How much control does Obama have over his Treasury officials?
How much control do they have over AIG, which has been more or less nationalized by now?
Why are we bailing out the folks who created this mess anyway with these huge bonuses and whatnot? They are NOT indispensable. I don't think any CEO is.
What effect will the economic crisis have on global warming?
We're seeing a drastic drop in consumer spending, and that drop will be permanent or increase until households feel safer. When will that be, and what is the government doing to make households feel safer?
Is the American way of life screwed?
Is everyone screwed?
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The Israel/Palestine issue has started to become something that vexes me. I don't know nearly as much as I would like, but I have unsolved questions there too:
Is Israel screwed? I mean, is it sustainable in the long run? (Actually, I'm pretty sure the answer is Yes; No without important changes. Like what? Beats me.)
Why should we care about Israel anyway? Sometimes I think all the Jews in Israel should just move to the US and buy our surplus housing stock. Totally fanciful and would never happen and unworkable and all that, but...why don't the Jews just get out of Israel? It seems like a pretty lousy place to me, all those bombs and rockets and suicide bombers and they're an international (-US) pariah. I know the answer: well, they can't, it's their home. And you can't leave home. That's an attitude I have a hard time understanding, seeing as how I'm from Houston and it's hard to love Houston, although I do feel pride in being from Texas. (Yes really.)
And sometimes I also wonder: why not just say "Screw it, we're leaving Iraq"? Too many Americans have died and I don't think there's much to show for their deaths. And what about Afghanistan? Obama wants more troops there, but...what do Americans get from it? Why is it in our self interest?
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So, was I stupid to go to Swarthmore? Well, 2006 was different from 2009, but if I were in high school in 2009, I know where I would go: a state school. Swarthmore's application # went down this year. And increasingly I can't help but feel that it was a mistake to go here. Mostly because of cost, partly because Swarthmore's not super well known. It turns out brilliant minds...
What happens to me after college? For me, that's the biggest unsolved question of all. Of course, this question WILL have an answer. But will the answer be to my liking?
Ah, I see you're worried about the future. It's pretty maddening to think about some of these things, but for the global and national issues that you've mentioned, eventually something will need to be done. As far as your choosing Swarthmore, I hope the money issues aren't dire. The reason I only applied to UT an A&M was because I figured I'd be in college for a long time and didn't think it would be wise to spend eight or so years paying out of state/private university tuition. That said, I do kind of envy that you were willing to go so far from home. I chose UT in part because I knew there would be people there that I had already met and wouldn't have to socially start over.
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