley (D-IN 2nd) good luck in his campaign to defeat Senator Lugar, had lunch with Visclosky, talked with Pelosi and Boehner, saw Michelle Bachman, talked with Andre Carson (D-IN), met Shelia Jackson-Lee (D-TX) who is CRAZY, and attempted to talk to Bobby Rush (D-IL) the guy who is extremely hard to understand. This has been one of the best experiences of my life and I will never forget it. Being on the floor when Gabbie Giffords returned was absolutely amazing, one of the best experiences of my life, thus far.
ONLY 4 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!