I have to confess. The last half of this month has had me verklempt. Each passing day of the news story called“The Debt Ceiling That Can’t Get Passed” sucked air out of my chest, making it hard to sleep, obsessive about the news, and living with a cloud of worry unnamed over me, unable to type a word. If you were wondering where Fe-911 went to, I’ve been in a mental hell of debt and default angst.
Clearly, I am not alone in my worry. We have been smothered by 24-7 debt and deficit news: the trillions of US deficit, talk of entitlement reform, the debt ceiling negotiation stalemate, the threat of US default on the world’s economy. We are bombarded by all-debt-all-deficit-all-the-time on All-Debt Radio — enough to make an already anxious nation sit nervously at the edge of its seat. As if we haven’t had enough Shock Doctrine here and around the world over the last week, let alone decade, we’re now getting pistol-whipped with the threat of our parents, our grandparents and ourselves getting robbed blind of the fixed monthly income we paid ourselves over decades of working life.
This weekend, the Senate and the House have worked on a compromise that would raise the debt ceiling by $1.3 trillion through 2012, and cut three trillion from the deficit. There are still hurdles to overcome, as revealed by Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts:
The sticking point for Dems, Kerry said, involves detailed negotiations over an enforcement mechanism that would require Congress to act on entitlement and tax reform by a date certain or faces the consequences. Democrats want to ensure that such a trigger does not simply mandate severe spending cuts, but also includes tax increases — the so-called “shared pain” Democrats have cited lately.
“That is the big sticking point here in the Senate,” Kerry said in a floor speech Saturday evening. “We need to know that if there is a trigger that is used in an automatic way in which money is going to be held back, that money has to be held back in a fair and balanced way.”
“You do not just cut, you also have to have the possibility of revenue,” he said. “Because if you do not have the possibility of revenue, then the side that only wants to cut can wait for nothing to happen and the cuts take place automatically. There is no threat to them. There is no leverage for them to come to agreement on the other things.”
So far, the “or else” has focused on a trigger that would slash spending across the board — including for entitlement programs like Medicare, a near-sacred program for Democrats, as well as to defense spending, which Republicans historically have sought to protect. One of the models for the so-called trigger goes back to the Reagan era when, in 1984, Congress passed the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget Act in 1984, which included a trigger imposing draconian across-the-board spending cuts unless hard-and-fast deficit reduction goals were met.
Whether or not an agreement to the compromise is made, please remember to sage the house and pray. Mercury stations Tuesday, August 2nd.
In the midst of this current apocalyptic deficit-debt-o-rama, Americans are struggling to climb out the financial hole caused by the sub-prime mortgage fiasco of 2005-08. America faces a nationwide average of 10% unemployment, with businesses (aka “job creators”) still refusing to budge to make more jobs, which would increase tax revenue. This has been made worse since the beginning of this year — the tapering off of the Obama Administration’s 2009 stimulus package, the first year of the new Republican majority from the 2010 midterms and a large Tea Bag Party contingent in the House of Representatives. Add to this the 2012 elections where the Republicans are doing everything they can to make Obama a one-term president, which means every job created means another vote for Obama. And they simply can’t have that.
If it seems I am writing about our American budget woes as if it’s nuclear brinkmanship, it’s because of the nature of the parties involved, one of which has a constituency that carries guns with live ammo to political rallies. Our polarized politics are now represented by proxy in this fight over how the nation’s checkbook is managed. This is a gamble with the economic stability of America and the rest of world and is now how American politics rolls: guns to rallies, guns aimed at your political adversaries and the public to accede to their demands. This is a hostage situation.
I wish we had a lot less insane kidnappers than the 50 – 70 in the House stymieing efforts to conclude what should be simple business: increase the debt ceiling so that government can function, let alone push for deficit reduction. At this point, optimistically, even if we pass the debt ceiling limit, the rest of the world may wisely work to detach from America as a major tent post for the world’s economy, because the politics here make us too unstable to rely on. If that happened, it may be painful, and yet I wouldn’t blame them for a minute. Look at what happened earlier when we needed to ratify extension of the START treaty – unemployment benefits were held hostage for millions of Americans out of work. This is the type of scorched earth politics we’re working with.
