As our school year begins, the ephemeral distraction of summer begins to fade from the minds of Bowdoin students. Now we settle in for four months of work and play, problem sets and papers, midterms and a bit of Epicuria. We’ve had our summers, whether we spent them in a cutting-edge diabetes lab at Harvard, teaching English to disadvantaged children, competing in a Robocup tournament in the Netherlands, or researching crop insurance policy in Idaho.  

Now, we reconvene in Brunswick knowing that the distraction must end, as we return to our real work—becoming educated and investing in our futures.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no end in sight for the many  distractions that plagued our nation’s leaders over the last three months. 

The Senate spent a fairly productive summer developing a desperately needed immigration reform plan, the progress on which has been largely ignored in favor of seemingly inexhaustible tantrums about Obamacare and the recent circuitous debate over the congressional authorization of a military strike in Syria. 

Congress’s distractions may be intoxicating to its members and easier than substantive policy work, but do the public a disservice in the long term.

It’s easy to see why Congressional debate on Obamacare is a waste of time.  Since 2010, the House has remained solidly anti-Obamacare; the Senate is in favor. The latter also has filibuster rules that would prevent a rogue coalition of Republicans and blue-dog Democrats from repealing it.  The House of Representatives apparently can’t work out that basic arithmetic.  It has voted no less than 40 times to repeal the law, at an estimated cost of $58 million.  

Tea Party Republicans—who rose to power on the idea of eliminating wasteful government spending—might want to take a look at the time they redundantly wasted while futilely repealing Obamacare. Staunch and monotonous opposition to Obamacare might be great for Tea Partiers running for reelection in deep-red districts, but the preoccupation does little for the advancement of the nation. 

Those threatening to shut down the government unless Obamacare is defunded are no more productive.  The law will not be defunded, and shutting down the government is not good for anyone.  Just ask the Republicans kicked out of office in 1996 following the ’95 government shutdown.

After the Syrian governmenta’s use of chemical weapons against a civilian population on August 21, Congress has become embroiled in another useless controversy. 

When President Obama punted on the question of whether to punitively strike Syrian military units, he merely gave Congress another excuse postpone any real work. The President’s rhetoric has suggested that he doesn’t care about the outcomes of the House and Senate votes—he continues to talk about a possible strike as if he has already obtained authorization. The reality is that Obama does not need to obtain authorization, and is merely adding a step to the process in which anti-war Democrats are forced to oppose him and radical libertarians and Tea Partiers of all stripes have an extra opportunity to obstruct his agenda. 

Moderates and neoconservatives have blasted the President for passing the question to Congress, viewing it as a dilution of Presidential power. 

Mostly, it is a shameless attempt to deflect blame should any military strike go wrong, but Obama forgets that he is in his second term and no longer has to face constituents in the voting booth.
 Now, he need only do the right thing. The right thing—with respect to Congress—would be to direct and enable it to spend its time on substantive policy work that affects the lives of Americans nationwide.

As the Syria situation moves towards resolution, another frequent distraction rears its ugly head.  According to the latest estimate at press time, the United States will no longer be able to pay its bills on October 18. If history is any indicator, far-right voices will demand concessions from everyone else to raise the debt ceiling.  

Fringe Tea Partiers will refuse to acknowledge the need to raise the debt ceiling, framing it as a big-government conspiracy to put the United States deeper into debt, ignoring two facts. The government needs to raise the debt ceiling to pay for bills it has already incurred. In addition, our credibility as a powerful nation and financial rock falls on the line if we fail to pay those bills, and the country could face higher interest rates as a result.  

This situation is particularly dangerous because of the disastrous effects of Congress failing to act.  That we continue to elect officials who would play with something as serious as the country’s financial credibility is a disgrace.  Congress is a place for adults, and its members should leave childish games of brinksmanship behind when they enter the Capitol.

As I begin my third year at Bowdoin, my fellow students and I are, for the most part, transitioning gracefully from our summer existences—whether educational, lucrative, or just fun—into the school year, embracing its challenges and its pleasures.  To my fellow Bowdoin students I say: go out, have fun, and keep up the good work.  To first years: welcome, and good luck.  And to Congress, I would suggest taking a page out of the collective book of Bowdoin students and get to work.  Distractions, preferable as they may be to our real priorities, cannot last forever.

