Government? What government? #322
By Hank Silverberg
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
The words above are the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. When James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay crafted the document in 1787, they believed it was the responsibility of the FEDERAL government to provide for the common defense--which is the basis of the U.S. military. They also believed it was the federal government's job to "promote the general Welfare" of the nation's citizens.
That is why the Congress, over the last 250 years, has created agencies like the FDA, which protects our food supply and makes sure the medicines we take are safe.
That is why the Congress created the EPA, to keep our air and water safe, or the CDC to protect us from epidemics and other disease threats.
That is why OSHA exists, to keep conditions in the workplace safe for American workers. (Ask your great grandparents about child labor or sweat shops.)
And it's why we have FEMA, to give us all a helping hand when disaster strikes.
Congress made those decisions, sometimes at the request of a president, but most of the time because of the need to promote the general welfare of our citizens. It is why the Social Security system was established in 1935 to help protect the nation's elderly.
The FBI was created to "ensure domestic tranquility" by fighting crime. And it's why we have a justice department to protect our rights.
Has government become bloated at times? Yes. Is there some fraud and abuse? Most likely!
But what we are experiencing now is not a trim down in government or a search for abuse.
To use an old expression, they are trying to throw the baby out with the dirty bath water.
And it's not being done by Congress, the people we all voted for, but by a wacky billionaire no one voted for, who has hired a group of young 20 somethings with little experience to rampage through our government, allowing them to view sensitive information about all of us.
No matter who you are, some time in the next year some of that pain and chaos this has caused will hit YOU. In some cases, people's lives may be ruined, and some people may actually die because of it.
If you look at the instant impact of the hit job on the USAID, some of our friends overseas have already died. Others, feeling betrayed by the USA, will soon be asking our enemies for the assistance we have taken away, thereby weakening our position and influence world wide.
To paraphrase Shakespeare:
There is something rotten in the United States.
So what can you do about it? Complain to your congressman and senator, loudly, especially if they are Republicans. The GOP has become a rubber stamp for chaos and a destructive force.
Keep all this at the top of your mind when the midterm elections come around next year. The current leadership wants you to forget it all by then. Don't. Resist with peaceful protests if you can.
It's going to be a hard storm to weather, but we can get through.
News You May Have Missed!
Have you had the flu? As of Friday morning, the number of flu cases were higher than at any time since the winter flu season of 2009-2010. That is based on the number of doctors visits driven by flu-like symptoms reported to each state. So far this season, the CDC estimates there have been 24 million flu cases, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths, including at least 54 children. Overall, 43 states have reported high or very high flu activity last week with much of it in the south, southwest and western states.
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Despite all the nonsense from anti-vaxxers, U.S. health officials still recommend that everyone six months or older get an annual flu vaccination.
About 44% of adults got flu shots this winter, the same as last year, but coverage for children was way down to 45% compared to 50% last year.
Only about 23% of adults have gotten vaccinated for Covid-19, and only about 12% of children.
The Associated Press says all these numbers were not gathered in the usual way, which would have been through a direct interview with a CDC expert. The Trump Administration has ordered a temporary "pause" on health agency communication and no one at the health agency is allowed to talk directly to reporters.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/flu-cases-high-cdc-illness-hospitalizations-rcna191203
Trump Invades The Non-Partisan Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts in
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| (courtesy Kennedy Center) |
Not anymore. President Trump says he plans to replace the board and name himself as chairman.
He does have authority to replace the board but no president has ever done that. And the chairman of that board is supposed to be elected by its members. Trump sent termination notices to multiple members of the board, but he particularly singled out Board Chairman David M. Rubenstein, a millionaire philanthropist, and claimed members of the board "do not share our Vision of the Golden Age of Arts and Culture. "
Mr. Trump never attended The Kennedy Center Honors in his first term. It's a tradition for presidents to do so.
And of course, in making the announcement, Trump lied again claiming the Kennedy Center featured “Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth."
Rubenstein is a well known philanthropist who gives millions of dollars to charities. He also recently became the lead owner of the Baltimore Orioles.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumb quote comes from newly empowered Trump Administration Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem. Appearing on CNN, she was asked about Elon Musk's invasion of government offices and his team's access to the personal information of millions of Americans. She said in a convoluted manner why it is happening:
"We can't trust the government anymore."
Well, yes, she is right. Since the Trump Administration came to power on January 20th, we can't trust anything the government does. But Noem forgot that SHE is now a big part of the government.
(You suggestions and comments are welcome)
My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
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