... as listed in my first post, is to repeal the 17th amendment, the one changing senators elected by their state legislatures to being elected directly by the people. So what can be wrong with that?
It was ratified April 8, 1913, meaning that senators elected after 1918 had all been elected directly. What was the most significant change in Senate management after that? According to the World Almanac, in 1920 we got the first Senate party leaders, Dem Oscar Underwood of Alabama for the minority in 1920 and Repub Charles Curtiss of Kansas for the majority in 1925, followed by, among others, LBJ, Bob ("I never met a tax I didn't like") Dole, Tom Daschle, and ...Harry Reid! I rest my case.
The point being that the founders wanted the state governments to have a direct say in the national government, and that these reps not be pandering to the fickle general electorate - no more than House reps with more expensive suits, and three times longer terms - that much harder to replace when they screw up.
A glaring example of this is Snarlin' Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. In 1987, when he had no reelection to worry his ugly little head for 5 years, he voted against Bob Bork for the USSC, but in 1991, only a year away from facing the voters again, he was just fine w/ Clarence Thomas. Of course, all of this is way over the heads of all of you out there who believe the USSC should be giving the people what they "need" instead of seeing to it that the US Constitution is followed.
Another positive result of eliminating the 17th, with the senators representing the state governments instead of the rabble, a lot of other problems would be easier to solve (withholding taxes, Roe v. Wade, the runaway courts, that sort of thing.)
-------------------------------------------------
My home town of South Haven, MI (just a beautiful place BTW) is on the east shore of Lake Michigan, but the west end of Van Buren County, the county seat of which, Paw Paw MI, is at the other end of (diagram that!) Around 1900, South Haven had grown a lot, was a major lake port (even had a street named Paw Paw), while Paw Paw, was still stuck out in the middle of nowhere, but still the county seat.
So the people of South Haven decided to fix that, and had a proposition to move the County Government to South Haven from that other place put on the ballot. This prop promptly lost (I don't think even close.)
So how did the South Havenites respond? Remember that Paw Paw Street? Well. it's not Paw Paw street anymore, for sure. Not only that, but it's now named for some obscure southern state, Indiana, or something.
A few years ago I had occasion to go to Paw Paw to look up some family records. I remarked to the clerk about their beautifully restored 1890s court house, comparing it to the new brick barn neighboring Allegan County (where I still had my parents' house) built to replace their beautiful 1890s court house. She thanked me w/ a smile, then I told her about the county seat change proposal, and resulting street name change. Clerk: "That sounds just like South Haven!"
You really had to be there ( and from there, I guess.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After being in the work force for 60 years, mostly as an employee, but some hiring, too, it occurred to me one day that you should never work for anyone you wouldn't hire, and never hire anyone you wouldn't work for.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Take Puerto Rico...
...Henny Youngman drum roll - "Please!" My brite idea of the day:
They were all made citizens in 1917, we should make them the 51st state. But, we can't have a spanish-speaking state. So we make an offer they cannot refuse. In ten years, if they make English their official state language (all government functions in English) they become a state. If not, we give them to... Cuba! They will be jabbering like Hoosiers in a week.
Note, as the days turn into weeks, then months, w/o another brite idea from me, I will try to update that qualification approproately.
They were all made citizens in 1917, we should make them the 51st state. But, we can't have a spanish-speaking state. So we make an offer they cannot refuse. In ten years, if they make English their official state language (all government functions in English) they become a state. If not, we give them to... Cuba! They will be jabbering like Hoosiers in a week.
Note, as the days turn into weeks, then months, w/o another brite idea from me, I will try to update that qualification approproately.
Pleasant thots...
...Have you ever tried to pin down the first conscious thots of your whole life?
I have always had an interest in this, maybe because I have a major rememberable happening when I was 4 years and 11 months old: We moved from 87th and Sangamon in Chicago, to South Haven MI. And I can remember plenty
of stuff before we moved to MI.
Maybe the earliest was a party of some kind, at the home of my mother's brother and his family. They moved into the flat above us and 87th in the spring of 1937, but before that lived on Wallace street, a few blocks away.
It was dark out, so makes me think it was wintertime, and my aunt Grace's birthday was February 28, and she seemed to be the star attraction. She was playing the piano, and I stood next to the piano bench watching. Pretty soon she looked down and asked: "Do you want to sit up here w/ me, Arnie?" I'm sure my little head was bobbing up and down like crazy, so she stopped playing long enough to reach down, pick me up, and sit me down right next to her, and went back to playing.
