A member of the House of Representatives, and a United States Senator each receives a salary of One Hundred Seventy-four Thousand ($174,000) Dollars a year. Each gets allowances for staffing their offices, Office space and travel allowances. And, of course, each gets status as well as the power to influence the actions of our Federal Government, including impacting our taxes as well as our individual freedoms. Their performance is important to every citizen.
Some members of both houses have retired in the past couple of years,and more will retire at the end of this year. A review of how long they served in public orffice, and their net worth on retirement seemed in order.
Senator "A" 18 years service, net worth: $2,794,024
Senator "B" 23 years service, net worth: $1,695,514
Senator "C" 12 years service, net worth: $2,668,017
Representative "1" 22 years service, net worth: $2,781,015
Representative "2" 30 years service, net worth: $24,290,511
Representative "3" 8 years service, net worth: $5,727,032
Representative "4" 35 years service, net worth: $1,348,011
Representative "5" 25 years service, net worth: $2,464,049
Whether these accumulations of wealth are legal or not is not my point. Does anyone believe that these increases in net worth can happen of the Congressmen and women involved were spending their time looking after ever constituent equally?
Does anyone wonder why over the years none of these "accumulations" have come under Media scrutiny?
Is there any question about whether or not any of the accumulations (and expenditures) have not seen detailed audits and investigation by ANY legal entity or Inspector General(s)?
I cannot be the first to wonder about the ethics and legality of this sort of activity on the part of those who we euphemistically call "Public Servants.
Any ideas?
Showing posts with label legal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legal. Show all posts
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Saturday, December 17, 2016
A Government may be legal...and still be illegitimate
The United States has just gone through an intense election and the European Union is seeing its member nations involved in an almost universal crisis of confidence in membership in that union.
Most of us have been angry, disturbed or perhaps just uncomfortable with actions that have been judged by our respective national justice systems to be legal even as we "knew" that they were wrong. Sometimes this has been because of badly worded laws, sometimes because of very good defenses coupled with inadequate or inept prosecutions (or the reverse), and sometimes because it seemed as everyone was so very worried about the individual tree as the forest was left to burn or wither.
In America Free Speech, originally defined to mean that there could, with rare exceptions, not be prevention of the right to say something, has become defined as meaning that whatever and however something is said, there shall be no consequences for it. That is just a perversion of the original intent. No longer is it necessary to be certain that your speech is a truthful statement lest you be brought into court for libeling someone...say whatever you want. This may be legal...but any sane person would suggest that such action should be judged as illegitimate.
The legal system in America has become a tool to enable people to avoid consequences for doing and saying illegitimate things. Just one example is the treatment of those entering and remaining in our country illegally. Our Constitution is a contract between its government and its citizens; it basically establishes that the government will protect its citizens and the country's borders and the citizens will obey the laws that govern the land. How on earth does any person or group who has NOT obeyed the laws of the United States get the right to claim that the government provide them the protections promised to its citizens? Those here illegally come to the table as non-parties to the contract and, moreover, they come with unclean hands, having already broken the laws that a citizen, as part of the contract, agrees to obey and abide by.
In France, the people voted NOT to join the European Union...but somehow (who know by what technical legal maneuvers) they are a member. The fact that France's politicians have done something that they argue was legal, does not make it legitimate. All over the world, the increased ability to communicate without prior constraint by governments is revealing to the people that their governments are run for the self-defined elites of each country, that the citizens are being made to support the lives of elites who care not one wit for the citizenry.
Strange that the elites seem unable to understand why the people are upset, angry and growing closer and closer to violence each day. How quickly the elites around the world forget the lessons of the Russian and French revolutions, among many others. When the government(s) show contempt for the law or use it for their own privileged purposes, why should they not understand that the citizens will see that they need to act in their own interests regardless of the laws, in the same way that the politicians have done to mistreat the citizens, to regain control of their own lives.
Those in power can only avoid "consequences" for so long before they must account. And the longer they delay that accounting, the more extreme the consequences.
