BUTTHEAD OF THE WEEK IS BACK

DYSFUNCTIONAL CONGRESS - NO SURPRISE THERE

Interest rates on student loans are poised to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent Monday.

While Congress has had an entire year to work out a proposal to stop the hike, Republican, Democratic and even bipartisan solutions haven't gained traction in the Senate. 

Under the GOP plan, the loan rate would not be locked in for the loan's life, but would be reset every year depending on the interest rate on U.S. Treasuries.

In the Senate, Democrats are advocating for the student loan rates to be locked in at 3.4 percent for an additional year until Republicans and Democrats can come to agreement. Democrats have suggested covering the cost by closing tax loopholes often used by oil and gas companies.

But Republicans have accused the majority of putting off the matter.

The issue has become a political football and the topic of attack ads against members of the House.  (U.S. News & World Report)

Members of Congress have left Washington on a week long break and took no action on Stafford student loans, which will double on Monday.  For college students who rely on loans for higher education, paying twice as much interest on those loans will saddle them with even more debt after graduation.  Rather than haggling over the interest rate on student loans Congress should make an effort to make higher education more affordable.  Instead they continue to be dysfunctional (no surprise there) and for that they are buttheads.  Just one day more... 

GARMIN FRUSTRATIONS

A GPS is a marvel of science and a wonderful thing, but Garmin has certainly made owning one frustrating.  

A few years back the first Garmin Nuvi we owned was a simple version and required paying for updates.  Paying for annual updates didn’t seem reasonable and just like computers, that one had become obsolete.  So, we upgraded to a new one which came with free lifetime updates.  And, therein lies the frustration.

The first time I did the maps update it required downloading the updates onto a computer and transferring to the Garmin.  At that time we had internet service with unlimited time and it is a good thing it was unlimited.  It took something like four hours to download the maps update.  This time I decided to use the public wifi while we were in Colorado, but gave up after three hours downloading the update.  

When we got home I found a program on the Garmin website called “Garmin Express”, which I assumed was a new, faster version to download the map updates and thought Garmin finally conquered the long download problem.  Wrong.  This method required downloading the “Express” program on the computer.  Then the Garmin Nuvi is connected to the computer with a cable and theoretically the map updates are downloaded from Garmin directly to the Nuvi quicker.  Wrong again.

Since we are limited by a monthly allocation on our mifi by Sprint, long downloads would use up a huge chunk of our allocation.  When I started the “Express” map update it was clear that it was going to be just as time consuming as the original method, so I gave up.  I guess it is back to plan B.  I’ll just wait until we get near a public wifi and try again.   Hopefully at a coffee shop or bookstore where we can endure the wait.  Just one day more...

THE CORRECT DECISION

(CBS News photo)

In a landmark ruling for gay rights, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law blocking federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

The decision was 5-4, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy. It said that the law amounted to the “deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.”

In a separate case, the court ruled that it could not take up a challenge to Proposition 8, the California law that banned gay marriage in that state. That decision means that gay marriage will once again be legal in California.

The ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act means that the federal government must recognize the gay marriages deemed legal by the states — 12 plus the District of Columbia, before the California case was decided. The law helps determine who is covered by more than 1,100 federal laws, programs and benefits, including Social Security survivor benefits, immigration rights and family leave.  (NBC News)

This decision today at least takes away the sting of yesterday's horrible decision.  Once again it was a 5-4 decision, with the right wing justices voting against civil rights.  Just one day more...

I’M BACK.  

It’s been a month since I’ve posted on this blog.  I took a hiatus to reevaluate the importance of a blog.  Most of the blogs I follow are related to RV travels and generally deal with daily activities and the routine.  I’ve tried to broaden my blog to also include relevant public issues.  It is a tough balance to strike (à la Croft Randle), but since I have spent a good deal of my adult life advocating for civil liberties and civil rights it seems important to also comment on these topics in my blog.

In the past 30 days we have been busy with chores on the farm and an RV trip to Colorado.  However, what brought me back to the blog was today’s decision by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — the map that determines which states must get federal permission before they change their voting laws.

Civil rights activists called the decision devastating, and a dissenting justice said it amounted to the “demolition” of the law, widely considered the most important piece of civil rights legislation in American history.

The ruling, a 5-4 decision by Chief Justice John Roberts, leaves the future of the law deeply uncertain because it will be up to a sharply divided Congress to redraw the map, if it can agree on one at all.

The act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. Congress has renewed it four times, and the 2006 renewal won a huge majority in the House and passed the Senate 98-0. That renewal extended the law through 2031.

“I think what the court did today is stab the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in its very heart," Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who was with President Johnson when he signed the law and who was beaten at Selma.  (NBC News)

In a past post (here) I commented about the case before the Supreme Court and the prospect of a wrong decision.  Effectively five justices of the Court have lopped off the head of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  They have opened the door for more voter suppression antics and voter intimidation.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark for equality.  Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is a landmark for discrimination and inequality.  What an outrage.  Just one day more...