Credit card calamity

Today the U.S. House passed a bill that will enact major changes in the way consumers interact with their credit cards and credit card companies.

The Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights Act of 2009 was passed yesterday by the Senate, so now it only awaits presidential approval before becoming law.

Passage of the bill is consumer friendly in that it radically changes the way credit card companies are allowed to treat their customers, including extending the period of time between the postage of a bill and its actual due date. This will eliminate the ability of credit card companies to post a bill 10 days before its due with the goal of increasing the chance of charging customers late fees.

However, the bill also prohibits people under age 21 from obtaining a credit card without cosigning with a parent. While the idea is to nobly prevent credit card companies from bullying the college-aged crowd, it will ultimately harm young people in the future by stunting their ability to build credit.

I've been steadily building credit since I graduated from high school. I would buy something small with my credit card, pay it off, then start the cycle again the next month. Within a few years, I've built up thousands of dollars worth of credit, I have two credit cards, I've got a great credit score and I've learned to be responsible in the way that I handle credit.

Credit cards shouldn't be your enemy or your vice; they're your friends! They can get you out of a tight spot, give you a chance to treat yourself and help you become more responsible with your finances. You just have to learn to use them correctly. And the sooner young people learn to do that, the better.

The love of the game

I'm fortunate enough to be able to say that I'm 22 years old and I've already met one of my life goals.

A group of UGA students came to visit the Capitol today, and we (the aides) had to show them around, give a tour, introduce our reps, and talk about all the wonderful experiences we're having up here. We went into the House and Senate Chambers, the Senate Mezzanine, the Coverdell Legislative Office Building (my office). We were in our element. Or at least I was.

It wasn't until I was walking down the north stairs of the Capitol with a box laden with folders and booklets and other information for the students that I realized that I made it. I did it. The one thing that I've consistently wanted to do since my senior year of high school - I'm doing it.

I am a legislative aide. I came to UGA wanting to be one, and I'm going to leave having been one. It's probably the most satisfying feeling - to have a goal and to reach it.

But I'm not just carrying around boxes and taking phone calls. Every day, I don't just check Rep. McKillip's mail and maintain his schedule. I am the head contact for his legislation. I make calls and talk to other reps about it. I talk regularly with the county clerk of commission, county attorney and superintendent. When Rep. McKillip has a question, I can usually answer it. If I can't, I can certainly find someone who can. I know his bills backwards and forwards. I know where they are. I know what they are. I know who they affect, who will be against them, who will be for them. How does a bill becomes a law? I'm living it.

I'm a pawn in the game of politics, but I'm in the game nonetheless. And while I will always have a passion for journalism, it seems that by the end of session, politics will come in at a close second.

What's a library without people?

Maybe I've mentioned this before, but both of my parents are librarians.

(I'll wait a few seconds and let all of the jokes filter through your system. Trust me - I've probably heard all of them before...)

Anyway, as a kid I loved going to the library. I played on a carpet that had a maze woven into it. I read Goodnight Moon. I read Frog and Toad. I read Berenstain Bears. The library was fun. Yeah, maybe I was a little biased, but there were other kids there, too. The library was fun for lots of kids.

So what would your reaction be if I told you Congress is thinking about banning children from libraries?

I'm not even kidding.

State of the State in the State...Capitol

This morning at 10 a.m. Gov. Perdue gave the State of the State address, and this year I didn't watch it from the nearest television set.

I filed in to the top of the House Chamber with a few dozen other spectators to watch the governor give his address to the lawmakers who listened intently below us. All around me were journalists frantically taking notes, photographers snapping shot after shot, and aides anxiously listening to what would be in store for them in the next few months. The energy in the room was palpable.

As I realized where I was and what I was doing, I felt incredibly lucky and sort of like I was in a dream. Who would've thought I'd be listening to the governor's speech only a few hundred feet away from him instead of a few hundred miles?

There's a lot of work to be done in the next 37 days. Let's hope we can stay focused on what really matters - our state, our nation and our people.

What it feels like to hit a home run

Yesterday was a "power day," according to my parents. Apparently, that's the term they use to describe a day when I knock one out of the park, or "kill it," as my dad put it.

Yesterday was the beginning of the 2009 Legislative Session and consequently my first day on the job. Besides accidentally locking myself out of Rep. McKillip's computer within an hour of sitting down at his desk, everything went extremely smoothly. In one day, I learned more about the legislature and how things under the gold dome really work than I have in nearly 17 years of school. Imagine how much I'm going to know after four months.

Throughout the day, Rep. McKillip didn't hesitate to put me to work, which I greatly appreciated. Adding meetings to his calendar, reorganizing his office, connecting his computer to the network, previewing the local legislation he'll be focusing on - it was enough work to keep me busy but not enough to be stressful. We got to know each other over pizza, and I flanked him at a reception at the Depot, mingling with other legislators and learning about plastics in Georgia.

I even got compliments on my suit AND coat, which pleased me more than I'd like to admit...

Until April, I'll be drafting letters and opinion articles, working with committees, getting up close and personal with legislators, and probably much more than I can fathom on the second day. Stay tuned. It'll be wild.

A beginning and an end

Things are finally wrapping up here, one by one. Today I finished my last article for the special holiday guide that the paper's been publishing this month. My last day physically in the office will be Friday, I think. Honestly, I'm really sad to leave. I love the energy that comes with working at a newspaper. The hustle and bustle. The daily scramble to get stories written. It's intoxicating.

I'll be working for Doug McKillip, Democrat representative from Athens, Ga., starting in January and throughout the legislative session. It's not journalism, but politics are my second love so I'm extremely excited to say the least. I have a feeling that this experience will open many doors for me and I'll learn things that will help me become a better journalist down the road.

The local paper has some ideas for me while I'm living in Atlanta. First of all, I'm going to have my own blog connected with the paper and I'm going to be giving updates and accounts of my experience for the entire 40 days. I'm going to have to be careful about what I say and whose toes I'm stepping on, but it'll be a great learning experience.

Also, the paper wants me to start Twittering from the floor. If anything crazy happens or a controversial bill passes, I'll be using my phone to update the paper's Twitter that goes directly on the home page of the paper's web site. It's a really forward-thinking idea, and it's comforting that people at the paper are finally embracing today's technology and social networking opportunities.

Hopefully these things will help me expand my resume to include more online experience. I'm really looking forward to leaving my comfort zone a little bit and learning new things. It's always a little intimidating, but I think I'm ready.