Most of us have been angry, disturbed or perhaps just uncomfortable with actions that have been judged by our respective national justice systems to be legal even as we "knew" that they were wrong. Sometimes this has been because of badly worded laws, sometimes because of very good defenses coupled with inadequate or inept prosecutions (or the reverse), and sometimes because it seemed as everyone was so very worried about the individual tree as the forest was left to burn or wither.
In America Free Speech, originally defined to mean that there could, with rare exceptions, not be prevention of the right to say something, has become defined as meaning that whatever and however something is said, there shall be no consequences for it. That is just a perversion of the original intent. No longer is it necessary to be certain that your speech is a truthful statement lest you be brought into court for libeling someone...say whatever you want. This may be legal...but any sane person would suggest that such action should be judged as illegitimate.
The legal system in America has become a tool to enable people to avoid consequences for doing and saying illegitimate things. Just one example is the treatment of those entering and remaining in our country illegally. Our Constitution is a contract between its government and its citizens; it basically establishes that the government will protect its citizens and the country's borders and the citizens will obey the laws that govern the land. How on earth does any person or group who has NOT obeyed the laws of the United States get the right to claim that the government provide them the protections promised to its citizens? Those here illegally come to the table as non-parties to the contract and, moreover, they come with unclean hands, having already broken the laws that a citizen, as part of the contract, agrees to obey and abide by.
In France, the people voted NOT to join the European Union...but somehow (who know by what technical legal maneuvers) they are a member. The fact that France's politicians have done something that they argue was legal, does not make it legitimate. All over the world, the increased ability to communicate without prior constraint by governments is revealing to the people that their governments are run for the self-defined elites of each country, that the citizens are being made to support the lives of elites who care not one wit for the citizenry.
Strange that the elites seem unable to understand why the people are upset, angry and growing closer and closer to violence each day. How quickly the elites around the world forget the lessons of the Russian and French revolutions, among many others. When the government(s) show contempt for the law or use it for their own privileged purposes, why should they not understand that the citizens will see that they need to act in their own interests regardless of the laws, in the same way that the politicians have done to mistreat the citizens, to regain control of their own lives.
Those in power can only avoid "consequences" for so long before they must account. And the longer they delay that accounting, the more extreme the consequences.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Has the United States become "Balcanized?"
After much effort and planning, my father emigrated from Norway to the United States in the early 1920s. He first had to arrange a sponsor, then get a written guarantee of a job, save money so that he would not be a burden on the government, show that he had a place to live when he arrived and finally, upon entry, go through a physical exam to show that he was not bringing with him any communicative disease(s). He told me he never thought that these requirements were burdensome, wrong or illegal; they were good, common sense requirements to protect both the United States and him.
He spoke little English, but those he lived with and worked with immediately began teaching him English and he enrolled in Citizenship Classes to prepare him for the Citizenship Exam. He...and all who attended those classes with him...came to America to become "Americans." He honored his birth country, Norway, and taught me to do the same...but he emphasized that he hadn't come to America to make America into a "little Norway,"...he had come to become a true "American." He wanted to, and believed in, assimilation. He and all the other immigrants that he came to know were anxious to become a part of the the miracle that was the United States of America...a country where one found the freedom to try to succeed in ways not available to him in Europe...and understood that that freedom came with the possibility of consequences of failure, too. That was the trade-off: freedom to strive came with no guarantees other than the right to "try." And he found that if you failed, you had the opportunity to try again. And he did.
Dad loved visiting Norway in later years, and being with old friends and acquaintances...but he never failed to exhibit a sigh of relief when he came home again to America and say, "it's so good to be home again"...he was an "American." Not a "Norwegian-American." And he was both proud and thankful for that.
