Greetings all, and welcome to the new year. After 365 days of exciting headlines, volatile conditions in the stock market, and hundreds of “what you missed,” we’ve made it to another year. Though I don’t believe in making resolutions, I think it’s more than appropriate to talk about ways of having a healthier year. First of all, in terms of spending money on items, you should always spend more money to get something of incredible quality versus purchasing “fast-fashion” items that are made cheaply and probably don’t fit you as they should. This same mentality goes for the food/beverages you put in your body. I’m not suggesting that you spend thousands of dollars more than you need to, but just invest in quality ingredients because it will not only satiate your appetite, but your soul will thank you later.
I’ve got plenty more, but we have a long year ahead of us, so here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
Warren 2020?
With the 116th Congress set to meet in a few days, the “blue wave” will finally take its seats in the House and the Senate. In addition to this exciting news, parts of the United States federal government remain shut down at the behest of President Donald Trump who is displeased with the fact that no one seems willing to give him $5 billion to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. Regardless of one’s opinions on the current administration, we are only a year or so out from the Iowa caucus, and this is personally my favorite time period because we, as Americans, have the unique pleasure of witnessing politicians from all political preferences attempt to guise their intentions for running for office.
One such mystery candidate decided that she no longer wished to remain in the shadows as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced Monday that, after months of speculation and videos explaining her alleged Native-American heritage, she is establishing an exploratory committee to pursue a 2020 White House bid for the upcoming election. For those of us less privy to jargon used in domestic politics, an exploratory committee is a collective of individuals tasked with determining the candidacy of potential candidates running for an elected office.
“Exploratory, draft or “testing the waters” committees are formed solely for the purpose of determining the feasibility of an individual’s candidacy for office. The activities of exploratory committees may include polling, travel, and telephone calls to determine whether the individual should become a candidate.”
–DC Official Code § 1-1101.01(6)(B)(vi))
A Stinky Shutdown
This partial government shutdown has made life difficult for many people, and to be honest, it’s smelled off from the start. In recent scented news, sections of California’s Yosemite National Park were forced to temporarily close after park visitors elected to excrete their solid waste onto the road due to toilet closures.
“We’re afraid that we’re going to start seeing significant damage to the natural resources in parks and potentially to historic and other cultural artifacts. We’re concerned there’ll be impacts to visitors’ safety. It’s really a nightmare scenario.”
–John Garder, Senior Budget Director, National Parks Conservation Association
