A kid in a candy store
Actually it was a liquor store, but the anecdote involves a kid, candy and not having enough pennies. I was a young adult, home doing "recruiting assistance duty" at a recruiting office in Culver City (I was stationed in South Florida). I went into the liquor store to get a cold drink for the ride home and saw a little boy who wanted to buy a candy bar. He had nothing but pennies and he was a few short. So I reached in my pocket and pulled out a quarter and gave it to the store clerk to pay for his candy bar.
He left happy. I went to pay for my drink and discovered that I no longer had enough change or small bills to pay for my own drink. The clerk wouldn't break a hundred dollar bill. I left the liquor store glad I'd helped someone else and disappointed that I'd done it at my own expense.
That is more or less the problem we face as a nation. We help some at the expense of our own.
Why? Because our elected leaders need to keep getting elected. There are 102 Senators and Congressmen in our nation's history who served 36 years or more. 16 of them are currently serving. Six of those have served more than 40 years. John Dingell is a World War II veteran who is in his 58th year of service in the House of Representatives. He was first elected to the House in 1956, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was running for reelection to a second term as President. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have been the U.S. Senators from California for more than two decades.
Can someone please tell me why the Constitution allows members of Congress to serve an unlimited amount of time as long as they can get reelected while the presidency is limited to two terms. In point of fact, originally the presidency was not limited. But George Washington refused to run for a third term and aside from FDR, no one else has ever served more than two.
However, had the Constitution not been amended to limit a president to two terms, I suspect William Jefferson Clinton would have stood for reelection in 2000 and defeated George Bush Jr. The answer isn't removing those limits on the presidency. The answer is to consider term limits for Congress.
There are cons to the concept of limiting members of Congress to a number of terms. Two terms for Senators would be 12 years. Two terms for members of the House would only be four years. Some kind of compromise on how long a person can serve in Congress before they must allow someone else to serve. Perhaps the limitation could be that after a break of one term, a congressperson can then run again.
Another con is that when we allow only a limited number of terms to our elected leaders, we lose experience in government. The newly elected legislators are dependent on their professional staffs, who spend their life working in government. Power and influence would shift from the elected to their employees.
It's a problem that is worthy of discussion.
* * *
Packs of teens roaming and committing crimes were labeled as "wilding" when it was first going on in New York years ago. Now that it has happened again, here in Hollywood, reporters are again using that word.
It's a bad word. We've developed a lot of bad words over the last few decades and while slang and argot will always be changing and growing, there are words that I don't like. What are some of the words you think don't belong in our lexicon?
* * *
Speaking of term limits, because California has them, our Secretary of State will be leaving office following next year's election. Debra Bowen served in the State Assembly until term limits forced her out, served in the State Senate, again until term limits forced her out. Then she ran for the office of Secretary of State.
Even back in the day when I was a Republican, I voted for her in every election. And it had nothing to do with the fact she's the boss of an old friend (best man at my 2nd wedding). I like her positions on the issues. I like how she does business. I hope she will run for another elective office and if I'm able to, I will vote for her again.
I mention this because even though I think we should be discussing term limits for the Congress, we have to recognize that there are politicians who do a great job. She's one of them. I also raise the issue because it's a reminder that we shouldn't treat the ballot as a "one voter, one party, vote for my party's candidates" proposition. Consider each of the candidates, from all parties. Pick the best choice.
* * *
No random ponderings today.
This Date in History:
On this date in 1402, Zhu Di (better known as the Yongle Emperor) takes the throne during the Ming Dynasty in China.
On this date in 1717, King George I of England sails down the Thames with a barge of 50 musicians.
On this date in 1867, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established. It is the first dental school in the U.S. to be affiliated with a university.
On this date in 1938, "Wrong Way" Corrigan takes off from Brooklyn and flies the 'wrong' way to Ireland, earning his nickname.
On this date in 1945, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin meet in Potsdam to discuss the future of a defeated Germany.
On this date in 1955, Walt Disney dedicates and opens Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.
On this date in 1976, the opening of the Montreal Olympic Games is disrupted by 25 teams from Africa boycotting the team from New Zealand.
On this date in 1989, the B-2 "Stealth" bomber flies for the first time.
Famous Folks Born On This Date:
John Jacob Astor
Erle Stanley Gardner
James Cagney
Art Linkletter
Lou Boudreau
Phyllis Diller
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Diahann Carroll
Donald Sutherland
Spencer Davis
Connie Hawkins
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Phoebe Snow
P.J. Soles
Lucie Arnaz
David Hasselhoff
Nicolette Larson
Angela Merkel
Robert Romanus
Robin Shou
F. Gary Gray
Katharine Towne
Movie quotes of the day today come from "M*A*S*H" since it is Donald Sutherland's birthday:
[a gun goes off at the football game]
Hotlips O'Houlihan: Oh my God! They've shot him.
Colonel Blake: Hot Lips, you incredible nincompoop. It's the end of the quarter.
#2
Hotlips O'Houlihan: [to Father Mulcahy, referring to Hawkeye] I wonder how a degenerated person like that could have reached a position of responsibility in the Army Medical Corps!
Father Mulcahy: [looks up from his Bible] He was drafted.