As our school year begins, the ephemeral distraction of summer begins to fade from the minds of Bowdoin students. Now we settle in for four months of work and play, problem sets and papers, midterms and a bit of Epicuria. We’ve had our summers, whether we spent them in a cutting-edge diabetes lab at Harvard, teaching English to disadvantaged children, competing in a Robocup tournament in the Netherlands, or researching crop insurance policy in Idaho.  
Now, we reconvene in Brunswick knowing that the distraction must end, as we return to our real work—becoming educated and investing in our futures.
Unfortunately, there seems to be no end in sight for the many  distractions that plagued our nation’s leaders over the last three months. 
The Senate spent a fairly productive summer developing a desperately needed immigration reform plan, the progress on which has been largely ignored in favor of seemingly inexhaustible tantrums about Obamacare and the recent circuitous debate over the congressional authorization of a military strike in Syria. 
Congress’s distractions may be intoxicating to its members and easier than substantive policy work, but do the public a disservice in the long term.
It’s easy to see why Congressional debate on Obamacare is a waste of time.  Since 2010, the House has remained solidly anti-Obamacare; the Senate is in favor. The latter also has filibuster rules that would prevent a rogue coalition of Republicans and blue-dog Democrats from repealing it.  The House of Representatives apparently can’t work out that basic arithmetic.  It has voted no less than 40 times to repeal the law, at an estimated cost of $58 million.  
Tea Party Republicans—who rose to power on the idea of eliminating wasteful government spending—might want to take a look at the time they redundantly wasted while futilely repealing Obamacare. Staunch and monotonous opposition to Obamacare might be great for Tea Partiers running for reelection in deep-red districts, but the preoccupation does little for the advancement of the nation. 
Those threatening to shut down the government unless Obamacare is defunded are no more productive.  The law will not be defunded, and shutting down the government is not good for anyone.  Just ask the Republicans kicked out of office in 1996 following the ’95 government shutdown.
After the Syrian governmenta’s use of chemical weapons against a civilian population on August 21, Congress has become embroiled in another useless controversy. 
When President Obama punted on the question of whether to punitively strike Syrian military units, he merely gave Congress another excuse postpone any real work. The President’s rhetoric has suggested that he doesn’t care about the outcomes of the House and Senate votes—he continues to talk about a possible strike as if he has already obtained authorization. The reality is that Obama does not need to obtain authorization, and is merely adding a step to the process in which anti-war Democrats are forced to oppose him and radical libertarians and Tea Partiers of all stripes have an extra opportunity to obstruct his agenda.  
Moderates and neoconservatives have blasted the President for passing the question to Congress, viewing it as a dilution of Presidential power.  
Mostly, it is a shameless attempt to deflect blame should any military strike go wrong, but Obama forgets that he is in his second term and no longer has to face constituents in the voting booth.
 Now, he need only do the right thing. The right thing—with respect to Congress—would be to direct and enable it to spend its time on substantive policy work that affects the lives of Americans nationwide.
As the Syria situation moves towards resolution, another frequent distraction rears its ugly head.  According to the latest estimate at press time, the United States will no longer be able to pay its bills on October 18. If history is any indicator, far-right voices will demand concessions from everyone else to raise the debt ceiling.  
Fringe Tea Partiers will refuse to acknowledge the need to raise the debt ceiling, framing it as a big-government conspiracy to put the United States deeper into debt, ignoring two facts. The government needs to raise the debt ceiling to pay for bills it has already incurred. In addition, our credibility as a powerful nation and financial rock falls on the line if we fail to pay those bills, and the country could face higher interest rates as a result.  
This situation is particularly dangerous because of the disastrous effects of Congress failing to act.  That we continue to elect officials who would play with something as serious as the country’s financial credibility is a disgrace.  Congress is a place for adults, and its members should leave childish games of brinksmanship behind when they enter the Capitol.
As I begin my third year at Bowdoin, my fellow students and I are, for the most part, transitioning gracefully from our summer existences—whether educational, lucrative, or just fun—into the school year, embracing its challenges and its pleasures.  To my fellow Bowdoin students I say: go out, have fun, and keep up the good work.  To first years: welcome, and good luck.  And to Congress, I would suggest taking a page out of the collective book of Bowdoin students and get to work.  Distractions, preferable as they may be to our real priorities, cannot last forever.