As I was going through school I was surrounded by kids also born to immigrants...from many different countries. We got to know and appreciate each other and each other's national backgrounds...but always there was the attitude that those backgrounds were nice, they were part of "us"...but they were incidental; we were Americans. We appreciated and we abided by the rules and the laws of America...and expected everyone to do the same. Those who broke the laws and the rules were outcasts...not by any command or written edict, but automatically by their disregard and disrespect for the essence of "America."
Sadly, my observations reveal that this "America" has largely disappeared and is well on its way to extinction. First, I see multitudes (particularly in the Southwest) who have not come here "by the rules" or legally. Second, I see many groups refusing to assimilate, keeping to groups from their country of origin continuing to speak the language of their country of origin and refusing to even make believe they are trying to learn English. Third, a majority of today's immigrants still hold allegiance to their country of origin and not to the United States of America...and attempt to make America into a "mini" version of their country of origin, even to the point of disrespecting the American Flag and flying the flag of their birth country.
Most importantly, I see the Federal Government of the United States of America actually supporting these activities, aiding and abetting this lack of assimilation. And the result is that the United States of America has become increasingly "Balcanized." As Europe originally did in areas of the Caribbean and South America, areas of the United States now seem less like America and more like small versions of other foreign countries...America has disappeared.
The Federal Government no longer truly protects our borders or control who comes to America...and then takes action against border states that attempt to fill the need for that protection and control, leaving the citizens of those states unprotected and at risk. Add to that the actions of some major cities that put the welfare of those who surreptitiously and illegally cross into this country above that of lawful citizens. Arguably, those elected officials in those cities are in abdication of their oaths of Office...but neither the citizens of those cities or the Federal Government seems to care...at least not enough to demand that that be stopped.
America is losing its identity...and amazingly a great number of our citizens do not seem to mind or care. Thankfully, my father has passed away...otherwise these actions would insure his dying of embarrassment for the country he adopted as his own and loved more than where he was born. And I am embarrassed for my country's abdication of its character.
He spoke little English, but those he lived with and worked with immediately began teaching him English and he enrolled in Citizenship Classes to prepare him for the Citizenship Exam. He...and all who attended those classes with him...came to America to become "Americans." He honored his birth country, Norway, and taught me to do the same...but he emphasized that he hadn't come to America to make America into a "little Norway,"...he had come to become a true "American." He wanted to, and believed in, assimilation. He and all the other immigrants that he came to know were anxious to become a part of the the miracle that was the United States of America...a country where one found the freedom to try to succeed in ways not available to him in Europe...and understood that that freedom came with the possibility of consequences of failure, too. That was the trade-off: freedom to strive came with no guarantees other than the right to "try." And he found that if you failed, you had the opportunity to try again. And he did.
Dad loved visiting Norway in later years, and being with old friends and acquaintances...but he never failed to exhibit a sigh of relief when he came home again to America and say, "it's so good to be home again"...he was an "American." Not a "Norwegian-American." And he was both proud and thankful for that.
As I was going through school I was surrounded by kids also born to immigrants...from many different countries. We got to know and appreciate each other and each other's national backgrounds...but always there was the attitude that those backgrounds were nice, they were part of "us"...but they were incidental; we were Americans. We appreciated and we abided by the rules and the laws of America...and expected everyone to do the same. Those who broke the laws and the rules were outcasts...not by any command or written edict, but automatically by their disregard and disrespect for the essence of "America."
Sadly, my observations reveal that this "America" has largely disappeared and is well on its way to extinction. First, I see multitudes (particularly in the Southwest) who have not come here "by the rules" or legally. Second, I see many groups refusing to assimilate, keeping to groups from their country of origin continuing to speak the language of their country of origin and refusing to even make believe they are trying to learn English. Third, a majority of today's immigrants still hold allegiance to their country of origin and not to the United States of America...and attempt to make America into a "mini" version of their country of origin, even to the point of disrespecting the American Flag and flying the flag of their birth country.
Most importantly, I see the Federal Government of the United States of America actually supporting these activities, aiding and abetting this lack of assimilation. And the result is that the United States of America has become increasingly "Balcanized." As Europe originally did in areas of the Caribbean and South America, areas of the United States now seem less like America and more like small versions of other foreign countries...America has disappeared.
