Friday, November 30, 2007
Internship Journal #17
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Internship Journal #16
. I am staying at the Hawthorn Suites and am in an efficiency apartment. I have a desk, and a lounge chair, as well as a kitchen (no oven), but it has a dishwasher…I have a king size bed and a flat screen television. The room also includes a DVD player and two closets. My room is on the fifth floor, front side…located within close proximity of the hotel is some sort of fire station. Fire trucks and such are traveling this road on a regular basis and the sirens blare as they go down the road. I did not however hear the sirens as much this past week…Charlie was here and I had my best friend to chat with, the sirens faded into the background.
Charlie arrived on Saturday morning and we were very happy to see one another. Having someone that loves me, is wonderful. I was thankful this week for having the one I love next to me, as we experienced some marvelous things together. Charlie’s favorite thing was going to the Capitol. The Staff Assistant in our office is a spectacular tour guide and I asked him if Charlie and I could go on his tour on Monday afternoon. Since the House was on Thanksgiving break, the office was very slow and I hoped we would have plenty of time to get the upgraded tour. We did…our guide told us all the interesting stories. One of the tales was about Andrew Jackson beating with his cane the man who attempted to assassinate him in the Rotunda of the Capitol. Our guide led us into the Speaker’s Lobby…this is where the word lobbyist came from, people advocating for a bill would stand outside the floor of the House of Representatives (in the lobby) and speak with the members on behalf of their bill. We were then taken onto the floor of the chamber. I could not believe that Charlie and I were sitting together on the floor of the chamber of the House of Representatives, our guide let us know that the seats we were sitting in were reserved for the Justices of the Supreme Court, during the State of the Union Address. The t
our was spectacular…seeing Charlie’s reaction when he saw the painting on the top of the Rotunda, I placed my hand on his back, because I knew he would lean back too far…he did. He so admired the artisanship of the carpenters and painters and the masons who built this wondrous Capitol. We went to the Lincoln Memorial in the evening and it was a perfect night. The leaves on the trees were burnt red and orange, the grass was green and the reflection pool was beginning to reflect the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. The men in the Korean War Memorial had just been lit and the soldiers looked as if they were returning from a difficult fight. Seeing Lincoln in the twilight was extremely inspiring. 
Seeing Charlie being moved by this memorial was a wonderful sight as well. We spent so much time walking and talking…it was over in just a moment and he was on a plane home. I now have less than two weeks until I return to my home. I am thankful for this experience, but I am looking forward to returning home to my husband and friends and mentors and dogs and fish and Jaymi… 
“I tremble for our Country, when I reflect that God is just.”
Until next time, Eliza
Thursday, November 15, 2007
E. Graham - Internship Journal #15
Hello to all…I hope you all had a wonderful Veteran's Day. I certainly did, I did go to Arlington and it was a beautiful day. Vice President 
Dick Cheney spoke at the event; I will not say, at this point, my thoughts on that topic. After the ceremonies, I watched several wreaths being laid and it was beautiful, the way the marine guards stamped to attention and moved ever so slowly to lay the wreath's by the, "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier." The sunny skies shone bright 
blue and a bit of a breeze blew through the yellow, red, and rust colored leaves, as the headstones of the soldiers lay still on the landscape. I saw three markers in particular in which were touching to me. The first was for the astronauts of the space shuttle, Challenger. The second was there for the men that lost their lives during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. The third of these markers was for the lives lost in the last Shuttle Disaster. They were side by side near the mast of the U.S.S. Maine which was the ship that exploded to begin the Spanish-American War. I walked around for a bit and then I ran into four Veterans' two were in wheelchairs and two were pushing. They were very friendly and we talked as we walked to the burial place of t
he John F. Kennedy family and the Eternal Flame. One of the men was 82 two years old and a World War II Veteran. He told me that he never forgot anything and I can certainly believe it…he was sharp as a tack (as my mother would say). The other men were Vietnam Veteran's and they were from Ohio. One had lots of cats and one had a dog that did not like any cat, but the one that lived at his house. The all live close to each other in Ohio and were very good friends. I helped one of them get to the grave of JFK and we stood there …quietly …for several minutes. Above the gravesite of JFK, on a rolling green hill, behind a miniature pink magnolia tree sits Arlington House, the home of Robert E. Lee. On the grounds, in front of the house is a giant flag pole, and atop an American flag blew in the breeze. I thank these Veteran's for an exceptionally memorable day.
I have added a blog page for political cartoons. The cartoonist is Walt Handelsman and I really appreciate his work. He just began a blog on Newsday, so go and check it out. He has live action cartoons as well…and they are very funny. I laugh out loud sometimes…it is the first Link on the left side of this page.