Later in the same scene my mother introduced me to my cousin Larry, 15 month younger than me, sitting on the floor w/ a big smile on his face. I'm sure I had met him before, but at that age I guess you need a little reminding once in a while. And since he must have been 18 months old at the time, where else would he be sitting but on the floor? He was about the best friend ever had, became a Chicago Policeman, died 20 years ago of a heart attack on his way to his job as Sis Daley's body guard (aka go-fer.) I'm pretty sure he didn't die w/ a smile on his face, but I'm even more sure he had one five minutes before.
As best I can determine, working w/ bits and pieces (there are only two other people still alive, my older sister and cousin) that must have been Sunday, February 28, 1937, when I was 2 years, 9 months old.
Not so pleasant thots...
A 640 word article 'Senators Hesitant to Use Torture, Even to Find al Qaeda Bomb' at CNSNews.com Friday, October 05, 2007 contains two statement by US Senators which make me wonder: Who dresses these people in the
morning - they sound too stupid to do it unaided:
"Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that compromising on torture would be 'to the detriment ... to the safety and security of our troops.'"
Apparently littledick (what Mark Levin on the radio calls him) thinks if we refuse to torture, when our soldiers are captured by terrorists they will not torture them because "The US says they don't." No, Dicky, they'll just cut off their heads - no torture there."
But then Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) supposedly a big time conservative Repub, goes Dicky one better: She suggested she might be open to a technique "that is not harmful to the person's health."
No comment.
But the all time dumbest statement was by a CNN news anchorette, Carol Lin 2200 ET Sunday nite, November 6, 2005, at the height of the Paris immigrant riots:
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN SUNDAY NIGHT. Terror in the middle of the night....
Meanwhile, overseas, France is engulfed in an 11th straight night of riots with no end in sight....
Carol LIN: ...[I]t's been 11 days since two African- American teenagers were killed, electrocuted during a police chase, which prompted all of this.....
The original is about a dozen scrolls down at this site (or do a find on this page France):
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0511/06/snn.01.html
PS Found this on OpinionJournal.com/BestoftheWeb
PPS For all you folks in the sales dodge out there, remember: People buy from you for their reasons, not yours.
I have always had an interest in this, maybe because I have a major rememberable happening when I was 4 years and 11 months old: We moved from 87th and Sangamon in Chicago, to South Haven MI. And I can remember plenty
of stuff before we moved to MI.
Maybe the earliest was a party of some kind, at the home of my mother's brother and his family. They moved into the flat above us and 87th in the spring of 1937, but before that lived on Wallace street, a few blocks away.
It was dark out, so makes me think it was wintertime, and my aunt Grace's birthday was February 28, and she seemed to be the star attraction. She was playing the piano, and I stood next to the piano bench watching. Pretty soon she looked down and asked: "Do you want to sit up here w/ me, Arnie?" I'm sure my little head was bobbing up and down like crazy, so she stopped playing long enough to reach down, pick me up, and sit me down right next to her, and went back to playing.
Later in the same scene my mother introduced me to my cousin Larry, 15 month younger than me, sitting on the floor w/ a big smile on his face. I'm sure I had met him before, but at that age I guess you need a little reminding once in a while. And since he must have been 18 months old at the time, where else would he be sitting but on the floor? He was about the best friend ever had, became a Chicago Policeman, died 20 years ago of a heart attack on his way to his job as Sis Daley's body guard (aka go-fer.) I'm pretty sure he didn't die w/ a smile on his face, but I'm even more sure he had one five minutes before.
As best I can determine, working w/ bits and pieces (there are only two other people still alive, my older sister and cousin) that must have been Sunday, February 28, 1937, when I was 2 years, 9 months old.
Not so pleasant thots...
A 640 word article 'Senators Hesitant to Use Torture, Even to Find al Qaeda Bomb' at CNSNews.com Friday, October 05, 2007 contains two statement by US Senators which make me wonder: Who dresses these people in the
morning - they sound too stupid to do it unaided:
"Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that compromising on torture would be 'to the detriment ... to the safety and security of our troops.'"
Apparently littledick (what Mark Levin on the radio calls him) thinks if we refuse to torture, when our soldiers are captured by terrorists they will not torture them because "The US says they don't." No, Dicky, they'll just cut off their heads - no torture there."
