Our country celebrated a bittersweet Flag Day earlier this week, as a nation in mourning. This June 14 marked the centennial of this observance, first proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson. Congress later enacted a statute officially recognizing Flag Day in 1949. The flag is a symbol of leadership and is what unites us. Yet every flag flown at half-staff was a reminder to me that it is a symbol of our democracy and emblem of our freedom, in good times and bad.

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This week a House GOP task force on poverty, opportunity, and upward mobility released their blueprint for a poverty agenda, A Better Way, to mixed reviews. The topic of poverty, and issues that those in poverty struggle with every day, doesn’t get nearly enough attention as it should. The fact that Speaker Ryan and leadership are willing to generate ideas and spur discussion and debate should be applauded.

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For the last thirteen years, I’ve taken for granted the fact that I live in the Washington, DC area – our nation’s capital, rich with history and full of sites that attract tourists from around the world and all walks of life. And I get annoyed when those same tourists block the escalators or take a long time to get through security on the Hill when I’m trying to get a meeting. All of that changed last week.

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