Today, Representative Dennis Hastert gave his last speech on the floor of the House. He is leaving office in the middle of his term. He is a Republican and held the office of the Speaker of the House, until this past January when Nancy Pelosi became the first woman in United States history to hold this position. The Republicans had held the majority in the House of Representatives, since Newt Gingrich led his Contract with America charge. It took the Democrats twelve years to once again become the majority in the House, but at this point the number of Republican s and the number of Democrats is so close it is very difficult for the group to coalesce and come to any decisions. The Senate must do the same and the vote is even closer in that chamber...51/49, if no one is sick. That is a huge problem in the Senate, because they need 60 votes to bring a bill to the floor and any one person can begin to talk and not stop talking until he can't talk anymore…this is called a filibuster and many Senators utilize this power to threaten others into not allowing a measure to come to the floor. Only on rare occasion do Senators actually gain the floor and refuse to stop talking. In the Senate anyone can change the game at any time and this makes legislating much more difficult. Both houses must decide on a bill and then the conference committee (leaders of the house and the senate) must agree on one bill. The bill is then sent to the President for him to sign. Oops, I can feel a veto coming on…remember that Democratic majority in the Congress…and this process has been repeated and repeated and repeated and will be repeated, until the Congress has a greater margin between the parties, so have a better chance of overriding a veto…they were able to come together on a Water Resources Development bill, last week, and override the President's veto, but everyone needs water! Coalesce is much more difficult on other issues…such as, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations (money). Eventually, the Congress will need to come together on many of these issues, but the members will leave for Thanksgiving break tomorrow.
I should close for now, we are getting up early for a seminar with Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. at the National Ocean and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and the topic will be "The State of our Oceans and Atmosphere." I look forward to discussing this with Scot!!
Everyone have a spectacular day…
Until next time,
Eliza
Friday, November 9, 2007
Internship Journal #14
Hello to all who are sharing this journey with me. I am going into Arlington National Cemetery for the very first time on Sunday, Veteran's Day. I am looking forward to seeing the laying of the wreath. I am thankful to be in Washington, D.C. for this occasion. My brother is a veteran of the first Gulf war, Desert Storm, and although it began and ended quickly and decisively, my mother could not leave her place by the television and Wolf Blitzer reporting on CNN. This was the first, "television war" and it was playing out live, in front of our eyes…it was remarkable and my mother could not leave her place in front of the television and maybe one small glimpse of my brother, to know he was coming home. Not many lives were lost in that war, but in the Vietnam war, we lost many and too many have been lost in this war as well…and now I sit by the television every Sunday morning watching, "This Week, with George Stephanopoulos" and wait until "In Memoriam" to see how many soldiers we have lost this week. And the tears swell up in my eyes and I sniffle and then I go off and make my husband breakfast…oh wait…that is when I am at home. I am in Washington D.C. and this week I will not be at home for Mr. Stephanopoulos to come onto the television, I will be in Arlington National Cemetery and I will be honoring those soldiers that have come home…my mother never glimpsed my brother, however he came home to his mother and his children and his sisters. He now has an extremely interesting and I would say remarkable job in the field of computers. I am not certain about the specifics of his work however the words, "computer guru" come to mind. It is because of his military training that my brother, the Veteran, is in an ever growing field of employment and working for one of the most powerful men in New York City. Never-the -less, I would like to add that my mother was thankful that the war ended so quickly, I would be very happy if the one that we are in at this point would come to fruition quickly…it is way out of control. Spending for this incident is unprecedented, in our history. I have no idea how we would ever pay it back. But not because I do not appreciate that our young men and women in the military are sacrificing their lives, limbs, and sanity for a cause that will not be easy to fix. Who are we to tell other countries what to do??? Who were we to invade another country, Iraq, without full and complete knowledge and maybe the truth once in a while…I am sad about the families of the service men and women that must endure each day sitting in front of the television, watching to see... if they might see...just a glimpse of their boy or girl.
I hope to see Veteran's all weekend and thank them for their service to our country. And wish them a wonderful Veteran's Day!!! I made sure to tell my Congress member…is your Congress member a Veteran? A great way to get this information is to go to: www.house.gov and type in your zip code. You can then go and look at your member's website. This is a wonderful way to get to know more about the person that is representing you in Washington, D.C. If more of us would actively participate in government, we would have a much greater opportunity to effect legislation. At this point, we all need to ban together and DO something. How much is gas in California, now? I go outside in the evening and the traffic never stops…it seems as if people are so busy that they just don't have the time to stop and appreciate what they have. I miss the dirt road that we live on…I miss my Charlie…I miss my dogs…I miss my kids…I miss my family…I miss my friends...and miss my fish!!!
When I was five years old, my life changed forever…my dad died testing bombs to be sent to Vietnam, for the war…he had been in the military for many years, he gained his commission in the summer of 1957. He began his career in the Air Force as a pilot and went on to attend Penn State University to further his engineering degree he obtained at Alabama Polytechnic Institute, which is now, Auburn University. He went on to be a training pilot and was stationed at Aviano Air Field from 1965-1968, this during the Vietnam War. After returning home…my father was diagnosed with Diabetes and as a result, he was grounded from flying. He left the military, shortly before becoming a Major, and he went into the Civil Service, as an engineer at the proving grounds on Eglin Air Force Base. He was testing bombs in March of 1970 and was severely burned…my father died the following month. He died as a direct result of the Vietnam War as he was working to make certain the military personnel in Vietnam had the best arsenal available. And my mother would not leave her place, in the darkness with the loss of her Charles. Happy Veteran's Day to all of you who have served our country and to all of you whom have lost a loved one due to war, say thank you to those that have lived to come back to their mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters…fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers…
Until next time,
Eliza
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Internship Journal #13 White House – Office of the Chief of Staff to the President of the United States
Kneeling – Josh Bolton and Leon Panetta, present and former – Chiefs of Staff
Hello to all...I want to begin by telling you all that my body seems to be falling apart. Whew...I am tired and my body is tired...but I am still plugging away. I think that many of you know that I have a disability. For those of you that do not know much about me, personally, I have arthritis in my lower spine and as such, I am beginning to wear myself out. I am expected to do a lot of walking in my job as an intern and during my commute to any of the locations that we go for seminars. Walking has become very painful and I hope that I can make it through these next five weeks. I certainly do not want to complain, because it is not in my nature to be a whiner, but this is a personal journal and I feel the need to talk about my disability and how it is affecting my everyday life as an intern. Some days are better than others, but I spent this weekend lying around my room and trying to rest for the week ahead. This past week has been an exciting one for me, as we not only visited the White House and had a conversation with, Josh Bolton, the White House Chief of Staff, but we also had a conversation with Norm Mineta, the Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration and the Secretary of Transportation in the Bush Administration. I also attended a rally for the Democrats and what they have accomplished during their first year back as the majority in the Congress.