But then Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) supposedly a big time conservative Repub, goes Dicky one better: She suggested she might be open to a technique "that is not harmful to the person's health."
No comment.
But the all time dumbest statement was by a CNN news anchorette, Carol Lin 2200 ET Sunday nite, November 6, 2005, at the height of the Paris immigrant riots:
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN SUNDAY NIGHT. Terror in the middle of the night....
Meanwhile, overseas, France is engulfed in an 11th straight night of riots with no end in sight....
Carol LIN: ...[I]t's been 11 days since two African- American teenagers were killed, electrocuted during a police chase, which prompted all of this.....
The original is about a dozen scrolls down at this site (or do a find on this page France):
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0511/06/snn.01.html
PS Found this on OpinionJournal.com/BestoftheWeb
PPS For all you folks in the sales dodge out there, remember: People buy from you for their reasons, not yours.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Beach News...
...Monday, 8am, October 15, 2007:
Walked a block to the Dominick's Super, got a poppy seed french roll and coffee, free Chicago Tribune (The RedEye, just as good, but free) walked another block to the beach. Beautiful day, high 50s, little wind, mostly sun.) Only a few passers-by. Finally, a young blackish looking woman comes by (reminds me of when I was a little kid and asked my mother: "Were you ever pretty?" Mom: "I was young once, sonny.") She made no eye contact, but young women at the beach at 8am don't make much eye contact w/ bearded, 73-year-old men, from my experience. She had on a sort of hoodie, dark blue w/ the letters GVSU in light blue on the front. I first thot 'George Mason University (home of Walter Williams - hard to decide which he has more of: brilliance or humor). No, that don't work. Georgia? Couldn't think of the V preceeding State University. Well, forget it.
20 min later she comes back, going in the other direction. All of a sudden, me: "Is that Grand Valley?" She turns around, big smile: "How do you know about that?" Me: "I grew up in South Haven." Well, she knew all about South Haven, too - probably had lots of fellow students from there.
Then I told her about my cousin Julie Very-Dutch-Last-Name from Battle Creek MI, who's doing quite well in pre-med at GVSU (in Grand Rapids, MI BTW.) She said she knew Stacey, but not Julie. We both agreed there were quite a few Very-Dutch-Last-Names at GVSU (20 mi from Holland MI.)
So she turns and heads up the beach, one last turn around and smile, comment: "That's such a nice area up there." Amen, Miss.
Walked a block to the Dominick's Super, got a poppy seed french roll and coffee, free Chicago Tribune (The RedEye, just as good, but free) walked another block to the beach. Beautiful day, high 50s, little wind, mostly sun.) Only a few passers-by. Finally, a young blackish looking woman comes by (reminds me of when I was a little kid and asked my mother: "Were you ever pretty?" Mom: "I was young once, sonny.") She made no eye contact, but young women at the beach at 8am don't make much eye contact w/ bearded, 73-year-old men, from my experience. She had on a sort of hoodie, dark blue w/ the letters GVSU in light blue on the front. I first thot 'George Mason University (home of Walter Williams - hard to decide which he has more of: brilliance or humor). No, that don't work. Georgia? Couldn't think of the V preceeding State University. Well, forget it.
20 min later she comes back, going in the other direction. All of a sudden, me: "Is that Grand Valley?" She turns around, big smile: "How do you know about that?" Me: "I grew up in South Haven." Well, she knew all about South Haven, too - probably had lots of fellow students from there.
Then I told her about my cousin Julie Very-Dutch-Last-Name from Battle Creek MI, who's doing quite well in pre-med at GVSU (in Grand Rapids, MI BTW.) She said she knew Stacey, but not Julie. We both agreed there were quite a few Very-Dutch-Last-Names at GVSU (20 mi from Holland MI.)
So she turns and heads up the beach, one last turn around and smile, comment: "That's such a nice area up there." Amen, Miss.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
My plans for the USA
1) Repeal the 17th amendment (to make it easier to implement the rest of these plans)
2) No poll tax and no property requirement, certainly, but make each tax payer responsible for paying his taxes directly (no check off)
3) Settle the Pledge of Allegiance argument once and for all.
4) Make an honest program out of Social Security
5) Solve the gerrymandering of House districts
6) No fed taxes for DC residents, but no votem and no rep either (obviously, local taxes to remove their own trash, etc.)
