I'm Right Again dot com

A Weekly Online Publication of the Anonymous Anything Society —  January 24, 2018


   

NEWS FROM THE SWAMP: The Score in the Blame Game

 

      I was not shocked when I was informed upon arising Monday that our solons in Washington had agreed upon a spending bill that deserves the proper descriptions of being both slothful, wasteful and expected. The can was kicked down the road for only a couple of weeks this time—until February 8th, by which time they will have resumed their finger pointing and postures of angst. The Dreamers must dream on, for the legislators, even those who supposedly want to approve a pathway for them to citizenship, have until March to do something. (Mañana, mañana, is good enough for me.)

    "Bring me a Bill of Love." said President Trump, "I don't care, I'll take the heat for signing it." (Oh Yeah, he will!)

    When the man made famous for saying he always aced the Art of the Deal got the bill, he reneged again on yet another promise. "You must arrange to pay for The Wall, (Not Mexico) first," he then responded (Watch the little ball, and tell me which walnut shell it's under).

    There's a special place in Hell, reserved for politicians.

    I was reminded last week that an amendment to the Federal Constitution makes it illegal to not pay Senators and Representatives their salaries during federal shutdowns, when thousands of federal employees considered "unessential," either are sent home and their paychecks docked, or at the least, delayed.

    The  27th Constitutional amendment, the last to be ratified, was proposed along with ten others that became the Bill of Rights, by James Madison—in 1789, but not ratified by the sufficient number of States for over 200 years. This long and unprecedented can kick of 202 years, 7 months and 10 days, was discovered by Gregory Wilson, a Law Student in Texas, who re-initiated the effort, and the final few of 38 States required: Alabama, Missouri and Michigan, all ratified the amendment on May 5th of 1982. It was somewhat of a shock to learn that Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York and Pennsylvania have yet to ratify the 27th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

    Nevertheless, the following is now enshrined in the Law of the Land for all 50 of the United States: "No law varying the compensations for the services of Senators and Representatives shall take effect until an election of Representatives shall have intervened." Okay, that means the next chance to de-ratify this perk is after the midterm election, nearly a year away. 

    Chances of this guarantee of payday for our Federal Legislators irrespective of shutdown ever being nullified, is less than zero. What do you think?

 

Phil Richardson, Observer of the Human Condition and Storyteller. "He goes doddering on into his old age, making a public nuisance of himself."—Joseph Menchen


Our unending thanks to Jim Bromley, who programs our Archive of Prior Commentaries


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