I would like to begin with Norm Mineta; when we had our seminar with him, he was very straightforward in explaining why he, as a democrat would become the Secretary of Transportation in a republican administration. He told us that he asked many of his friends that are democrats if he should accept the post and they overwhelmingly said that he should. The reasoning behind this was that they did not want to be seen as not wanting to work with the people on the other side of the aisle. Secretary Mineta chose to accept the post and as such, he was the Secretary during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He spoke to us about that day and the decision he ultimately made to get ALL of the planes in American airspace out of the sky. Some in the administration wanted to have the pilots make their own decision to land. He said, "no," they should all be forced to land, because then they could get an understanding regarding the number of planes that had been taken over by terrorists. At that point, two planes were still in the air and one was headed into D.C. airspace. The only other planes in the air were military fighter aircraft that had been scrambled as a result of the attacks in New York City. All of this took place in a very short amount of time and the planes that were coming into the country were diverted to other countries, mainly Canada. Mr. Mineta discussed the passengers on the plane that crashed in the field in Pennsylvania and said, "the people on this plane were true Patriots." They were speaking to people on the ground and knew that other planes we intentionally being flown into buildings of importance, so they decided as a group to take the plane over themselves. All these passengers understood that this would be suicide, but they cared enough about their country to give their lives to save many other Americans from harm. They had no idea that the plane was expected to fly into the Capitol of the United States, but because of these, "patriots" the capitol and the people inside were spared the fate of the people in the World Trade Center and Pentagon! Norm Mineta is an exceptional human being and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to sit with him and hear this first hand account of that day.
On Halloween, we went to the White House. When we arrived, we went through security and into the west wing, where we waited for Mr. Bolton in an ante room of the Roosevelt room, where the President had just been signing a the internet tax bill that saves us all from paying taxes on our internet connections. Mr. Panetta arrived while we were in the ante room and asked us what we had all been doing in our offices. We then all went into the office of the Chief of Staff to have a conversation with Mr. Bolton. The office has a large conference table, a desk, and a sofa and some chairs and seems a comfortable space to hold meetings and the such. Mr. Bolton has a countdown clock on his desk, that has the amount of time the President has left in office. I found this to be very interesting. Essentially, Mr. Bolton is counting down the days, until he is out of a job. He answered a couple of our questions, but deferred to Mr. Panetta to answer several times, saying that he could never be as skilled a COS as Mr. Panetta. I found this frustrating, because we had already heard these answers from Mr. Panetta and I wanted to hear this from the current COS. A specific question was asked about, what the most important issue on the agenda of this administration is for the time they have left in office. Mr. Bolton skillfully answered this question, saying that it was, "protecting the United States." He never said the words, Iraq or war or terrorism. He towed to party line and that was expected. He also explained the schedule for the day and told us that the President asked that the schedule be changed, so he could talk with his speech writers about a speech he was to give the next day. He said that the speech, "was not on topic, enough." The speech was given the following day and I found it to be very derogatory towards the democratic party. The President said that the democrats were behaving like Nazi sympathizers! Mr. Bolton concluded by telling us that he had White House M&M's for us all, because it was Halloween. The box of M&M's has the presidential seal and George Bush's signature. This is a box of M&M's that will never be eaten by me! I will bring them home and use them for show and tell for the classes that I will visit upon my return.
Now on to other fun stuff...I attended something called, "The Zombie Lurch"
on the Saturday before Halloween and had a great time. The lurch consisted of people dressed as Zombies walking from the Washington Monument through the streets of D.C. and then to the metro and to different clubs around town. Diana went as skull face, Brandon went as a pimp, Kari went as a cat, and I went as a pregnant nun with a peace sign necklace instead of a rosary! We weren't zombies, but the deal was you could dress anyway you wanted, so we did. People around D.C. were laughing and scared and it was just some good clean fun.