Currently, we hostages could be helped if at least our blindfolds were taken off and Congress, which is primarily responsible for America’s purse, would fess up. This is not about our grandparents’ monthly check. It’s about the pork: the subsidies to business interests which don’t need them; the undue influence of big business in the halls of Congress; lobbyists wooing heads of Congressional committees; lobbyists writing laws to protect their private clients’ interests.
Here is a breakdown by percentage of the reasons why we’re in our current deficit struggle from the Congressional Budget Office: recessions or the business cycle (37%); policies enacted by President Bush (33%); policies enacted by President Bush and supported or extended by President Obama (20%); and new policies from President Obama (10%).
Why do we need to continually pressure Congress to do the right thing, pass the debt ceiling increase with a clean bill (no budget cuts)? Our kidnappers aren’t desperate. They’re greedy and politically ambitious — a dangerous combination. And now with guns pointed at Grandma’s head, they’re in control — only if we let them. If you haven’t called your congressional representative yet, please do. And continue to do so until this insanity stops.
Thanks, Patty, for the info on Romul….er, Regulus! Interesting.
Yeh, Brenden – I was thinking the same thing. If the Federal govenment shuts down and checks don’t go out, it seems reasonable that congress’ paychecks won’t go out either. Small change for most of them, I suspose, but still….
ha! I called it Romulus. Must be Star Trek speak.
Patty – do you where to get info on tracking stars such as you discuss here? Your info here of its movement (within the actual constellation?) suggests that Romulus may have been conj my AC at birth (which is kind of fun to know considering it’s placement on Pluto/Sun opposition today).
Thx and xo
regulus does move forward, but slowly. It was at 29 leo 53 in 2000, and was at 0 Virgo 02 in 2010.
Patty, thanks for that info – now I know that Regulus is conj my natal Pluto (and opposite natal Sun).
Must be a guardian angel.
xo
Oh and it is Lughnasad right smack during the Merc Rx. Happy Midsummer cross-quarter day. ::::meh:::
Regulus is a fixed star, on Virgo 00-01. Whereever you have Virgo at that degree, it is conjunct Regulus. All stars have good and bad to them, just as your sun sign has good and negative qualities. Remember to look within, to the one who lives in you, for guidance. Planets and stars throw up road blocks to you, who are love. The idea is to use the map. Don’t let it use you.
Based on what I’m reading tonight, we’re not out of the woods and into the fire yet. Senate Dems are not entirely happy with the deal (Bernie Sanders is enraged!), so tomorrow could see more fighting.
It’s not a legislature anymore, it’s TV wrestling, only it isn’t a shiny serving plate-sized belt buckle/trophy, it’s our nation at stake.
We should start a movement to cut the pay of both House and Senate, down to something reasonable, like $1,000 a month? No benefits or retirement either, they should have to sink or swim like the rest of us. After all, we’re all in this together, right? It’s for the good of the nation, right?
Oh, wait…
Thank you Fe Be Patty SheBear
especially for being here this upsidedown and sideways day before the New Moon and Retro.
I’m feeling crunched and foggy – any thoughts to stabilize (or not? lol) would be appreciated:
Transiting Sun on Natal Uranus on AC square transiting Jupiter which opposes natal Jupiter/NN/Neptune.
Transiting Mercury turning Retro on Natal Pluto which opposes Natal Sun and transiting Neptune.
I’m a little too full of everything Fe described and then some to get my arms around what’s going on.
And Best/Blessings to everyone – What A Ride this is.
Be:
I’ll let you know on August 3rd.
