It’s exciting. The new townhouse is incredible, my roommates (@ptklein and @scottlanford) are fantastic, and the opportunities for this neighborhood are seemingly limitless. It’s a part of town that could, without a doubt, use a little work, but it’s got a ton of potential. One of my goals—and our goals as residents here—is going to be to stay as involved with the surround neighborhood and Ward 5 as we possibly can be. We’re not just going to live here and sit idly by while lazy and corrupt politicians ruin a phenomenal part of the District just because they won’t do something to take advantage of the opportunities this area provides.

We’ll be at meetings. We’ll be vocal on Twitter. And we’ll even be blogging. Not here, but on a new, separate blog, and a new blog for the DC local blog ecosystem: Twoomies. Named after our joking term for ourselves (Twitter roomies = “twoomies”), we’ll be documenting the fun we have, our experiences here in Edgewood, and we’ll throw in a healthy helping of animal goodness, too. Make sure you’ve got it bookmarked, and stay tuned for more and more frequent updates.

Stay tuned.

Go read the job numbers from today.

Back? Ok good. Now re-read this part:

The Labor Department data showed private sector employment increased by 104,000, while government jobs continued a downward trend, reporting a loss of 24,000 jobs.

Private sector? Check. They’re hiring. Not at huge paces, but they are hiring. Public sector? Nope. Our government is actually reducing the amount of jobs they provide. And for the most part, I blame that guy up there, Mitch McConnell.

For a Congress that’s supposed to be all about jobs (even though it’s really all about denying President Obama a second term), they’re being awfully hypocritical. Take some of the GOP’s favorite talking points, for example—they’re completely at odds with each other. Even “Create more jobs!” directly contradicts “Reduce the size of government!”

Republicans in Congress are essentially saying that some jobs simply don’t count—specifically, government jobs. It’s fine, as long as it’s not public service, says the GOP.

Is that what we really want to promote? I’ve always thought public service was a good thing. That is was good and honorable to want to serve your country, whether in the military, through volunteerism, or through public service. Why do public sector jobs, apparently, not count anymore?

Of course the GOP would probably respond to this post saying that federal workers are lazy, and the the government is inefficient and can’t get anything done. But aren’t there better solutions to fixing that than cutting jobs? Republicans and their senseless, over-the-top “we need a surplus” agenda are causing the problem. We should be finding ways of training existing government workers to make the government work better. We should be trimming programs and unnecessary projects, yes, but we should do so in a way that salvages as many jobs as possible.

Anyway, my point is: I’m sick of hearing Republicans complain about slow job growth. Progressives and moderate conservatives are pushing to take three steps forward, while the far right is forcing us to take one step back.

America, please look at this carefully. Read, learn, watch, and observe closely. The problem here isn’t President Obama or his policies. It’s progress being held back by ancient ideals and outrageous politics and personal vendettas. That’s not the way a democracy should run.

Here’s the best of what I got. What’s your favorite? Let me know in the comments. Check below the jump for the rest.

@alexpriest I didn't watch, but twitter stream tells me this: Bachmann wore a sailor suit, Perry got pissed, Cain was lame. #cnndebate

October 18, 2011 9:09 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@cajunjen

Jenna Sauber

@alexpriest They’re all loons. (too long?)

October 18, 2011 9:09 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@NathanDunbar

Nathan Dunbar

@alexpriest Hate & paranoia.

October 18, 2011 9:10 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@zentaratea

Zen Tara Tea

@alexpriest Romney pwns Perry, Herman Cain electrocuted immigrants, Rick Santorum’s may as well not have been … http://t.co/HlJ2OVGn

October 18, 2011 9:11 pm via UberSocial for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@TheHarrisWalker

Harris Walker

@alexpriest really though: Perry vs Romney slapfight, Newt chided all, Bachmann brought the crazy, Cain a kook, Paul & Santorum irrelevant.

October 18, 2011 9:11 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@NathanDunbar

Nathan Dunbar

@alexpriest Apples, oranges, anchor babies, Bach loves moms, Obamacare & Herman Cain invites you to do your own math & to show your work.

October 18, 2011 9:12 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@kaotate

kaotate

@alexpriest Obama sucks; Muslim sharia pizza; batshit crazy googley eyes

October 18, 2011 9:14 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@myerman

myerman

@alexpriest More of the same I’m afraid #thatisall

October 18, 2011 9:18 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@FineProperties

Nick Downes

@alexpriest Didn’t see it but I’m assuming something like: candidates spend hour demonstrating their own ignorance and incompetence.

October 18, 2011 9:18 pm via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@ipenguin67

Mike Knerr

@alexpriest Libya is in Africa. Otherwise, same shit different day.

October 18, 2011 9:28 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@LacyMB

Lacy Baugher

Yes, I’m taking the LSAT. Just like I took the GRE last month, and I’ll probably take the GMAT a couple months from now. I’m doing it for pretty much the same reason I do most things like this: why not?

I have no idea what my future holds. Obviously, things are good right now, but grad school is—at some point—certainly on the horizon. With a degree in marketing, a degree in communications, and a minor in statistics, I’m lucky to be in a position where I have a great degree of flexibility over which graduate program I might pursue.

Given my passion for politics, government, and all the ins and outs of how our country works, law school does, perhaps someday, make sense for me. Obviously the LSAT is the first step. Wish me luck!

shortformblog: soupsoup: Visualization of Twitter Town Hall topics Press focuses on conflict/politic

Effing. Brilliant. Cannot get enough.

That’s what the AMP Summit, being held today and tomorrow here in Washington, D.C., is all about–and so far, it’s a fantastic conference.

This morning I had the pleasure of volunteering with registration at the conference, which earned me a free ticket and the chance to bump into more than few cool people right from the get-go. Once off my shift, I attended a session on online advertising with representatives from Aol, Google, and Facebook–lots of good content, albeit mixed in with some heavy sales pitches and brand plugs.

Not a whole lot of time to discuss it much right now, but if you’d like to keep up with the conference be sure to follow the hashtag, #AMP10, and check their website to follow along with the schedule of events. And of course, follow me on Twitter for all of my own exciting updates and commentary.