On Sunday of last week, my friend Amanda, from Chico State, (now Rutgers) came to visit and we had a wonderful time together. We visited the Smithsonian Native American Museum where we saw actual hand made native American dresses and other clothing. These items were absolutely beautiful and you could see the difference in the types of clothing depending on the lifestyle of the specific tribe. We then went into the Air and Space museum where we saw actual items from the space program. From Sputnik to the present missions on the space shuttle to the space station. The American History museum is closed for renovations at this time, but the cool stuff is in a room of the air and space museum. In this room was, George Washington's military uniform, he was much taller than I thought. It also held the little writing lap desk that Thomas Jefferson wrote the, Declaration of Independence. This part of the museum also held Mr. Rogers sweater, Archie Bunkers chair, an original Barbie, and C3PO and R2D2
from the original Return of the Jedi movie. Also included was Dorothy's ruby red slippers and a script from the Wizard of Oz. I was in heaven looking at these items that are so important to the history of America. Another thing that was interesting was a collection of different types of hats (I had a hat collection as a child) and the compass that was used by Lewis and Clark on their trip to the Pacific Ocean. By this time, Amanda and I were both limping around, she hurt herself while moving to New Jersey and is still not fully recovered...so we sat for a little while, ate and then we headed over to the National Archives. We saw the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and were elated to see these two remarkable documents together. Just a bit of useless information for you all, but in the gift shop of the National Archives, they sell the movie, "National Treasure" with Nicholas Cage. I bought a pair of Democratic Donkey earrings and have worn them every day since, including to my trip to the White House!!
The Democratic rally was on C-Span and if you would like to see it, I am certain that you can watch it online, if you go to C-Span.com. I found it to be fun and interesting. Steny Hoyer, the majority leader spoke first and introduced Nancy Pelosi the Speaker of the House. She spoke next and mentioned the areas in which the Democrats have worked to help Americans. Several members asked a constituent to come and speak to the group and tell how the democrats have helped them in their everyday lives. The most inspiring came from a grandmother that was ashamed the administration has left such a large debt for her grandson, Max, to pay. At this point, the national debt is so high that every living American, today has more than $29,000.00 worth of debt. She said, "adults should live within their means and she is proud that this Congress has brought back the Pay-Go rules." Pay-Go is actually, pay as you go and was established during the Clinton Administration, it means that if Congress wants to fund a project, they have to find the money, in the budget, to fund the program. This rule can be somewhat attributed to Leon Panetta, who is the only person in recent history to have actually balanced the budget. Another reason I am very proud to be associated with him and his ideals!
I will close for now, as this is a very long post, but I wanted you all to know how exciting and exhausting this week has been for me!!
Until next time,
Eliza
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Internship Journal #12
Hello to all. I had a good day today. One of the legislative assistants in my office is having a birthday and we ate cookies in the congressman's office with him. He asked whether I had already graduated from Chico State and I let him know that I would be graduating in May. He asked me what my major is and I told him, General Political Science. He thinks that I should attend the master's program , he did and look where he is…not that I want to be doing what he is doing. I wouldn't mind being a Chief of Staff in Sacramento…but I hope to be doing bigger things. Not that being a congress member is not a big thing, but I never want to live in Washington, D.C. I wouldn't mind coming here every so often to testify before Congress…that would be a dream come true!! I want to work to help people and not all people, but an underrepresented group of people. People with disabilities. I have a lot to say and hope that one day people will listen to my personal story and begin to understand that some policies need to be changed, so that the system can be utilized in a more efficient way. Those that need help in certain areas are not able to receive these services, because there are too many hurdles and one organization is saying they can't help, because another group is involved and the second group says they can't pay for this service, because she receives another service from another group. The system is absolutely frustrating and I hope to one day ease the frustration for those in need.
SCHIP was passed by the House of Representatives again today. The democrats want to get it through the senate and conference, by Monday and then the president will have to either sign it, or veto it, right before Thanksgiving. This is absolutely about P.R. If the president vetoes the bill, the newspapers the next morning will certainly have headlines reading, "President gives poor children, nothing to be thankful for!!!" Not very good headlines, huh? That is the reason the congress took this vote up, even though several congress members were in their home districts in Southern California. It took several hours to get this vote passed, because in the congress first had debate to pass rules regarding the procedure to be utilized, then they had a vote, then the republicans made a motion to recommit (a last ditch tool utilized by the minority to have the motion sent back to committee) which takes precedent over the issue and must be voted on immediately, the motion failed and then the vote for SCHIP occurred. It passed in a new form today. The congress did not need a 2/3 vote, so they could override the president's veto. He now has to either sign the new bill, or veto it for Thanksgiving!! This is true political theatre. Oh, one of the staffers in my office was also a theatre major, when she started college. She is the third that I know of that started out as a theatre major and completed school as a political science major. Weird how the two are so close to the same thing in many ways. Being a politician is just like being an actor on many occasions. Being comfortable in front of an audience is especially important for an actor and a politician. As a politician you are always in front of an audience. Even when the politician is not standing in front of the audience, the press is always watching, listening, and researching about every part of your life. Hence, a specific reason I do not want to be a congress member. I truly enjoy my anonymity. I really like an audience, but only when it is through my own instigation.
I attended Congressional Research Service (CRS) training today and will now have the opportunity to take advantage of the ultimate in research!! This will spoil me for my POLS330 - Research Skills in Political Science, next semester. I look forward to that class, hopefully with one of my favorite professors!!
I need to go now and tend to some things.