The Federal Government no longer truly protects our borders or control who comes to America...and then takes action against border states that attempt to fill the need for that protection and control, leaving the citizens of those states unprotected and at risk. Add to that the actions of some major cities that put the welfare of those who surreptitiously and illegally cross into this country above that of lawful citizens. Arguably, those elected officials in those cities are in abdication of their oaths of Office...but neither the citizens of those cities or the Federal Government seems to care...at least not enough to demand that that be stopped.
America is losing its identity...and amazingly a great number of our citizens do not seem to mind or care. Thankfully, my father has passed away...otherwise these actions would insure his dying of embarrassment for the country he adopted as his own and loved more than where he was born. And I am embarrassed for my country's abdication of its character.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Is MLK's Dream dead?
Most of us remember the essence of Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech. It had (and still has) the capacity of pulling our minds and hearts up short and calling us all to check our motivations before acting, speaking, writing and...yes...even thinking. Today, a lot of people have apparently forgotten some things: First, that he was a "Reverend", a man of the cloth who was a devout Christian who reminded America...a nation founded on Christian mores and beliefs...of how we should live life; Second, that his message was one of inclusion, not separatism or divisiveness.
In the late 1950's he spoke at a church in Montgomery, Alabama, and part of what he said was, "How do you go about loving your enemies? Begin with yourself." And later he advised, "When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time when you must not do it." Further, he quoted from the Bible: "Love your enemies, bless them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you..." Matt. 5
During the year...and particularly on Martin Luther King's designated holiday...there are celebrations and coming together of various groups to allegedly celebrate not just his recognition, but his message. Yet so many of these groups clearly act, think and speak in manner that reveals that not only have they abandoned MLK's views, but now are clearly diametrically opposite in their goals and actions.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) actively chants for the killing of Police. BLM has never condemned or distanced itself from those who have murdered Police, usually calling for "understanding" of their motivation. Black leaders have spent more time pointing to anecdotal mistreatment and actions by a minority of Police Officers as a defense and only as a one sentence add-on said that killing was wrong.
LGBT folk have, upon getting equality in the secular world, used that position to enact vengeance on any people who, based on their religious convictions, declined to produce certain products. Once they no longer had to hide, they have taken that opportunity to "get even." That is absolutely contrary to MLK's admonitions and the goal of his movement. Unity and acceptance were his goals. Note that nowhere did the term "approval" come into the picture. I can argue that my neighbor should be free to do whatever he or she wants as long as it doesn't physically harm others...but that doesn't require me to approve of everything the do, or create a legal right for them to require me to cheer for their actions.
If I go to church or synagogue, wear a dress shirt and tie with Bermuda shorts, they are not required to take a public position approving of my actions. Why should the reverse be considered "politically correct?" As a matter of fact, I consider the phrase "politically correct" an oxymoron anyway.
But...shouldn't the media or someone call out these people? BLM advocates murder, LGBT advocates vengeance, University Professors advocate elimination of the First Amendment, and University students advocate abandonment of integration and freedom of speech in favor of apartheid and controlled speech. Rev. King looks down on these people and actions and I am sure that tears flow down his cheeks...and it is sad. It is also despicable.
Honoring MLK's thoughts, beliefs and goals would have us ignoring physical differences, honoring each other, respecting ourselves and those around us by holding ourselves to our standards even as we allow others to chose differently. Wonder if it will ever be seen that way again...
In the late 1950's he spoke at a church in Montgomery, Alabama, and part of what he said was, "How do you go about loving your enemies? Begin with yourself." And later he advised, "When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time when you must not do it." Further, he quoted from the Bible: "Love your enemies, bless them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you..." Matt. 5
During the year...and particularly on Martin Luther King's designated holiday...there are celebrations and coming together of various groups to allegedly celebrate not just his recognition, but his message. Yet so many of these groups clearly act, think and speak in manner that reveals that not only have they abandoned MLK's views, but now are clearly diametrically opposite in their goals and actions.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) actively chants for the killing of Police. BLM has never condemned or distanced itself from those who have murdered Police, usually calling for "understanding" of their motivation. Black leaders have spent more time pointing to anecdotal mistreatment and actions by a minority of Police Officers as a defense and only as a one sentence add-on said that killing was wrong.
