Month: March 2019

Obviously the horrible shooting spree in Christchurch is top of mind right now. It is again a senseless loss of life. Fifty families changed forever and three people who won’t ever get what they deserve. These people need hugs. These people need family. These people need closure. My home is in Cincinnati, I am 8564 miles away, I can’t help with anything substantial except to feel for these people. Thoughts and prayers do go to them and what follows is to your own family.

Here is my take. Some of our own politicians have shared their opinion on the shooting. The citizens of New Zealand don’t need to you to make it about the United States, they are dealing with burials and funerals. Here you go, for instance, AOC, you are now an ugly American. I have never been overseas but we have a reputation of being a know it all and try to make it all about us. We don’t know it all, they do need our emotional support, if they want it, so keep your ugly American mouth closed and use your new found platform to give thoughts and prayers.

Folks here is where I believe we can help ourselves. Our elected officials in the legislative branch pose the biggest impact we can have in the direction of the country.

Congress makes it’s own schedule. Since 2001 the average days worked has been 138. Now if you look online as to what they do besides those 138 days you can find things like spending time in their districts. Well I can tell you the two Senators from Ohio seem to have been missing in action. Every day I pass by a headquarters I suppose of (R) Steve Chabot, it has had no activity since before the last election. Our other Senator, (D) Sherrod Brown has been gallivanting around the country looking at the possibility of running for President. He concluded last week it would not be in his best interest.

Other fun facts for Congress. The House of Representatives can have 22 staff members and the Senate has no limit. Staff budgets are based on the population of each state. In 2009 an average of 23 staff members salaries cost us, the citizens of the United States, $1,043,384. So a line in the budget for the entire Congress staff is $558,210,440 million. In 2012 268 of the 535 members of Congress were millionaires. Let’s not forget once you are a member of Congress part of your retirement package is your salary for life. A regular old Senator or Congressman gets $174,000 for life. If you were Speaker of the House you would get $224,000, for life. In 2016 there were 216 retired members of Congress. This line item in the budget of the United States was $37,584,000 million.

Here is my take. In 1947 Congress passed the 22nd Amendment which limits the President to two terms. There needs to be term limits to members of Congress. It has already be proposed by Ted Cruz, my guess it will fall on deaf ears. We can no longer just let our representatives tell us that budget cuts need to fall on us, the citizens. It seems to me that they don’t live as equals to us. They can vote on their own raises, I never have had a job where I could give myself a raise. They have no accountability for any of their actions, in fact they have a $17,000,000 slush fund to pay off their indiscretions. We need to find those folks to represent us who are able to hold themselves accountable financially and personally. If they aren’t able to these things we should be able to as citizens have them fired from their job of representing us. Until next time.

One of President Trump’s campaign promises was to build the wall and have Mexico pay for it. Well I don’t think Mexico is going to pay for it. I believe the wall is what is needed on many fronts. President Nixon was the first to talk about the “War on Drugs” President Reagan also had his “War on Drugs.” Gee I think we have a reoccurring theme. So the seven Presidents since President Nixon could have done something as monumental as building the wall.

It took President Trump to declare a state of emergency to get the money he needed to build the wall. Nancy Pelosi in leading up to the emergency declaration said she would give him one dollar. Mrs. Pelosi says 90% of the drugs that come into the country get in from the ports of entry. She wanted any wall money devoted to the ports of entry for upgrades and more support.

Here is my take. I agree with stopping the drugs coming across the border and the illegal immigration. The money saved by the wall versus no wall would pay for itself. In doing so Mrs. Pelosi in essence would be able to get more resources for the ports of entry. If you take away the southern border as an option for getting illegal things in the country the ports would be the next logical step. It would be a win for both sides. Some can’t see past what is right in front of their faces.