Argument for a Convention of States- Part 4 of 4 - Pigs at the Trough

By Chuck Marshall 

                                                        "Mad King George"- Hard at Work 

     So, what's to be done ?    Hopefully the previous three parts of this blog have outlined the problem of federal government that's out of control and the many consequences of such power.  The 50 states have the ability to remove a lot of that power,  especially the power to spend but also the power to legislate within each state according to the tastes and customs of each state.    Why do we have laws preferred in California applied to the citizens of Georgia if the people of Georgia are offended by that law ?   We're 50 separate states for a reason.   In fact, the advantages of spending and laws springing from the state level would be an opportunity to truly visualize what works and what doesn't work for the governing of our people.   A convention of states would allow the most peaceful and effective way to drive power out of Washington, DC and back closer to the American people.  Best of all,  there's no work to be done to set up this "day of jubilee".    There's  no need for revolution,  or civil war,  or riots in the streets until our leaders hear our demands.  It's already in the constitution under Article 5.  

      There are many ideas for Amendments to hold power in check at the federal level.  An organization exists for moving forward on the Convention of States and they have a list of tentative objectives for the first Convention.    The link to their organization and it's list of objectives is at the end of this blog.  This is not the only idea 'nor the final decision because Article 5 is owned by the people not any one organization.  But we need a path to go, so if it be this particular one then so be it.   The COS Action has the most established track for what this blog is elaborating on.   It's a start.  As Winston Churchill famously said "It is not the end, it is not the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning".  

     The "powers that be" at the federal level of government , corporate and special interest  (ie, "Mad King George") will argue all day against such a thing.  Indeed I'm sure they would love to delete Article 5 altogether.   Remember, it's not just our government leaders but all those who benefit from unlimited trillions of dollars.    The fact is,  our Congress is a tool of all the pigs that feed at the trough of American bounty.   This idea, the COS,  threatens the smooth path to legislation that the special interests (think litigation legislation, medical legislation, corporate, etc...) have become so wealthy and comfortable with.   Moreover, these multi- national corporate interests are owned and operated by people and groups who are not necessarily interested in American liberty and justice.   You see, the corporate multinationals would  no longer have an easy path to legislation that favors them.  Why not ?   Because our leaders are no longer "for sale" if reelection is limited to one or two terms.  Imagine, they can actually start doing their job !  The media detests this idea because the power will no longer be cradled in Washington, DC but will be as significant in the state capitals making their job much harder and of much less influence.  Importantly, remember, the media giants are all owned by large multinational corporations who are beholden to a lot of things, but not the American people.   They will shriek ; "This will ruin us".   It will ruin them,  is what they mean.  "Mad King George" fears for his head, and he should.  

     Take the time to glance at the COS website below and join or contribute if you feel strongly enough.  The people must get their power back and that will only happen if real decisions tend to be made at the local level not the federal level.  The future of our children, grandchildren and all of posterity depend on it.  

https://conventionofstates.com/

In My Humble Opinion.  CM 

Charles Krauthammer - A Voice of Reason

                       Charles Krauthammer- A Voice of Reason in our Age of Incompetence

By Chuck Marshall


     A voice of reason has passed away and gone to the ages.  Most political pundits of the day I have only a passing respect for, but Charles was a giant among midgets.  His comments were always slow, quiet and calm but with a great foundation of wisdom, wit, humility and intellect.  If you were not familiar with Dr. Krauthammer  you missed one of the greats.   The nation lost one of the few voices of reason in our "Age of Incompetence". 

      Overcoming a tragic diving accident  that left him permanently paralyzed while in medical school, he still got his medical degree without missing a beat- remarkably still finishing that semester of study !  Starting adulthood as a moderate liberal, Charles gravitated to a more conservative slant as he moved into his 30's.  In the 1980's he was the writer who penned the title "The Reagan Doctrine" on President Reagan.  So effective and impressive was Charles' commentary and writing that he was frequently mentioned by Presidents in comments to the press, as if to validate what they were saying.
   
     Always a classic conservative, Charles never really embraced the populism of the Trump candidacy and election.  I can totally relate to the puzzled alarm at the rise of Donald Trump.  It was  comforting to hear his protests expressed so eloquently because he was expressing exactly what was going on in my own head.  His well thought out spring of opinions was crystal clear water that quenched a thirst for meaning in our ever changing world.  It's amazing how one persons opinion, how one person's words can affect us all.   It can calm nerves, clarify a subject, and even propel a new way of thinking for humanity itself.  Charles was one of those wordsmiths, those shining examples of kindness and decency that seems to have taken a vacation in our bewildering world.  Hopefully that decency has not vacated us for good, and we can look forward to more Krauthammers than not in the near future.

