New Adventures

With the recent return of Spring, Heather and I have begun planning some fun and exciting things we would like to do while in D.C. Today we are heading down to the Kite Festival on the National Mall which sounds like it should be a lot of fun. It is always timed to coincide with the Cherry Blossom Festival, which we are also excited to see. Some locals are whining about how many tourists there are and how they "don't know anything", but I am just glad to live in a place people are excited to visit. If you just expect things will take a little longer than normal, you won't get frustrated.

On Monday night, Heather and I will be going to hear William Julius Wilson, a noted sociologist, speak about his new book More than Just Race at one of our favorite bookstores. I am still amazed by the amount of great authors that regularly come to this particular bookstore. I have already read the whole book despite it coming out in early March, because I am nerdy like that. It should be an interesting talk and discussion afterwords. 

Also on our list is to visit the National Zoo. From what I have heard, Spring is a great time to visit the zoo and the animals are quite lively. I can't believe all the free places in this city and how well they are kept up. Between the Smithsonians and all of the federal sites, I can't imagine when I will actually have to start paying for my entertainment again.

I am starting to accumulate some decent holiday leave and so Heather and I will have to start planning a bigger trip somewhere exciting, hopefully this year. We would both really like to hit up multiple destinations in Europe. It feels weird to have to plan out my breaks as opposed to just having them set for me...

Food!!!

I am continually amazed by the quantity and especially the quality of restaurants within walking distance of our apartment. I post this to tempt any of you to come out! Some highlights:

Mi Rancho:

An excellent Mexican restaurant with some of the most authentic flavors I have found living out here. Everything was great including the service. Heather's chimicanga earned rave reviews (even a close comparison to El Toro Viejo, the gold standard for Mexican places). My vegetable enchiladas included a much greater variety of vegetables than I was expecting. And the three sauces that came with it were all good; though I probably could have drank the salsa verde, it was so good.

Ghar E Kabab:

One of the strangest names for a restaurant I have come across. This Nepalese/Indian place has some of the highest quality South Asian food I have ever had. I am amazed everytime when I receive the bill how reasonably priced it is. Heather loves her Chicken Korma like it is going out of style and I have yet to be able to order anything but the Bahigan ki Bharta (an eggplant curry, and suprisingly one that is spelled completely different at each place that has it). The naan and rice are both excellent and the service doesn't dissapoint.

Asian Bistro:

A hodge-podge of a restaurant. When I first entered this place I was quite skeptical. Usually pan-asian fare leads to sugary glops of MSG that leave you feeling ill. Much to my delight, my concerns were completely unfounded. The food and sauces are all high-quality and contain no hint of MSG or sugary slop. The variety on their menu is unmatched and includes Chinese, Japanese, and Thai food. They also have an extremely extensive vegetarian menu and it is regularly ranked one of the top vegetarian places in the D.C. area. Heather raves about their sesame chicken, the sauce has a gentle ginger and garlic flavor which is mouth-watering. Their vegetarian pad thai and kung pao tofu are also excellent. I still need to try the faux shrimp (made out of baby yam) sometime.

We have gone to many other amazing places, and I will try to continue to update as I find time.

I guess it is a good thing we just got a Wii Fit...

You Can't Kill an Idea

As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the failed uprising in Tibet and the one year anniversary of the crackdown on Buddhist Monk demonstrators, tensions are running high in the region. It is amazing that despite China having one of the largest armies in the world, they are utterly afraid of a relatively small group of monks. The fact that all foreign journalists and international tourists are being kept out of the region at this team speaks to their ongoing concern about what more protests could bring. Though I was extremely disappointed by Hillary Clinton's lack of providing either carrots or sticks for improved Chinese treatment of Tibet, I was sadly not surprised. This unwillingness to press for Tibet's independence (or autonomy, or even well-being) is one (of many) of America's major foreign policy failings. 