2) No poll tax and no property requirement, certainly, but make each tax payer responsible for paying his taxes directly (no check off)
3) Settle the Pledge of Allegiance argument once and for all.
4) Make an honest program out of Social Security
5) Solve the gerrymandering of House districts
6) No fed taxes for DC residents, but no votem and no rep either (obviously, local taxes to remove their own trash, etc.)
Friday, September 14, 2007
Pending CTA service cuts...
Letter I had published in the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday, September 15, 2007Monday, September 10, 2007 9:08 AM
From: "Arnold Nelson"
To: "Chicago Sun-Times Letters"
Chicago Sun-Times
Gentle people:
Yesterday I passed a bus stop and saw the sign announcing impending drastic cuts in service because of no state money. The notice was mostly a long list of bus lines that would be suspended until sufficient funding is available. In that list I noticed a considerable number of express buses.
I quite easily found the CTA 2007 budget on the computer, where it says: "Labor expenses are approximately 75 percent of CTA’s total operating budget." I'm not a comptroller, but it seems to me that since express buses carry the most fares per hour of operator time (why are they express buses?) they should be the most profitable and should be the last to go. Also, since one elevated train operator is essentially driving 8 buses, they may be the most profitable of all, per unit of labor, which is 75% or the budget (The budget says the trains carry one third of all CTA passengers.) The CTA should be lauded if they are attempting to maintain a 'framework' of routes, but it seems in a severe money pinch like this the priority should be most profit from the labor you retain.
Arnold H Nelson Chicago IL
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Hey, better watch yer drivin' in Indiany...
...they'll nail you for speeding, DWI, and DUI . But "ordinary" negligence or "inadvertence alone"? you're home free.
Chicago Tribune Wednesday, July 4, 2007:
"No charges in fatal crash - 'Inattentive' driver's actions not criminal, Indiana prosecutor says
"ELKHART, Ind. -- The ... truck driver who plowed his semitrailer into a line of vehicles on the Indiana Toll Road in April, killing eight people, won't be criminally charged in their deaths, Indiana prosecutors said Tuesday.
"Leonardo Cooksey, 32, was trying to charge his cell phone while driving and didn't see the traffic stopped in front of him until it was too late, said Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney Curtis Hill.....
"'Mr. Cooksey's conduct was inattentive driving, not speeding, not driving while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol or drugs,' Hill said. 'Inadvertence alone, while an indication of negligent conduct, does not rise to the level of criminal liability, notwithstanding a catastrophic result.'
[And killing 8 people on the toll road is hardly 'catastrophic' in Indiana, is it. Mr. Prosecutor?]
"Cooksey told police that his cell phone had beeped a low-battery warning and he was fiddling with the charger....
"Lawyers in Illinois said the case's outcome likely would have been the same in Illinois, because Cooksey's actions, while unfortunate, did not constitute recklessness...."
[A midwestern thing?]
Read all 680 words at:
"http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-crashjul04,1,1782171.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Arn Nelson in Chicago
Chicago Tribune Wednesday, July 4, 2007:
"No charges in fatal crash - 'Inattentive' driver's actions not criminal, Indiana prosecutor says
"ELKHART, Ind. -- The ... truck driver who plowed his semitrailer into a line of vehicles on the Indiana Toll Road in April, killing eight people, won't be criminally charged in their deaths, Indiana prosecutors said Tuesday.
"Leonardo Cooksey, 32, was trying to charge his cell phone while driving and didn't see the traffic stopped in front of him until it was too late, said Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney Curtis Hill.....
"'Mr. Cooksey's conduct was inattentive driving, not speeding, not driving while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol or drugs,' Hill said. 'Inadvertence alone, while an indication of negligent conduct, does not rise to the level of criminal liability, notwithstanding a catastrophic result.'
[And killing 8 people on the toll road is hardly 'catastrophic' in Indiana, is it. Mr. Prosecutor?]
"Cooksey told police that his cell phone had beeped a low-battery warning and he was fiddling with the charger....
"Lawyers in Illinois said the case's outcome likely would have been the same in Illinois, because Cooksey's actions, while unfortunate, did not constitute recklessness...."
[A midwestern thing?]
Read all 680 words at:
"http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-crashjul04,1,1782171.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Arn Nelson in Chicago
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