state of affairs

  It's something I hear often. That's what he said but that isn't what he means. Biden does that quite often when you can decipher what it is he is trying to say anyway. That thinking has spread however to the written word. That is especially true with the constitution. Yes, that is what it says, but that isn't what it means. The second amendment is the prime example of that. It is quite plain in saying, shall not be infringed, yet I'm told that isn't what they meant when they wrote that. They meant something else, something like only being a little pregnant. And that is what we have judges for, particularly the supreme court justices. They get to decide what the words mean and what the original intent was. Well, they get to issue their opinion anyway, congress has the final say on that. 

  That was brought to mind once again when I heard of the firing of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the house. A new speaker must be nominated. What is interesting about that is that person does not have to be a member of congress. That's the prevailing thought at the moment anyway. The Constitution in Article One Section Two simply states, "The house of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power of impeachment." So, what does that mean? Does the speaker have to be a member of the house? All it says is they shall choose their speaker. It doesn't say they are limited to choosing members of the house. It's a point of contention among constitutional scholars. In the past people from outside the house have been nominated for that position although they never received votes in sufficient numbers to matter. I'd say it was done more for political theater than any genuine intent. The show is just beginning once again. 

  Just what does the speaker of the house do. The speaker is the voice of the majority party. The position entails assigning members to the various committees and managing business on the house floor. In other words, the speaker gets to choose who does what and what gets voted on. It is one of the most powerful positions in Washington. The speaker also controls the purse strings! If you are in congress and want to get anything done, you need the support of the speaker. It is an extraordinary event, this firing of the speaker and for me just another sign of decline. Even though I am a Republican, that's my official party affiliation, I don't believe that was a good move. No supporter of McCarthy but a supporter of the rule of order. Every single Democrat voted to remove him and as a result it only took eight republicans to get that done. I can see where this action will lead to the old, turnabout is fair play attitude, and create havoc in the future. That action isn't considered an impeachment just a vote of no confidence. The speaker isn't removed from the house, just from the leadership position. It only took eight of his fellow republicans to remove him. The democrats all voted to remove him because they felt he went back on the budget deal and felt like he was supporting the far-right republicans, namely the MAGA republicans. And as we all know anyone up to and including the Pope that says anything favorable about Donald Trump is your mortal enemy. That alone is reason enough to vote McCarthy out and anyone else that dares even suggest a Trump era policy was a good idea. No, we can't have that!

  It's a sad state of affairs. I'm watching as our government crumbles from within. It's an old comparison but I feel a valid one. The same thing happened to the Roman empire. The empire got too large with too much area to administer. The leaders were busy trying to usurp each other. The methods were a bit more direct back in those days, just a simple murder would suffice. The Romans couldn't control their border and were invaded by the Goths and the Visigoths. Rome was also going broke! The government simply didn't have sufficient funds to cover all the expenses. Does that sound familiar? Our congress today is divided along party lines in a way never seen before. In ancient Rome the population became dependent upon the government for their basic needs and that government couldn't provide it. That's what is happening right now. It's a sad state of affairs.