Time to Think

Founding Fathers, Save Us Again!

By Hank Silverberg

You know their names--James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Roger Sherman, George Mason and 50 other men who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 with some ideas about how to make their infant Republic a lot better.

(Madison,thefederalistpapers.org)

It took two years, the intervention of George Washington, and a brilliant P-R campaign by Hamilton called the Federalist Papers to get it done. They argued, they disagreed, but in the end they compromised to create the U.S. Constitution, authored for the most part by Madison.

It is a remarkable document, made better with Mason's insistence in 1791, when the Bill of Rights was added. It has kept this country going with some important additions (13th and 14th Amendments) ever since. It has saved us once again in 2020.

These men had a revolutionary idea: create THREE independent branches of government that would keep each other in check, limiting the power of

(George Mason at GMU)

them all, and creating government by the consent of the people rather than the mandates of an autocrat.

I thought a lot about those men as the Supreme Court of the United States rejected a lawsuit this past week by Texas and 17 other states. That suit tried to overturn the election results in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The Justices would have none of it. The argument that millions of residents in those states voted in a different way (mail-in ballots) than the people of Texas was ridiculous. The new conservative majority court looked simply at Article 1, Section 4 and Article 2 Section 1 of the Constitution and refused to hear the case.

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Article1 Section 4

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives , shall be prescribed in each state by the Legislature thereof;

Article 2 Section 1

Each state shall appoint, in a Manner as the Legislature there of may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled to in the Congress.

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Donald J. Trump and a large number of his minions continue to claim he won the election. Trump has never understood the power of the presidency or the restrictions on that power, and I doubt he understands it any better even now, after four years on the job.

Those men of 1789, familiar with the tyranny of Mad King George III and the chaos of the French Revolution knew no one should be given too much power.

They were well read and had probably heard British Prime Minister William Pitt assert during the early days of the American Revolution that "unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it."

They understood that someone had to lead, but that limits must be placed on power. Congress represents the people, the President leads with consent, and the courts check their excesses.

Never was that more obvious than in 2020. Our Founding Fathers were brilliant. Why don't we have any men and women like that now in public service?

(If you would like to read more about the debate on these issues during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, I recommend a book called "A More Perfect Union," by William Peters)

Update:

Wall Street Journal contributor Joseph Epstein has totally embarrassed himself and probably the newspaper as well, by suggesting that Dr. Jill Biden, the President-elect's wife, should drop the title "Dr." when she becomes First Lady.

He lead off with this: "Any chance you might drop the 'Dr.' before your name? 'Dr. Jill Biden' sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic. Your degree is, I believe, an Ed.D., a doctor of education, earned at the University of Delaware through a dissertation with the unpromising title Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students’ Needs."

He then suggested: "forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill, and settle for the larger thrill of living for the next four years in the best public housing in the world as First Lady Jill Biden."

Jill Biden told to drop 'Dr.' title in 'sexist' Wall Street Journal column (usatoday.com)

First, it's sexist for a woman to be seen just as her husband's wife, which is what the title "First Lady" implies. Secondly, he insulted every educator in the United States who worked hard to earn a Ph.D. so they could supply the best guidance to their students.

Her also referred to her in one place as "kiddo," and her degree as "fraudulent and comic" which is totally disrespectful to a woman with her credentials.

Dr. Biden's response was this:

Dr. Biden has indicated she may keep teaching while she lives in the White House. She has taught at the same college where I now teach, Northern Virginia Community College. Though I speak only for myself and not the school, Mr. Epstein and the WSJ have also insulted all of us. NVCC has over 80,000 students. "Student Retention", the subject of Biden's doctorate, is always a big issue at community colleges and making fun of that thesis is also an insult to those students. I, too, am insulted by Epstein's suggestion that those who earn Ph.D.'s don't deserve the title "Doctor". So, Mr. Epstein, or should I say "kiddo", though I know you have done some lecturing at colleges as well, show some respect. Dr. Biden has earned the title.

Northwestern University where Epstein lectured more than two decades ago put out a statement saying it "rejects" the opinion written by the former lecturer.

(Note: I am an Adjunct Professor and have a Master's Degree, not a Doctorate, so I am not a Doctor. I tell my students that if they unknowingly use that title. )

Vaccines On the Way:

A vaccine that protects people from the Covid-19

(Courtesy umich.edu)

virus is on the way. The first doses of the Pfizer vaccine are being distributed this week with much fanfare and hope. But some chilling facts remains worrisome for those who really wish the death and sickness would just go away.

A new poll from Reuters indicates 35% of women across the country say they are not very interested in getting the vaccine-- up by nine points from a similar poll last May.

And only 55% of women say they are "very" or "somewhat interested" in getting it. That's down 6% from an earlier poll.

But 68% of men say they will get it--unchanged from last May. Overall, 61% of Americans say they are open to getting the vaccine.

More women than men in U.S. nervous about fast rollout of COVID vaccine, and that's a problem: Reuters/Ipsos poll | Reuters

This is, to put it simply, bad news!

The virus has made a dramatic comeback across the country, spreading rapidly in many areas where hospitals are now stretched to their limits. As I write this the death toll has increased in the U.S. to 300,000 with more than 16 million cases reported.

All of the vaccines developed so far have proven to be effective in clinical trials with minimal side effects for most people. Health experts have said over and over again that Covid-19 will never go away until the majority of the world's population is vaccinated.

In the U.S., the vaccines are being offered for FREE, so there's no reason not to get it. We can even give Donald Trump some credit for initiating "Operation Warp Speed," which helped researchers develop several vaccines in record time.

But the continued disinformation being spread mostly by anti-vaxxers and Trump-driven right wing politics is more dangerous than ever for the general welfare of our population. The incoming Biden administration must counter that right away if we are ever going to eradicate the deadly virus. Of note: Among the first to get the vaccine--the staff at the White House.

Carbon Monoxide Levels Drop:

(Empty Streets in Chicago,courtesy U-C, Berkley )

Here is a little good news in a year full of bad stuff.

The world-wide lockdowns because of Covid-19 have reduced carbon dioxide levels for 2020 by 7%, the biggest ever such drop in CO-2.

Emissions were down by 12% in the United States. But even with the 2020 drop, the world, on average, puts 1,185 tons of the toxic material into our air every second. From 2018 to 2019, worldwide emissions were up about .01%, which is smaller than annual jumps in the last decade, but still an increase. World carbon dioxide emissions drop 7% in pandemic-hit 2020 (yahoo.com)

Scientists are hoping the pandemic will convince some people to change their habits permanently with things like telework, and cut down on long commutes, helping the overall air quality.

Police Reform?

Two items to note this week on the nationwide effort to reform police departments, prompted by the George Floyd killing and massive protests this past summer.

California is considering legislation that will require a four year degree to become a police officer. The legislator who proposed the bill, Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, told The Sacramento Bee he also wants police officers to be at least 25 years old. He says a college education and a little more maturity will reduce the likelihood of using excessive force. That would be the highest age requirement in the country. The police unions are not enthusiastic about the bill, noting that not everyone has the resources to go to college.

Meanwhile in Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam

has put his signature on Breonna's Law, which will prevent the use of no-knock search warrants similar to laws already in place in Florida and Oregon. Virginia is the first state to make this change since the death of Breonna Taylor in a police raid in Louisville, Kentucky last summer.

Northam signs 'Breonna's Law' banning no-knock search warrants in Virginia | 13newsnow.com

I found this entertainment on line this week and since I always try to end on a positive note, take a listen to the Phoenix Chamber Choir with their rendition of "The Longest Time," the quarantine edition: