Earthquakes continue to plague many parts of the world, but another danger may lurk beneath America’s soil. As our legislators plod along to avoid following the U.S. Constitution, the risk of our Founding Fathers stirring in their graves rises precipitously.
One of my favorite classes was Constitutional Law. Taught by an astute professor whose parents had fled Mainland China days before the Cultural Revolution. He grew up in Taiwan and rose to be one of its top legal officials. He knew the value of the Constitution and pounded that thought into our heads every day we were privileged to sit in his classroom.
The delicate balance of power may be the greatest asset of the instrument. No one branch can overpower either one of both of the others. Legislative, Executive and Judicial work in an odd dance to perfect the system we know as a Republic. Now, to the chagrin of those who revere the Constitution, there are those within the Beltway who seek to do an end run around its protections and push ahead with legislation in a manner that mocks the beauty of those words written by Madison, Jefferson, et.al.
Heed Section 7: (Three of its four paragraphs are pertinent here.)
All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.
Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate shall, before it becomes a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; if he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases yeas and Nays shall determine the Votes of both Houses, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have all of our representatives stand and face the camera to vote on this? The audience might even top the numbers for the upcoming Super Bowl.
Note that the words “shall have passed” are paramount in the first sentence. The tactic to end run around the Constitution to move to reconcile a bill that will not have passed in its final form is not only troubling, it is illegal. Telling us that they will take a bill that has gone through both houses and “tweak” it before using it is not encouraging. If it’s not in proper form, defeat it.
I weary of the childish tantrums and petty tactics of those who deem cheating the preferable way to achieve success. And what of the vote count? It is the most important tally imaginable, yet the mindset of the leadership that continues to twist arms and bribe for votes flies in the face of its social reflection that urges youth sports teams not to keep score.
Oh, so they only keep score when it suits them? Give me oxygen. When will we finally, as voters, come to the sad realization that the majority of those serving in Congress serve themselves? There are exceptions. Mike Pence comes to mind immediately. I chuckle when he responds to a reporter’s question that attempts to force him to say something unkind about the opposing party. In characteristic fashion, he smiles and takes the high road and disagrees with policy — not personality.
It is clear that the majority of Americans did not want the pending health care bill and over three-fourths of them are satisfied with their own health care, we witnessed a vote that instituted a system hell bent on spiraling our children and grandchildren into debt to cover the portion of society without insurance. To that, many of us said, “Stop!” All for naught….
Some claim that “The American Dream” has disappeared in the wake of that pathetic legislation now dubbed “Obama Care”. Are we ready to accept that our children and grandchildren live as equals with those who have no ambition or work ethic? I hope not.
Don’t wait for the next sound bite or the next campaign. Sadly, that may have already begun…. Call those legislators who teeter on the edge and might fall in line with bully tactics.
In the end, it should be your call. Your legislators should be voting as you wish, not as their cohorts wish. Ronald Reagan coined the phrase, “Trust, but verify.” Oh, we hear various voices urging us to trust them to do the right thing. Right. They echo the woman who said (paraphrasing), “Pass the bill and then find out what’s in it.”
Would you consider signing a contract that you had not read? The die has not been permanently cast. In order to implement laws, they must be judged in line with the US Constitution and they must be funded. Thank goodness, some of the newcomers to the House of Representatives say that they are bent on doing both — seeing that this horrendous piece of legislation is put into the trash bin as not being constitutional and defunding programs that are useless.
Could you run your household indefinitely in a parallel fashion to the US government? I doubt it. Hold the proverbial feet to the fire. Demand that those of us in the 90% who were satisfied with our health care do not have our lives wrecked and our grandchildren bankrupted to fund care for the 10% who want it. Whenever a good or service is readily available without real effort, its popularity skyrockets. Try putting out a “for free” sign and see what happens.
Such is the case with welfare and its peers. Pair an accelerating Social Security minimum age with a deadly serious, really thorough assessment of just who deserves help and just who is able to go to work and earn and you might have a good first step. In fact, a study might be very cost effective.
Entitlement? More like enablement. Think about it.