Many apologists for the policy argue that due to our need for China to buy up our debt and help stabilize the region, we cannot denounce their policy for fear of backlash. As any student of international relations can tell you, this simple dichotomy of do nothing or incur the full wrath of China is a false one. There are many gradations in policy that could be used to thaw relations and tie Tibet to other issues where there is mutual interest between the U.S. and China. One of China's biggest fears is international perception of the Tibet issue. Having closed door conversations on the matter that lead to an actual softening of China's position could be an advantageous option for all sides. 

One thing is for sure, we must not fall into the same malaise and inertia that has kept our human rights policy so anemic. We have a president that believes in the rule of law and inspires people around the world. America has the obligation to continue to provide hope to those in duress. We must not turn our backs on causes we know are just. We can no longer sustain regimes like Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Myanmar, North Korea, and many more to continue on the path they are on. Increased diplomatic efforts must be used to forge consensus on shared goals and to facilitate slow, positive changes to happen in these countries. By sustaining these regimes, we only increase the difficulties we will face when we are forced to deal with them eventually and further the suffering that those oppressed by these regimes experience. 

The Dalai Lama puts it well:

If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.

Our callous disregard for the consequences of our actions cannot continue. Though change won't happen overnight, we must act in positive ways to increase the well-being of those least capable of doing so themselves. 

Times Are Tough

It is hard to believe how things have crumbled so quickly: The economy, housing, banking, employment, the stock market, consumer confidence, and the list goes on. The fact that the GDP recently sunk 6.2% indicates that this current downturn may be more severe than most were anticipating. In downturns like this it is those individuals at the margins, the poor, the sick, those without adequate job skills or training, that are the most affected. When I hear bankers who receive government help complaining about their salary being capped at $500,000 I can't help but cringle. The people are increasingly being asked to support the poor business practices of these banks and other industries that were paying exhorbitant amounts for sub-par performance. These excesses were cheered by many during better times as proof of America's superiority. When CEOs are making 400 times the amount earned by the lowest paid workers in their company something is extremely wrong. For the last twenty to thirty years both the share of wages and actual wages have become increasingly concentrated at the very top.

This concentration of wages and wealth has led to an increasingly untenable situation. The rise of underemployment and poor quality work laid the groundwork for the current depth and breadth of the current downturn. After peaking at nearly 30% in 1979, the unionization rate of the U.S. has steadily fallen by half to less than 15%. While the U.S. has always had among the lowest unionization rates, the steady decline has been coupled with an increase of part-time and full-time work without benefits or worker protections. Combined with a culture that pushes consumption over conscience, it is not difficult to imagine how so many Americans were in a precarious situation even before the downturn. Even as the downturn was in its earliest stages, many dual-earner families were increasingly having to add additional part-time work to cover the increased costs of gasoline and other consumer goods. Others were taking part-time jobs in fear that their main source of income may not be as reliable as they had believed. 

Americans must come to see that working together in solidarity and demanding adequate treatment as workers only serves to strengthen our position, not weaken it. The pittance that is paid in union dues serves not only to increase your power over your work, but increases the standards across whatever industry you are a part of. The greatest gains of non-unionized workers in the twentieth century have been as a result not of employer benevolence, but as a result of workers organizing in other places, but in the same industry. The employers knew that once these non-unionized workers saw the disparities, they would also begin to organize. This led many companies to improve their conditions if only to delay unionization at their own plants.

While unionization is only one piece of the larger picture, it remains one of the best tools workers have to increase the accountability of companies to workers and to society more broadly. The fact that the car companies are blaming their union contracts for their economic woes only shows how inadequate their business model had become, all while paying their CEOs and other top-level managers ridiculously high wages. Luckily, Obama is much more aware of the value of labor than most presidents in recent memory. Giving American workers a say in their workplaces can only improve the economy, their work, and, most importantly, their lives. 