LGBT folk have, upon getting equality in the secular world, used that position to enact vengeance on any people who, based on their religious convictions, declined to produce certain products. Once they no longer had to hide, they have taken that opportunity to "get even." That is absolutely contrary to MLK's admonitions and the goal of his movement. Unity and acceptance were his goals. Note that nowhere did the term "approval" come into the picture. I can argue that my neighbor should be free to do whatever he or she wants as long as it doesn't physically harm others...but that doesn't require me to approve of everything the do, or create a legal right for them to require me to cheer for their actions.
If I go to church or synagogue, wear a dress shirt and tie with Bermuda shorts, they are not required to take a public position approving of my actions. Why should the reverse be considered "politically correct?" As a matter of fact, I consider the phrase "politically correct" an oxymoron anyway.
But...shouldn't the media or someone call out these people? BLM advocates murder, LGBT advocates vengeance, University Professors advocate elimination of the First Amendment, and University students advocate abandonment of integration and freedom of speech in favor of apartheid and controlled speech. Rev. King looks down on these people and actions and I am sure that tears flow down his cheeks...and it is sad. It is also despicable.
Honoring MLK's thoughts, beliefs and goals would have us ignoring physical differences, honoring each other, respecting ourselves and those around us by holding ourselves to our standards even as we allow others to chose differently. Wonder if it will ever be seen that way again...
Monday, September 15, 2014
When did we become Killers?
Some of you will respond that we are carnivores...we've always been killers. Well, that is outside my area of expertise, so I won't respond. Besides, that isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about the casualness with which we destroy those around us, both friends and enemies, with no guilt, no thought, no emotion and often with no thought or active decision to do so.
I grew up before social media. You could get bullied in school. And you could be whispered about in school. But it was limited to your class or your building and if adults heard any of it, they dismissed it as immature "stuff"...and it was. It was discarded when you moved on.
A kid getting caught doing something wrong was punished. Often the police turned him or her over to the parents, 'cause they did a more intense job than the police did...and it didn't leave a permanent record. Besides...the parents took the responsibility seriously.
And that, too, was left behind even as the lessons learned stayed with us as we moved toward adulthood. Almost all went on to productive lives, applying for and getting jobs that allowed us to finance and fulfill our families and our lives.
Even in adulthood, if you broke the law in some way, we all knew that was what the Justice system was for and we didn't take punishment into our own hands. And the few times that that happened, those that gave into "mob" rule, were in turn punished...that was not justice, that was mob rule, feeding a blood-lust that didn't fit our view of what a civilized society should be about.
Law breakers had to word harder at it, but they could rejoin society if the proved that their transgression was a one time thing. Yes, suspicion remained if something untoward happened, but that was the price...the consequences, if you will...of having broken the law in the first place.
That is not today's world.
Today, children and adults destroy others' lives without even a thought. No guilt! No shame! Often not even a thought for either emotion! And there is a lack of inherent self-control on the part of all that often invites destruction. When I was growing up, it was drummed into me not to do anything that we were not prepared to have appear as a headline, with pictures, in the local paper. Where and when did that admonition go...'cause it sure doesn't seem to be either known or acknowledged today by children or adults. And the concept of consequences for both stupidity and purposeful wrongdoing has also disappeared...unless it captures the attention of the media or special interest groups. No longer can any transgression be left to the courts; there must now be attendant consequences: loss of job, public ridicule, public denigration...often before a legal verdict is rendered.