Until next time,
Eliza
Monday, October 22, 2007
Internship Journal #11
Hello to you all. I am writing really late tonight, but I went to a football game. The game was called, "The Longest Yard" and it is played between Congress members against the Capitol Police. The Congress "Mean Machine" was not so mean…they lost 28 to 0! The Capitol police were really good, well…not really good, they were just a lot better than an professional quarterback a couple of other players and some guys that can't catch! I was fun though, watching them try to play football. It was nice to see them out there having fun and raising money for a charity, the Capitol Police Families Fund that helps families of fallen police officers. I went to the game with Diana and Brandon, they are both fun to hang out with. It was Diana's birthday and so we took her out to dinner and then we went to the ballgame. We ate appetizer's at the Pour House and we all had a drink. Brandon's 21st birthday was last week and I wasn't feeling well, so we went to the zoo together this weekend. He liked the hippo's the most, so I gave him a little rubber hippo for his birthday and a pair of tiger sweat bands. I liked the panda's, thought about my friend Dana Stanaland while I was looking at the panda's. Dana was my baby sitter for a while. She wasn't that much older than me, maybe 3 years, but my mom and her mom were in a social sorority together and they went out of town a lot to meetings and the such, so I often stayed with Dana at her house. She had a panda collection, not just stuffed, but on everything she owned. She was in a newspaper once, because her collection was so large. She and I got along well and last I heard she was working for a zoo. I hope she has had the chance to get up close with a panda in her life.
I would like to change my thoughts a bit at this point and say that I am worried about the interns that are from southern California. I hope that their families are well and their homes are protected from the fires.
I am tired and ready to go to sleep. It is late and I certainly need to sleep, although with the fires raging in California, it is worrisome to me and it will be difficult to sleep. But I am certainly about to try.
Until next time,
Eliza
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Internship Journal #10
Hello to all…
I have been feeling a bit under the weather these days. I've had a migraine headache every evening this week. Ick!! I hope I begin to feel better. I am not certain what the cause of these headaches is, but it could be either the lights, reading the computer screen for long periods, or it could be my back. Not certain…I will prevail however…if my friend Scot can do it for so many years, I have no excuse to be a wimp. I spoke to another intern in the laundry room…he said he was tired…I told him that if he thought he was tired, imagine being my age. He chuckled…putting things into perspective is usually a very good thing.
I was to tell you all about the astronauts. I met the team that just returned on the space shuttle. One of the members of this team was Barbara Morgan, she was the replacement for Krista McCauleph, the teacher that was on the space shuttle Challenger, the one that exploded on lift off in 1986. I lived in Orlando, Florida for most of my life and saw the space shuttle blast off on many occasion, I even saw the space shuttle piggy back atop a 474 airliner. I was in Orlando to see the pieces of the Challenger falling from the sky. It was a traumatic moment in the space program and the world watch in horror as these astronauts exploded before their very eyes. Barbara Morgan was never allowed to go into space as a teacher, however she became a military pilot and astronaut in full, so she had the opportunity to finally, 21 years after the Challenger tragedy, to follow her dream and fly on the shuttle. She and the others were more than willing to speak with us and one of the other interns is a "rocket scientist" from Cal Poly and he was in awe of the astronauts, just like I was. He asked them all questions and I let them all know that I grew up in Central Florida and feel very close ties to the area and believe that although there have been accidents, this is not a perfect world and these people are such perfectionists that we should expect that whatever should be done to improve on the work, these people are all willing to do this, because they know that it is a matter of life and death . The souls of the astronauts looking through the heavens are all hoping that someday, perfection in flight can be achieved.
We attended a seminar this past week with Tim Roemer, the President of the Center for National Policy. He was a great speaker, he suggested we read the book, "The Dance of Legislation" about a young person that comes to Washington, D.C. to change legislation. I look forward to reading it. I will order it soon. He spoke about how we can make a difference, he worked on education as a member of Congress. He tried to improve higher education and help more people receive funding to attend college. He told us that we need to find our nitch and work in the area in which we think we can make the most impact. I believe that my impact will be in the advocacy arena and I hope that I will have the opportunity to advocate for people with disabilities. I have found that many people are still discriminated against in employment issues and the offer of employment. I have been reading a report about employment of people with disabilities and the importance of this group of people to replace the many baby boomers that will be leaving the workforce. I hope to write my public policy paper on this issue. The paper is to be 20 pages and no long quotes. The professor wants us to do more paraphrasing of the information. I like long quotes, so I need to get with this paper soon. My journal is to be 20 pages as well and I think I am close, although I began before everyone else.
My battery on my computer is almost dead and my charger is no longer working. Tipper Gore chewed on it, before I left home and it finally quit on me. I ordered a new cord, but it won't be here until tomorrow…so I could lose my battery at any time. I will write more soon…
Until next time,
Eliza
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Internship Journal #9
Last modified on: 10/6/2007, 5:36 PM
Yea, yea, yea, I know…I said I would write more often, but sometimes I have a real problem wanting to write. You know…kinda like writer's block! So, I have been worried about what to write, because according to my office here in D.C. I can have a blog, but I cannot discuss my office. So, suffice it to say that I got the office I wanted…for those of you out there that I told who I wanted to work for while I was here in D.C.
On our first full day in D.C. my friends Brandon, Diana, and I went into D.C. on the Metro rail, so that we could time the ride in and find our office buildings. My office is in the Cannon House Office Building 
and I am happy about that, because it is the oldest of the House Office B
uildings and it is also the closest to the Metro station. We had a wonderful time in D.C. that day, Brandon frolicked on the lawn of the Capitol and
we herded geese into the reflection pool. I rode on a carousel and we saw adults playing kickball on the Mall. 