Wow Fe, ‘nuf said. Do you feel transformed yet?
be
Be:
Adding to the stress, Pluto has been on my North Node since mid-July, which made writing a perilous journey! Hopefully, that and maybe even the debt ceiling negotiations are resolved after the 2nd. But I’m not counting chickens…
shebear:
If we have to adjust our lifestyles to usher in this new era, so be it. We’re massively creative when push comes to shove, and the sooner we learn the language of the new way of living that we all know *needs* to unfold asap, the quicker the message will be out there, to fall on ears that already primed and tuned and which can actually DO something about it. It’s our collective voice that needs knitting together, and it’s *not* just the voice of the people of America wanting to get out of the endless loop of wars and the need to dominate, but it’s the caring voice of your people and of your country that we all need to hear and see expressed.
if we can avoid shock doctrine to get there, then all this will have been worth having that outcome happen.
Sorry Fe, my previous post was in response to seeing Patty’s comment to the side, re. regulus, and clicking there took me to this thread and I wasn’t aware what thread we were on. However, now I have read your posting here — it’s *terrific* as usual — I can only imagine how stressful these past few weeks have been for you and your fellow country……..person!
I was stressed out for a variety of reasons up north here but I don’t know how I would have managed with the media saturation you that Americans have had to contend with. I actually have been staying well away from mainstream media for some time now, as I realized that tuning into such negativity on a regular basis was having an adverse affect on me and subsequently, turning it mostly off, I have to say that I *love* the place I’m in now as as result of making that decision. Peaceful, empowered, tuned in.
If the US of A had defaulted on their loan on August 2nd, we would still be living and maybe we would have started to learn how to adjust to what it is we have to adjust to. No matter which path opens up for us to walk down, I think we could learn to take whatever it is that is thrown at us. If we have to adjust our lifestyles to usher in this new era, so be it. We’re massively creative when push comes to shove, and the sooner we learn the language of the new way of living that we all know *needs* to unfold asap, the quicker the message will be out there, to fall on ears that already primed and tuned and which can actually DO something about it. It’s our collective voice that needs knitting together, and it’s *not* just the voice of the people of America wanting to get out of the endless loop of wars and the need to dominate, but it’s the caring voice of your people and of your country that we all need to hear and see expressed.
People all over this world are itching to speak out and to be heard with one and the same voice/message, simplified and to the point. We could start now with something like:
“There is another way, There is another way, There is ano…………..”
We just need faith and hope and love. That’s all.
Patty, I’m having difficulty time finding Regulus in my natal chart — and any other chart for that matter — ! Please could you help me find it, the # of the star, asteroid…..whatever it is called 😉 Tanx!
the moon is conjunct regulus tomorrow morning also.
Mercury is conjunct regulus tomorrow morning – “the most royal star. Raphael the healing archangel, the watcher of the north” per astrology on the web. So perhaps it is not quite an ‘off with their heads’ vibe. The sabian symbol for Virgo 1 is “A man’s head is revealed ; it is a portrait in which the artist has sought to idealize the best of human character.”
Here’s a toast to congress, that they may live up to their ideals and to the promises they made to their constituents, that they might save face. The next few weeks should provide them ample time to revisit wrong thinking.
We humans are so feeble at times, no wonder God created angels to guide us out of our messes.
Your so good Fe,
You just made the 6/21 Solstice chart come alive for me, especially with your call to call. It was Mercury in Cancer then filling in the empty arm of the cardinal t-square of that chart. With its Uranus in Aries, the revolution of individuals begins by opposing the traditions of Saturn in communicating Libra and by squaring the power of Pluto in the entrenched Capricorn government. You are the Mercury making these words full of feeling and it is the Moon in Pisces trining Mercury that brings the people to their computers and phones; the individuals making their heart-felt calls that flood the Uranian and Capricorn systems.
Now Mercury is opposing Neptune from Virgo, was exact early Friday morning at 12:01 AM; he’s very strong now as he prepares to go retro and tomorrow morning the people’s Moon will conjunct Mercury, less than 2 hours after she opposes Neptune. Of course we the people are unsure and tired of deception, part of the Neptune myth, but the calls will be made and the people will be heard.
The drama of Leo and a new Moon to boot. Don’t you just love it?
be