Andrew’s Analytics

For a lot of us, Memorial Day is the symbolic beginning of the summer season. It’s a long weekend when we get together with friends and families, and start enjoying outdoor activities that we haven’t done for nearly a year. For others, it is a much more solemn day. A day during which we remember members of our armed services who didn’t make it back. 

Starting shortly after the Civil War, individual cities would set aside a day of rememberance. Newly freed slaves reburied the fallen Union soldiers in a Charleston SC prison camp into individual graves. On May 30, 1868, they returned to the cemetery and decorated the graves with freshly picked flowers. The date was chosen due to the fact that it was not the anniversary of any battle, but rather a day to honor the soldiers who died in service of their country.

It’s important to remember that although one may disagree with the military policy that our nation is engaged in, the soldiers on the ground in harm’s way do not make that policy. They are generally young kids who are willing to risk everything for the nation that they believe in. So when we’re off with our friends and families over the holiday weekend, take a minute to reflect on the sacrifices that our fallen soldiers have made.

Today is the first day of May. Traditionally, the halfway point between vernal equinox and the summer solstice, people have been celebrating May 1st for thousands of years. The ancient Celts used the day to mark the beginning of summer with the festival of Beltane, welcoming the new agricultural season with bonfires. As Christianity became the predominant religion in Europe, May Day took on a more religious meaning, with the Catholics celebrating the feast of St. Joseph, patron saint of workers. 

This ultimately led to a more secular version of the holiday: International Workers’ Day. Starting in the early 20th century,  the first of May was designated as a day for demonstrations regarding worker’s rights. Today over 70 countries around the world honor the contributions that labor has made in creating capital on this cross quarter day.

At the height of the cold war, President John F. Kennedy imposed an embargo against Cuba to punish Fidel Castro’s regime for aligning with the Soviets. Castro, who outlasted Kennedy and his next seven successors, watched while the cold war ended, the Soviet Union dissolved, and China has become one of the United States’ largest trading partner. He recently ceded power to his brother Raul.

Nearly fifty years later, American citizens need a special license from the treasury department to spend money in the Caribbean nation. Earlier this week, President Obama announced that all travel restrictions to Cuba by people with family there would be lifted. Could this be the beginning of an end to this archaic reminder of the cold war? The U.S. seems to have no problem making totalitarian regimes rich, as long as it suits our needs. How much money has our thirst for oil pumped into Saudi Arabia? We love to go to Wal-Mart, and buy cheap crap made in China. What makes Cuba different? The answer lies in Miami. While most Americans couldn’t care less about our trade policies in Cuba, there is a very vocal group of Cubans living in the U.S. that are calling for the continued embargo of Cuba. It’s time to move on from this pandering, and open up trade with one of our closest neighbors. Or at least we should be consistent when we decide who we don’t want to play with.

While researching the special election today in New York, I thought I’d take a little time to reflect on the difference between our two houses of Congress. Modeled after the British House of Commons, the House was designed to be a legislative body close to the people.  In the early years of The United States, the only federal officials elected directly by the people was the House of Representatives.  It wasn’t until the ratification of the 17th amendment in 1913 that Senators were required to be elected by the people.  By representing smalle constituencies for shorter terms, members of the House are required politically to represent narrower interests than their counterparts in the Senate, who are representing the interests of an entire state.  While the Constitution grants the Senate the power to confirm Presidential appointments and ratify treaties, the House has the sole power to levy taxes.  The roots of these houses, along with the subtle differences are often forgotten. A special election is a good reminder of the people’s power to keep their elected representatives in check.