RIP Charles, you will be greatly missed and forever admired.

Media Enable Conflict

By Charles E. "Chuck" Marshall


As much as I like to bash our political parties, I often think it's important to remember that there is an enabler in our midst that fuels the fire of contempt that both parties have for each other.  The media.  Specifically, the television media.  As I watched the Ferguson, Mo. fiasco last  month, I was sincerely disgusted by the media as they prowled around Ferguson, their faces quivering with anticipation over the coming fury.  I watched after the Grand Jury's decision as they paced like caged lions.  "What's going to happen, because this isn't good?" they all lamented very nearly unable to contain their glee.  It was obvious that if nothing did happen they would be very disappointed.

This behavior is one of the reasons nothing gets done in Washington.  The media is most interested in the conflict, not the problems to be solved.   In a nutshell, I believe the media is lazy and greedy and "dumbing" down the topic at hand is in their best interest..... unfortunately for us.

I recently had one of my letters published in the opinion page of the Orlando Sentinel regarding this very issue.  In response to a letter writer that referred to the Republicans as uncaring and void of any new ideas.  I essentially agreed with his entire letter, but I kept thinking about Ferguson, Mo. and I realized that just because the media doesn't report any ideas doesn't mean that there aren't any new ideas.  Since the focus is on the fight, nothing of substance is discussed... only the fight.  So, in a way the entire disgusting partisan politics we see in our government can be equally blamed on the media as it is on the lame-brained political parties and their idiot "leaders".  

Here is the letter printed in the Orlando Sentinel on Dec. 5, 2104.

Media enable conflict

   Letter-writer David Cruise on Thursday criticized the Republicans for not having ideas or compassion. I couldn’t agree more with his assessment as it looks on the surface. I do wonder, however, if this isn’t more a failing of their public-relations tactics than a lack of ideas or compassion.

   The Republicans do have ideas and are not heartless, soulless creatures, but their ideas tend to get marginalized by the “fight” story. The media are selling the fight. As much as the two parties have failed us, the media (particularly television) are the ringmasters for this circus and tend toward simple solutions that are easier for the public to digest rather than the more-complex solutions that would probably be more effective.

   TV tends to stir the pot and provoke (witness Ferguson, Mo). The media gain eyeballs from partisan politics, and we all suffer for our fascination with conflict.

   Charles E. “Chuck” Marshall Clermont

In my humble opinion...........

Intelligent Government- An Oxymoron - Part 1

As the father of two, and a concerned US citizen., I feel compelled to submit to the cyber world some fine ideas for getting a brain installed into our government.  I'd say "back" into their head, but that would imply that at one point it DID have a brain.  I suspect that has never been true.  If you're a student of history you'll know that governments are never smart, and usually very stupid.  The real question is to what degree are they stupid? Are they monstrously stupid like the Nazis of WWII or, simply too dim witted to know how dumb they are as in our current congress?  But what about past governments here in the US?  Have there not been smart governments in our history?

Uh, well let's take a look.  In the Civil War the Union should have beaten the Confederacy in months,  but they managed to draw that out into a bloody, gruesome, fiasco complete with idiotic military strategy.  Dimwitted generals that seemed unaware of basic physics;  marching thousands of soldiers out into the middle of a field with modern guns aimed at them will result in thousands of men being blown into millions of body parts.  

Our famous forefathers are revered as if they never did anything wrong, but investigation reveals much petty quarreling and our first government barely had the power to rule at all.  Not until the constitution was written was there a modicum of intelligence.  The constitutional government under President Washington was rife with bickering and teetered on collapse many times.  Thanks to his unusual intelligence, leadership and fortitude the republic moved forward.  WE WERE VERY LUCKY !!  Washington was an intelligent and effective leader but he has been the exception in our history.   The last few years has seen hyper stupidity in government like we have never seen.  This is what happens when the people no longer pay attention or are no longer able to understand what their government is doing and therefor stop trying to make a difference.

Our government is ineffective and "stupid" because the people are not informed and the people don't really care.  Not all,  but the majority don't see the connection between Washington, DC and their lives.  Younger adults today especially seem uninformed and ambivalent.  This is the consequence, what we see today.... a  leadership that is little more than a group of very expensive whores up for sale to the highest bidder, and their political campaigns are nothing more than a list of  "promises' that are easily made but never accomplished.