There are those that will claim that all this is either appropriate or that it is life as it exists today and no thought need be given to it. Well, time will tell whether that is or is not so. But I leave you with this thought: If you did something that was either wrong, or might be wrong, and it was taken up by the legal system, would you accept non-legal punishment dealt out by nameless individuals or groups that destroyed your ability to make a living or walk the streets in safety...all before a Justice system had ruled on you actions and, if appropriate, declared you legal punishment?
Have we reverted so far back to the days of each man for himself that we endorse mob rule based often on rumor as much as fact and taking upon ourselves the right to rule on life, death and pursuit of happiness of others without formal assignment of that task? I find that a fearful thing from any standpoint: accused, accuser, observer, or judge.
Of course, I also find it abhorrent that so many around me are so uncertain in their place in life that they would make it legally required that I approve of them, their actions, or their beliefs. I would not want to interfere with what others lives are, provided they do not actively interfere with mine; I see no reason why I should be required to take any notice whatever of their lives...I do not require their acquiescence to my beliefs, actions or way of living. I neither need nor want their involvement; why would they required...and that by act of law...mine? But that is for another discussion.
I grew up before social media. You could get bullied in school. And you could be whispered about in school. But it was limited to your class or your building and if adults heard any of it, they dismissed it as immature "stuff"...and it was. It was discarded when you moved on.
A kid getting caught doing something wrong was punished. Often the police turned him or her over to the parents, 'cause they did a more intense job than the police did...and it didn't leave a permanent record. Besides...the parents took the responsibility seriously.
And that, too, was left behind even as the lessons learned stayed with us as we moved toward adulthood. Almost all went on to productive lives, applying for and getting jobs that allowed us to finance and fulfill our families and our lives.
Even in adulthood, if you broke the law in some way, we all knew that was what the Justice system was for and we didn't take punishment into our own hands. And the few times that that happened, those that gave into "mob" rule, were in turn punished...that was not justice, that was mob rule, feeding a blood-lust that didn't fit our view of what a civilized society should be about.
Law breakers had to word harder at it, but they could rejoin society if the proved that their transgression was a one time thing. Yes, suspicion remained if something untoward happened, but that was the price...the consequences, if you will...of having broken the law in the first place.
That is not today's world.
Today, children and adults destroy others' lives without even a thought. No guilt! No shame! Often not even a thought for either emotion! And there is a lack of inherent self-control on the part of all that often invites destruction. When I was growing up, it was drummed into me not to do anything that we were not prepared to have appear as a headline, with pictures, in the local paper. Where and when did that admonition go...'cause it sure doesn't seem to be either known or acknowledged today by children or adults. And the concept of consequences for both stupidity and purposeful wrongdoing has also disappeared...unless it captures the attention of the media or special interest groups. No longer can any transgression be left to the courts; there must now be attendant consequences: loss of job, public ridicule, public denigration...often before a legal verdict is rendered.
There are those that will claim that all this is either appropriate or that it is life as it exists today and no thought need be given to it. Well, time will tell whether that is or is not so. But I leave you with this thought: If you did something that was either wrong, or might be wrong, and it was taken up by the legal system, would you accept non-legal punishment dealt out by nameless individuals or groups that destroyed your ability to make a living or walk the streets in safety...all before a Justice system had ruled on you actions and, if appropriate, declared you legal punishment?
Have we reverted so far back to the days of each man for himself that we endorse mob rule based often on rumor as much as fact and taking upon ourselves the right to rule on life, death and pursuit of happiness of others without formal assignment of that task? I find that a fearful thing from any standpoint: accused, accuser, observer, or judge.
Of course, I also find it abhorrent that so many around me are so uncertain in their place in life that they would make it legally required that I approve of them, their actions, or their beliefs. I would not want to interfere with what others lives are, provided they do not actively interfere with mine; I see no reason why I should be required to take any notice whatever of their lives...I do not require their acquiescence to my beliefs, actions or way of living. I neither need nor want their involvement; why would they required...and that by act of law...mine? But that is for another discussion.
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