Fast Forward

I don't know whether it is having a new job, living in a new city, or having no end point in site; but my life seems to be moving faster than ever. I have a hard time believing I have been working at GAO for 3 months now and have been in DC for over 5 months. I am amazed at how fast the weeks go by and also how much we do in them. The last couple of weeks Heather and I were fortunate enough to have guests come to town. It was really nice to be able to show people around and take them to our favorite restaurants, bookstores, and sights. The nice thing about D.C. is that you never run out of things to do. Even better is that nearly all of the really cool things to do are free. One of the really fun things about guests is that you always end up going someplace new or getting more familiar with a part of town you don't often go to.

With the weather starting to warm up (supposedly...) there are more classes and tour groups in the areas around where I work and on the Mall. Many locals resent these people and express disdain for the annoyances they cause. For me, it is exciting to live in a place where people are always visiting and there is always something new going on. I don't ever want to be the type of person that yells at someone on the Metro escalator because they are standing on the left and not on the right. Though unabashed annoyance seems to be hip these days, I would rather help give directions (which, for some reason, people always ask Heather and I for) and make peoples' stay here a little more enjoyable. We have all been to places where we were confused or unfamiliar, spending thirty seconds helping someone in that situation is the very least I could do.

My three month review (more of an informal review) went unbelievably well and I really feel like I am fitting in well and impressing my supervisors with my work. I still look forward to going to work each day, and some of the more stressful things we do, like interviewing people in very high up government positions, is becoming comfortable. It is nice to be appreciated for doing good work and also not being micromanaged. GAO definitely seems like a great fit for me, and the same could be said for our home. I like working only a few blocks from both the Capitol and the White House. I still was awe-struck as we were walking back from one of the interviews yesterday when we walked across the Mall near the Capital. Seeing all the amazing buildings and imagining the power and the history enshrined there I couldn't help but feel extremely fortunate considering how hard times really are.

What A Difference A Week Makes

The National Policy Health Conference went really well and I am really glad that I was able to go. My background is more in the social determinants of health and national level health policy. It was nice to have the opportunity to go to a conference that focused on the politics and service side of the health care debate. I am really pleased with all of the sessions that I attended and thought it was really cool to hear first hand from some of the people that will be playing a huge role in health care reform, including Jeanne Lambrew and Senator Max Baucus (D-MT). It was also nice getting to know a variety of people from a broad swath of areas within health and health care. People from nearly ever state and many universities were in attendance and it led to interesting and diverse discussion. There was also an energy and optimism in the crowd. Many of these people will be guiding and influencing the reform debate and they seemed excited about the opportunity for change.

It was particularly neat to have a chance to hear Max Baucus in-person; as growing up in Montana, he was one of my Senators since birth. He seemed hopeful and optimistic about the likelihood of reform and predicted that much would be done this year on it. He noted that due to the lame duck last year of President Bush, there was a lot of opportunity to lay the foundation for reforms this year by holding hearings on key health issues.

One particularly funny session had Congressional staffers from both the House and Senate and from both the Democrat and Republican party. Their banter was fun to watch and they did a good job indentifying many of the key concerns that both parties have as reform goes forward. However, their demeanor clearly indicated that the call for bipartisanship doesn't pervade all levels. Many of the assertions from staffers from both parties echoed more party taking points than an actual engagement with policy issues.

One thing that is much different about GAO than any other places I have worked is how quickly time moves. These two months have gone extremely fast and the pace continues to quicken, this past week was over before I realized it. I am still really loving my career and have yet to find anything to complain about. I am also really excited to be a part of the analyst's union at GAO, I have always been intrigued by unions and their positive effects on both unionized as well as non-unionized workers in any given field. I look forward to playing a substantial role as I continue in GAO.

Wait... So These People Are The Threat?

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Anyone who voted for or supported Proposition 8 should be ashamed. How could the love and cheer expressed by these families be a threat to anything except intolerance and bigotry? I, for one, believe that justice must not be denied. People should have the right to live a life they have reason to value, free from violence and hatred. Like all policies based on hate and ignorance, Prop 8 will eventually be overturned and will fall into memory. Don't believe you have all the answers. Don't be on the wrong side of history. Denying rights to a group based on outdated biases never remains unchallenged. Respect the rights of others to live a life that challenges yours, its the only way the world ever changes for the better.