We saw the Washington Monument (but we couldn't get tickets to go to the top, but we will eventually) and World War II Memorial and my 
favorite part of the day was the Lincoln Memorial where I shed several tears. I cried because Lincoln was so important to this country and being from a southern state it was even more 
touching for me, because I could be a citizen of an entirely different country if not for Abraham Lincoln.
I arrived in my office on Monday morning at 10:00a.m. and my intern coordinator was out sick. I was shown around by our staff assistant and taught how to sort mail and faxes. I was sent to the office of John Doolittle to take a tour of the Capitol. WOW!!! What beautiful building. I will tell more about this after I take some pics inside. I did find it interesting that there are statues of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America and General Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army. There is a picture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in which Thomas Jefferson is standing on John Adams foot!! Jefferson and Adams were arch rivals and died on the same day, interestingly enough it was on July 4th. We went into the gallery of the House of Representatives and that was exciting to actually be there listening to debate on the floor. On Friday, of my first week, the House was not in session and I had the opportunity to sit in a seat on the floor!!! (Did I mention that I saw the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi on two occasions?) I spent most of my first week sorting mail and faxes; and trying to learn how to answer the phones…gggrrrrr…by Tuesday of my second week, I had the phones down pat.
Wednesday of my second week, I attended my first committee meeting…a very long committee meeting about the FDA regulation of tobacco products. The legislation is sponsored by Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Nathan Deal (R-GA). Nathan Deal was my congressman when I lived in Georgia. When I lived in Georgia, I was the Governmental Affairs Program Manager for the Georgia Jaycees and the coordinator for the Model Legislature held each year and I invited Nathan Deal to speak to us during the legislative session. He did come and the other day, after the committee meeting I went and introduced myself and told him that the model legislative sessions and meeting him were the main reasons I decided to become a Political Scientist and why I applied for this internship. He was happy that I came and spoke to him and that made me proud of all I have accomplished, since the time I was a Jaycee.
The Legislative Aid that deals with Healthcare issues is very kind to me and she gave me info regarding a luncheon briefing on Wednesday. This briefing is about Children's Mental Health issues, a great concern for me personally, because of the illness of my daughter Jaymi. Senator Kennedy should be in attendance for this meeting, I hope so. I will also attend a luncheon briefing on Tuesday regarding Mental Health issues, as well.
So, let me tell you about the showdown on the hill these days. The House and Senate have both passed the SCHIP Bill, the State Children's Health Insurance Program and the President has now vetoed it. At this point neither chamber has enough votes to override the President's veto, but from what I have read in Roll Call and heard around the hill, they both just might get to the numbers they need to override the veto. The House will need 196 votes which is 2/3 of the Congress and the Senate has the 67 votes they need to override the President's veto. The consensus regarding this bill is growing among all sides and the republicans are likely to fall in line with the democrats on this issue, because few of them want to be seen as not helping children. I can tell you all that their have been many phone calls, faxes, and mail have come into all the offices on the hill wanting the Congress to override the veto. If they do, in my opinion, the republicans may have a better chance at holding on to some of their congressional seats next November. We shall see!
I spent the day today in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia and it was beautiful…I will write more about my weekend tomorrow, because I am going with Kari to Mount Vernon tomorrow and I want to include some pics from today and tomorrow at the same time and this posting is long.
Oh, I forgot to tell you all that I got a room to myself and I am VERY HAPPY about this…not that I don't want a roommate, but…well I am old and stuck in my ways and it is just much better for everyone this way!!!
Until next time,
Eliza
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Internship Journal #8
Last modified on: 9/16/2007, 10:17 PM
What a week this has been!! I am exhausted. We have had staffers of the Clinton Administration come into speak with us about the media and the effect they have on people holding political office. The Parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representative spoke regarding House rules. We had two speakers from the Naval Postgraduate School speak regarding Iraq and the war. They gave suggestions regarding the exit strategies the Bush Administration should take into account. Leon Panetta has spoken several times and his insight into the lack of consensus in Washington, D.C. today is very interesting. Most of the people who have spoken to the group are very concerned by the lack of consensus in D.C. today and I am certainly with them on that front. The compromise that is needed to create policy is lacking in a way that Washington has never seen. So, this begs the question, if the D.C. politicians are not willing to come to any consensus and are moving farther to the left or right, how can they possibly get anything done? Well…no one can answer this question at this time, but suffice it to say that not much is getting done, unless the policy is a nonpartisan or bipartisan. I hope to have the opportunity to answer this question in particular. Mr. Panetta suggested that the independent party could have a great opportunity if the partisan bickering does not end soon. He suggested that the American public will become so frustrated with the status quo of the two party system that they will begin migrating to the independent party and the more people that migrate, the more likely it is that they will have the chance to win seats in the Congress and eventually the Presidency. He went on to suggest that the only way the Republicans win the White House next year is , if Michael Bloomberg enters the race as an Independent. He would pull enough votes away from the Democratic Party to help the Republicans win.