#3
Capt. 'Ugly John' Black: Anybody know if this is an officer or an enlisted man?
Hawkeye Pierce: He's an enlisted man.
Capt. 'Ugly John' Black: Make the stitches bigger.
He left happy. I went to pay for my drink and discovered that I no longer had enough change or small bills to pay for my own drink. The clerk wouldn't break a hundred dollar bill. I left the liquor store glad I'd helped someone else and disappointed that I'd done it at my own expense.
That is more or less the problem we face as a nation. We help some at the expense of our own.
Why? Because our elected leaders need to keep getting elected. There are 102 Senators and Congressmen in our nation's history who served 36 years or more. 16 of them are currently serving. Six of those have served more than 40 years. John Dingell is a World War II veteran who is in his 58th year of service in the House of Representatives. He was first elected to the House in 1956, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was running for reelection to a second term as President. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have been the U.S. Senators from California for more than two decades.
Can someone please tell me why the Constitution allows members of Congress to serve an unlimited amount of time as long as they can get reelected while the presidency is limited to two terms. In point of fact, originally the presidency was not limited. But George Washington refused to run for a third term and aside from FDR, no one else has ever served more than two.
However, had the Constitution not been amended to limit a president to two terms, I suspect William Jefferson Clinton would have stood for reelection in 2000 and defeated George Bush Jr. The answer isn't removing those limits on the presidency. The answer is to consider term limits for Congress.
There are cons to the concept of limiting members of Congress to a number of terms. Two terms for Senators would be 12 years. Two terms for members of the House would only be four years. Some kind of compromise on how long a person can serve in Congress before they must allow someone else to serve. Perhaps the limitation could be that after a break of one term, a congressperson can then run again.
Another con is that when we allow only a limited number of terms to our elected leaders, we lose experience in government. The newly elected legislators are dependent on their professional staffs, who spend their life working in government. Power and influence would shift from the elected to their employees.
It's a problem that is worthy of discussion.
* * *
Packs of teens roaming and committing crimes were labeled as "wilding" when it was first going on in New York years ago. Now that it has happened again, here in Hollywood, reporters are again using that word.
It's a bad word. We've developed a lot of bad words over the last few decades and while slang and argot will always be changing and growing, there are words that I don't like. What are some of the words you think don't belong in our lexicon?
* * *
Speaking of term limits, because California has them, our Secretary of State will be leaving office following next year's election. Debra Bowen served in the State Assembly until term limits forced her out, served in the State Senate, again until term limits forced her out. Then she ran for the office of Secretary of State.
Even back in the day when I was a Republican, I voted for her in every election. And it had nothing to do with the fact she's the boss of an old friend (best man at my 2nd wedding). I like her positions on the issues. I like how she does business. I hope she will run for another elective office and if I'm able to, I will vote for her again.
I mention this because even though I think we should be discussing term limits for the Congress, we have to recognize that there are politicians who do a great job. She's one of them. I also raise the issue because it's a reminder that we shouldn't treat the ballot as a "one voter, one party, vote for my party's candidates" proposition. Consider each of the candidates, from all parties. Pick the best choice.
* * *
No random ponderings today.
This Date in History:
On this date in 1402, Zhu Di (better known as the Yongle Emperor) takes the throne during the Ming Dynasty in China.
On this date in 1717, King George I of England sails down the Thames with a barge of 50 musicians.
On this date in 1867, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established. It is the first dental school in the U.S. to be affiliated with a university.
On this date in 1938, "Wrong Way" Corrigan takes off from Brooklyn and flies the 'wrong' way to Ireland, earning his nickname.
On this date in 1945, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin meet in Potsdam to discuss the future of a defeated Germany.
On this date in 1955, Walt Disney dedicates and opens Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.
On this date in 1976, the opening of the Montreal Olympic Games is disrupted by 25 teams from Africa boycotting the team from New Zealand.
On this date in 1989, the B-2 "Stealth" bomber flies for the first time.
Famous Folks Born On This Date:
John Jacob Astor
Erle Stanley Gardner
James Cagney
Art Linkletter
Lou Boudreau
Phyllis Diller
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Diahann Carroll
Donald Sutherland
Spencer Davis
Connie Hawkins
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Phoebe Snow
P.J. Soles
Lucie Arnaz
David Hasselhoff
Nicolette Larson
Angela Merkel
Robert Romanus
Robin Shou
F. Gary Gray
Katharine Towne
Movie quotes of the day today come from "M*A*S*H" since it is Donald Sutherland's birthday:
[a gun goes off at the football game]
Hotlips O'Houlihan: Oh my God! They've shot him.
Colonel Blake: Hot Lips, you incredible nincompoop. It's the end of the quarter.
#2
Hotlips O'Houlihan: [to Father Mulcahy, referring to Hawkeye] I wonder how a degenerated person like that could have reached a position of responsibility in the Army Medical Corps!
Father Mulcahy: [looks up from his Bible] He was drafted.
#3
Capt. 'Ugly John' Black: Anybody know if this is an officer or an enlisted man?
Hawkeye Pierce: He's an enlisted man.
Capt. 'Ugly John' Black: Make the stitches bigger.
posted by me at 4:34 PM
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