Welcome back to the blog. I apologize for the long delay of a new post but it was either keep it short and lack details, or full of stories from my time in DC and my internship.
The newest piece of legislation that has been floating around the Hill is the HR 7 Transportation Bill. In short this bill was written "to authorize funds for Federal-aid highway, public transportation, and highway motor carrier safety programs, and for other purposes." This bill is one of those pieces of legislation that go around the hill and get extreme levels of feedback from both sides stating the pros and cons but nothing every really happens with it. I really have no opinion of this bill until I can see how it develops further in the House. If you would like to learn more about this bill or any other bill go to thomas.loc.gov for the best source of information.
This past week I also had the chance to tour the White House and tour the Capitol Dome. The experience was absolutely breath taking and I wish I could tell you more about it other than you must take one of these dome tours for yourself. Pictures will be up from the tour soon.
Incase you haven't been watching the news this past Friday, the 17th, there was an attempted suicide bombing at the Capitol Building, however no one was ever in any real harm. This was a sting operation from the FBI who received intelligence stating that there was a man living in Alexandria, VA that was connected to Al Qaeda. He was monitored by the FBI and also given fake explosives by them as well. So thankfully no one was ever in any real danger and justice was served in that the man was brought down and is now incarcerated.
This past weekend I decided to go out with some friends to Alexandria, VA to see the George Washington Masonic Memorial and explore the city down there for a bit. One thing that I found to be much more of a relief in Alexandria as opposed to Washington DC is that every restaurant serves sweet tea, and you have to understand being that I grew up in the south sweet tea is like a drug for me. Visiting the memorial could not have come at a better time considering that today is President's day and George Washington's birthday. I was able to learn about the fascinating traditions that our forefathers use to help build this nation. I will also be posting pictures from this past week on the blog soon so be sure to check out each week what photos I add.
On top of this week marking Ash Wednesday it also marks Fat Tuesday. Being that my roommate is from Mississippi and grew up in Louisiana a big thing for him is Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday. So in honor of that we decided we would throw a little get together at our apartment and invite Tina and Cynthia as well so that all the FSC interns could be included. I will keep you all updated on the week since exciting things are supposed to be happening in the city and we are out of session for the week, which will give me plenty of time to keep experiencing the city and post about it on here.
Until next time Thank you and God Bless,
Gage Nicholas
Monday, February 20, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Session in Full Swing and Pictures are Finally Up
Hey all, I hope everyone's semester is going well...
To begin this week's entry we have been quite busy as staff members recently. What has been going on since my last post consists of the case against Attorney General Eric Holder and the new Federal Pensions Bill.
For those of you that are unaware of the situation Attorney General Eric Holder has been brought to trial on the basis of illegal weapons smuggling known as "Operation Fast and Furious". Attorney General Holder claims that he and the Department of Justice were not aware of the smuggling and claim to have nothing to do with the situation. However, evidence shows that Mr. Holder really has no plausible defense in the case, and in my opinion when the case is over he will not be impeached of his position but will rather step down from his position of Attorney General. On top of the case my fellow staff members and I had many angry constituents calling in and sending faxes expressing their opposition of Eric Holder, which I'm sure Leslie Rath can tell you that these concerned constituents keep the office busy on a daily basis and are quite adamant with their concerns and feedback.
This week in particular we have been tied up with work dealing with H.R. 3813 Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act of 2012. Just as with the Eric Holder "Fast and Furious" case we have been receiving many phone calls from constituents and concerned citizens throughout the US about this bill, the majority of which are Federal Employees and Union Workers. The concern that these citizens have is in regards to their retirement pensions that they pay each year and fear that their pensions are either being put to waste or towards the salary of the Congressmen. After reading through legislation to assist in the constituents's understanding of what the Bill is supposed to entail it is to my understanding that the Bill is meant to cut the pay and retirement pensions of the Congressmen in a manner that will save our country about $6 Billion in Federal spending each year. I can understand how these people might misinterpret the Bill, but it is nonetheless frustrating dealing with the same complaints all day long knowing the these citizens do not quite understand what the Bill is really about. All in all though, as each day passes and the days get busier and busier the job becomes more and more exciting and enjoyable.