My brain is so full today!! I was actually able to get some rest today, though. Not sleep, but rest…I sat around on my bed today and I was very happy not to have to do anything, until this evening. So, what did we do this evening???? We went to the Panetta Ranch in the Carmel Valley and enjoyed a wonderful dinner under the most beautiful arbor I have seen. The Panetta Ranch was purchased by, Carmelo and Carmelina Panetta in 1946 and Mr. Panetta has lived on the ranch off and on, since he was eight years old. The Panetta home is absolutely beautiful and I feel honored to have been invited to
dine in such a magical location. We had a great time chatting and taking photos. Mrs. Panetta told several stories about the family/office dog, "Bravo" a beautiful and very friendly Irish Setter dog who really likes his behind scratched. Mr. and Mrs. Panetta found it humorous that I have a Bluenose Pit Bull named, "Tipper Gore." Mr. Panetta told me that I better be careful of republicans in the neighborhood, when I am calling the puppy!! I had a wonderful evening, but I am tired now, so I will close. I will let you all know that my intention is to update this blogsite a bit more often this week. I hope to have more time to write!!
Until next time,
Eliza
Monday, September 10, 2007
Elizabeth, Pebble Beach Country Club, Beach HouseSunday, September 9, 2007
Internship Journal #7
E. Graham - journal entry #7
Last modified on: 9/9/2007, 11:12 PM
Wow, what a week this day has been!!! That is a statement that my mother would have made about today. And it is certainly the truth. My day began waking up in Marina, California with my husband, Charlie. Today was very difficult for both of us, but we both believe this is a wonderful opportunity. Charlie and I went to Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey this morning and it was an absolutely beautiful day. We left Monterey about 12:30 to head in to CSU- Monterey Bay. I checked in and then we had about an hour to kill, so we went and picked up a few little things that I needed and when 2pm finally arrived, I found it difficult to let my Charlie leave me here!! He did and I went on in to the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.
I immediately met Richard Kazarian, one of the professors here at the Institute and a man I had spoken with previously on the phone. (Thanks for the financial aid help, Richard) He showed me the way to the restroom to get some tissues, by this time, I had tears and probably snot running down my face, so I washed my face and went to meet the rest of the interns. I walked in the room and there they were, a group of young people, and I was the oldest in the room, as I predicted. Taking this is stride, I introduce myself and told them that I was definitely NOT the textbook, Chico State co-ed. Many found this to be quite funny, because the Chico State reputation precedes everyone who intends to represent the university. The guy from Humboldt State said, "I cut on my dredlocks to be here with you all." I found this to be quite funny. So, we have a meeting, get our keys to the dorms, meal cards, and a some additional information regarding the Welcome Dinner and depart to our dorm.
My roommate is cool, she's the next oldest intern and she is a journalism major from CSU-Northridge. More on Kari in journals to come.
5:30 pm we all load a motor coach to go to…I can't even believe I was at this location, much less having cocktails and dinner, okay, okay…we ate dinner at the Beach House at Pebble Beach Country Club!!!! I know my mom is turning green with envy right about now!!! What makes this story better is I was sitting at the table with Leon and Sylvia Panetta. Oh, my!!!! I did not talk too terribly much, but I listened a lot. At this point however, I am so tired I can't remember much of anything, so I will close for now and while I am sleeping, I will recall more of the days and night events.
Until next time,
Eliza
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Internship Journal #6
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Internship Journal #5
Wow, I am off to study at CSU-Monterey Bay soon, I always am concerned about the age difference between the other students and myself. I have only had one group of young people not like me very much and it all stemmed from my U.S. History class at Butte College. It began with a debate about war and ended with a debate about the Iraq war, in particular. She and I were not aligned ideologically on this issue and the debate was ended by the professor, Christine Trolinger. I still drop by her office to check in and tell her about my adventures in learning. **professors become a great resource in future endeavors.
I digress, the same young lady was in my Congress class and our young men are still at war. I was not certain it was her, until I overheard an ideological type conversation occurring in the hallway and then I was certain it was her. I stopped going to class early, I got there right on time. I avoided her in this way and it seemed to work. I used the time to sit and read a few more minutes before class. I have not had any other problems with classmates and I am certainly hoping I get along well with the other interns. More of a concern is feeling I am the dumbest person in the room. I do not want to be the dumbest person in the room --EVER!!!
Tomorrow is Jaymi's 17th birthday and we do not even know where she is…we have been concerned about her for so long, I sometimes wake up in the mornings and cannot remember if she is missing or in someone's custody. Maybe someday I can help affect laws that will help other parents like me and Charlie. We have been through the wringer with Jaymi's illness looming over our heads each day; wondering where to turn next for help; losing employment; having meeting after meeting; creating plan after plan -- all while applying myself as a fulltime student. Jaymi will not be with us for her birthday, as she has been on the run since August 11. Friends and acquaintances, alike, have sighted her, but the authorities have not bothered to pick her up. I would go and find her, but she wouldn't get in my car. She would actually throw a fit on the side of the road if I tried to put her in the car. I will not fight with her anymore, so I follow my plan when I see her. I call the 24hour number and let them know I have seen her. When she is in these manic phases, I set her off, so I avoid this by following my plan. Some people would allow their children to go and do as they please, but Jaymi does not have the ability to differentiate between those people that may want to harm her and those people that want to help her. So, she will go with anyone that will take her where she wants to go. Next week, "TEAM Jaymi" will be holding a meeting and if all goes well, Jaymi will be found and sent to a residential treatment school in, Utah. This is the last resort on the part of our family to try and help our daughter. I love her very much and hope that one day she can, once again, become an active citizen in our community.
