My week is pretty much finished in DC - it has been a great experience. The speakers at the program have been very interesting, and I feel like I have learned quite a bit. A lot of what I have learned makes me very concerned about not only the problems that the country faces currently, but the consequences that will come from the actions being taken to combat the problems. Imagine if you borrowed nearly a trillion dollars! That is a lot of interest to pay, especially when you are already paying interest on 13 trillion, paying Medicare, paying Medicaid, and paying Social Security. Pretty soon you are left with no more money to spend on anything else - like roads, bridges, airports, etc.
No one seems to have answers, only more questions. The one theme that keeps coming out is transparency, which is the one thing that we may never completely get. We may get more transparency in the banking industry and in the financial markets, but it is hard to believe that we will ever get complete transparency (or that we would get transparency in the legislative process!).
I really did not have time to do much sightseeing, but I did walk down to the mall one evening and tonight I walked over to the White House before heading back to the hotel. Here are a few pictures.
Chinatown
the White House
the World War II memorial
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