On a note much more irrelevant to the job and more in regards to my general time in Washington D.C. in the past week I have had the chance to spend time with the other two FSC students currently interning up here through the Washington Center, Tina Cota-Robles and Cynthia Navarro. Along with this I have had the chance to learn more about what they are doing for their internships and I need to let it be known that they are doing some pretty extraordinary jobs up here and I encourage everyone to read their blogs as well.
For Super Bowl Sunday my roommate Charles Hussey, intern for Rep. Alan Nunnley, and I decided to watch it at a restaurant that was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" called "Tune-Inn" which is more of a southern style restaurant and was a nice change of pace from the more diverse restaurants that we have been to, which have also been much more expensive as everything in Washington D.C. tends to be. If any of you are ever in the area I encourage you to try this place.
On another side note I have FINALLY added photos of DC to the blog, they are at the bottom of the page so please feel free to check them out since they are for your enjoyment. Since I have nothing else to ramble on about I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week and I look forward to the feedback.
Until next time Thank You and God Bless...
Gage Nicholas
To begin this week's entry we have been quite busy as staff members recently. What has been going on since my last post consists of the case against Attorney General Eric Holder and the new Federal Pensions Bill.
For those of you that are unaware of the situation Attorney General Eric Holder has been brought to trial on the basis of illegal weapons smuggling known as "Operation Fast and Furious". Attorney General Holder claims that he and the Department of Justice were not aware of the smuggling and claim to have nothing to do with the situation. However, evidence shows that Mr. Holder really has no plausible defense in the case, and in my opinion when the case is over he will not be impeached of his position but will rather step down from his position of Attorney General. On top of the case my fellow staff members and I had many angry constituents calling in and sending faxes expressing their opposition of Eric Holder, which I'm sure Leslie Rath can tell you that these concerned constituents keep the office busy on a daily basis and are quite adamant with their concerns and feedback.
This week in particular we have been tied up with work dealing with H.R. 3813 Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act of 2012. Just as with the Eric Holder "Fast and Furious" case we have been receiving many phone calls from constituents and concerned citizens throughout the US about this bill, the majority of which are Federal Employees and Union Workers. The concern that these citizens have is in regards to their retirement pensions that they pay each year and fear that their pensions are either being put to waste or towards the salary of the Congressmen. After reading through legislation to assist in the constituents's understanding of what the Bill is supposed to entail it is to my understanding that the Bill is meant to cut the pay and retirement pensions of the Congressmen in a manner that will save our country about $6 Billion in Federal spending each year. I can understand how these people might misinterpret the Bill, but it is nonetheless frustrating dealing with the same complaints all day long knowing the these citizens do not quite understand what the Bill is really about. All in all though, as each day passes and the days get busier and busier the job becomes more and more exciting and enjoyable.
On a note much more irrelevant to the job and more in regards to my general time in Washington D.C. in the past week I have had the chance to spend time with the other two FSC students currently interning up here through the Washington Center, Tina Cota-Robles and Cynthia Navarro. Along with this I have had the chance to learn more about what they are doing for their internships and I need to let it be known that they are doing some pretty extraordinary jobs up here and I encourage everyone to read their blogs as well.
For Super Bowl Sunday my roommate Charles Hussey, intern for Rep. Alan Nunnley, and I decided to watch it at a restaurant that was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" called "Tune-Inn" which is more of a southern style restaurant and was a nice change of pace from the more diverse restaurants that we have been to, which have also been much more expensive as everything in Washington D.C. tends to be. If any of you are ever in the area I encourage you to try this place.
On another side note I have FINALLY added photos of DC to the blog, they are at the bottom of the page so please feel free to check them out since they are for your enjoyment. Since I have nothing else to ramble on about I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week and I look forward to the feedback.
Until next time Thank You and God Bless...
Gage Nicholas
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