I am also concerned about my husband, Charlie. I hope that he can function without me there with him. He is always asking me to scratch his back and rub his shoulder. He loses things and he is famous for wondering where the puppy went. He left our other dog at his friends, grandma's house overnight one time. He did not even realize until it was time to feed the dog that it was missing. I hope he remember to feed the fish, we've had them for a while, so I'd like to keep them. He just started classes at Butte College and I hope he remembers to do his homework. I hope he can pay the electric bill, he leaves lights on, all over the house. I love my Charles though, he is a wonderful man!! He helped me get this far though college and he has stuck by Jaymi, even though he is stepdad. His family has taken me in as one of their own and that is certainly another reason to love Charlie. We have been through more together than a couple should have to bare, and we are still in the midst of many issues and concerns, however, we always make it through and I keep telling him that one day we will laugh about ours cars breaking down, living with friends and other odd locales, along with eating pancakes for dinner because that is all we had. I love Charlie, he's the greatest and the best friend I have.
We are going dancing Saturday night, the 1st, to celebrate my internship. I hope many of our friends turn out. We really like this band and are looking forward to dancing our little tails off. If you like to dance and want to say "god speed" come on out to Pigg's Pubb on Meyers in Oroville. It should be a fun night. The Daniel Traverse Band, from Chico will be playing and they are really magnificent musicians. They play NEW country rock and they can really rock out. Even if you don't dance DTB are great to watch as well.
Until next time, Eliza
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Internship Journal #4
I went to Butte College today to give presentations to Cynthia Bynoe's Political Science classes. I had a great time; the students were very attentive and had plenty of thoughtful questions for me to answer. I created a presentation on Power Point, feel free to check it out again. I hope to be hearing from many of you during this semester. Feel free to ask me questions about what you are studying in class, or info about where you might research for specific information. Thanks for having me come and giving me this added opportunity, Cynthia. By the way, here are the links I promised you all would be added to my page.
Links:
United States House of Representatives
info regarding bills in Congress
Panetta Institute for Public Policy
To my mentors, friends, and family that visit this site, I would really like to hear from you as well. I hope that you will visit frequently and let me know you have. I do not see who has visited, unless they comment.
I am getting very excited and nervous about my abilities to live up to all of the combined expectations of all of you. The only real expectation I have for myself is to learn as much as I can about the compromise that goes into creating the laws of our country. Observing compromise and trying to understand it. I do not believe as many people do that, "they (D.C. politicians) are all crooks!" I have learned that Congress members have many jobs, but their most important is twofold: 1. to work in the best interest of the constituent and the local district, because they are our voice in the nations Capital. 2. to create federal laws that are in the best interest of the country as a whole. This being said the compromise becomes much more difficult when the Administration or Executive branch is of one political party and the Legislative branch is of another. This is the point in which out country stands, today. I look forward to understanding more about why members make the decisions they do. Professor Dwyre's Congress class has been an immense help in my understanding of these issues and I am looking forward to seeing the Congress at work -- up close.
Until next time,
Elizabeth
***For those of you in the 12:30 Political Science class, it worked, I figured it out!!! YIPPEEE!!!! i.m. me!!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Spreading, the News!
Hello again to all those interested. This is a picture of me from the Oroville Mercury-Register, it was published on June 11, along with a very nice article about me. Since my last entry, I have attended the final board meeting of the year for the Butte College Foundation to announce my internship and from that I have been interviewed several times for local papers. The Gridley Herald, the Chico News and Review, along with the Mercury-Register. The other day, Diana Dwyre emailed me to let me know I had also been in the Chico Enterprise-Record. The board of the Butte College Foundation has been very supportive of me, so I thought I should let them know. I was asked to come to the board of directors meeting to make this announcement. I would like to thank the board for the t-shirt that I intend to wear on many occasions in D.C.
I am also a student with a disability and as such, I am a client of the Department of Vocational Rehab and my counselor has been very supportive of my internship and was able to get me the funding to purchase business clothing for the internship. I had a great time trying on clothes at two stores and having Charlie (my husband) say to me over and over, "that looks great, honey!" I tortured him and took him shopping on father's day!! Thank you so much, honey, for being so patient and loving to me!!!! I love you very much!! We chose some really nice clothing along with some shoes and Carla, my Voc. Rehab. counselor sent me to Penney's to buy my clothing. I am so happy about the clothes that I now own. I will certainly have a good wardrobe for D.C. and the first couple of years of the business world after I graduate next spring.
My mother shared some of her two dollar bills with me to purchase a luggage set, so that I so not have to carry my things to D.C. in a bag! Thanks Mom!! I really like my new luggage. I promise to take good care of it!
I received my information from the Panetta Institute on Thursday and I was really excited to get more information. I check in at CSU-Monterey Bay on September the 9th at 2pm and we will have two weeks of intensive training. The Panettas are both integral parts of this training and they bring in political experts from many areas of government to speak in the many seminars in Monterey and in D.C. I am looking forward to learning more about our government from these interesting political experts. During our time in Monterey all of the interns will tour the Monterey Bay Aquarium during a scheduled field trip. On September 22, we will all travel together by coach to the San Jose Airport to leave for Washington D.C. for our time as congressional interns.
Going to Washington D.C. is becoming more real by the day, although sometimes I still just sit and wonder if I can live up to the expectations of those that believe in me.
Until next time,
eliza
