Thoughts from the Universal Geek

Short answer: 100% Long answer: Strap in, a bit of a deep dive coming up. This is, as always, a bit of an oversimplification of a complicated concept. But, here goes First things first, let’s get one thing out of the way: the “debt ceiling” is not about restricting spending. It’s about paying debts that we already owe. The entire idea of the debt ceiling is fairly absurd, as it’s effectively saying that, while the Congress + President may well agree to spend $X amount, putting ourselves into $X of debt, we’ll stop paying after an arbitrary point. It’s like saying that your family will keep spending on the credit card, but refuse to pay anything beyond $10,000 (or some equally arbitrary point). US debt, in the form of T-bills and bonds, is historically seen as literally the safest investment in the world for the simple fact that the US pays its bills. A T-bill or a bond is, in effect, the US issuing a promise that, in return for $X now, we’ll eventually pay the buyer $...

I'll get things started with something you might call a "golden oldie."  Between roughly 2012-2017, my family temporarily relocated to Greenville, SC (job transfer, don't ask). In the summer of 2015, between Rabbi Julie Kozlow leaving our synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel, and Rabbi Barry Kenter starting a 1 year stint as interim Rabbi, I served as a substitute "Rabbi" on Saturday mornings. As I said the first time I took the bimah (pulpit), I'm not a rabbi, but I can play one on Shabbat. Or, perhaps, not an actual rabbi, but an incredible substitute! Or, maybe, the Emergency Rabbinic Hologram. Most Shabbatot (Sabbaths), I was very careful to keep my focus 100% on the Torah portion of the week, scrupulously avoiding any mention of current events. After all, current events can get any faith leader into hot water; if a "real" rabbi could get in trouble for mentioning current events, how much more so a purely temporary one?  Well, on Wednesday, ...

I'll keep my introduction quite simple: if I'm interested in something, anything, I geek out about it. Guitars: I learn to play, start a small collection. Whiskey: I jump headfirst into the community of Magnificent Bastards who make up the Whiskey Tribe. Shaving with an old school safety razor: I'm an active participant on the "Badger and Blade" website.  And so on. In a chat with a friend, it occurred to me that, rather than send essays   via email or SMS, it'd be better to start a small blog and send links to it. Hell, maybe someone will like what I have to say. Stranger things have happened, although not commonly or recently.   Peace, love, & Star Trek,  -Z