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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Neil Steinberg

Sleepy Joe flashes his steel

President Joe Biden hides a smile as he meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in the Oval Office last month to discuss the debt limit. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)

My wife pays the bills. A few paid by check, an antique practice akin to churning butter. Most paid electronically, online. And a few, key expenses deducted automatically from our checking account. Which means ... well, I really have no idea what the actual process entails. A bundle of electrons sent by the Firm Handshake Mortgage Company meet once a month in some dim silicon chip alley with another clump of electrons sent by our bank account. A microsecond exchange occurs, some digital version of flashing gang signs, and we’re good for another month. I’ve honestly never thought about it before.

My contribution is some of the money. Being otherwise excused from this process has been one of the great boons of my life, like being the son of an atomic scientist or owning a dog.

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