Posts from — January 2019

The BBC reports that Trump is ready for US shutdown to last ‘for years’:

US President Donald Trump has said he is prepared for a partial shutdown of the US government – now entering its third week – to last years.

After meeting top Democrats, he also said he could declare a national emergency to bypass Congress and build a US-Mexico border wall.

Mr Trump insisted he would not sign any bill without wall funding, which Democrats adamantly oppose.

Around 800,000 federal workers have been without pay since 22 December.

Hello, I have a question from the real world: How will the border be secured or the undocumented be deported when all of the people who work for DHS leave to find jobs where they get paid? If the rank and file miss two paychecks, they are at risk of their utilities being turned off, being evicted or having their houses foreclosed on, losing their cars, not to mention the problem of buying food. Any actual officer of a union who advocated for this shut down should be impeached [preferably before the tar and feathers].

As for bypassing Congress on spending money: US Constitution Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 7

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

The ignorance and arrogance burns. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s call is justified by Trump’s action. People should remember that she is a Palestinian-American and has watched what Trump and his son-in-law have allowed to be done to the Palestinian people.

Having voted for the proposal already approved without objection by the Senate before Christmas, the new House has sent to the Senate a problem without an easy solution. The Republicans in the Senate don’t want to vote on the bills again, because Trump has already threatened to veto them. Effectively the Democrats have done their job, so it is now a wholly owned Republican problem. Don’t let Republicans forget that the campaign promise was: Mexico would pay for the wall.

If she were feeling generous, Speaker Pelosi might send Trump some consolation prizes: his own ‘wall’, a building site, and the resources to expand his ‘wall’.

* Not to be confused with any other suggestions for dealing with children or the child-like.

С Новым годом
Prosit Neujahr
Feliz Año Nuevo
Bonne Année
Felice Anno Nuovo
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Gott Nytt År
새해 복 많이 받으세요
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Onnellista Uutta Vuotta

May you be safe from the idiots who think gravity is just a theory and fire off guns, failing to understand that what goes up will come down.

Given the prevalence of accurate timekeeping devices, it is amazing that the explosions that are supposed to signal the new year extend for hours beginning four hours before and extending well after the actual event. Anyone who thinks alcohol and gunpowder is a recipe for a long life should be avoided by insurance agents.

The new year brings new opportunities, so here’s hoping that the good wins out and the world is made a little better. It hasn’t happened yet, but there’s always a chance.