Constitution, Dictators .American style

The articles of confederation and the Declaration of Independence were written in the American experience.Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Washington, as well 96 others recognized that complete anarchy was not a system of laws that could withstand a full revolution much less long term durability. Madison was a little richer, had an understanding wife and preferred the order of even a corrupt monarchy.

Idaho public defenders like most public defenders walk with their clients who have already decided to plead guilty or go to trial. The number of clients is extreme,  somewhere between 600 and 800 clients in a given month. The attorneys aren't alone in this process and their office assistants and some others worked amazingly hard as well. The problem in Idaho is the amazingly low wages for public defenders. While working under John Hansen in Twin Falls, women's pay was cut to support a male attorney. Did he not know that was illegal?  Of course he did. Did he care of course not. Did we think about going to HR to complain? Hell no. Here's why, the experience was the training. The constant client meetings and the fast setting of trials was likely no different from any other public defender offices in the country. The problem then was Idaho alone. Public servants should never have to work two jobs and the state bar of Idaho should be firmly warned by the American Bar Associatio...

Gen X hates Medicare. It's the worst health insurance I've ever had. Plus it's expensive and unregulated. It's time to replace it with private health insurance. Being hospitalized with Medicare costs taxpayers far more than private health insurance. So tell the truth about it. You don't want it and you'd much rather find a smarter cheaper solution than old style Medicare. The monies Trump and Vance along with Musk are stealing and your sole investment for retirement. What are you going to do when it is no more? My guess? You're going to die or you're going to say enough with bullshit labels like disability and other garbage and send people home to work and get educated.  The problem with Medicare is that Medicare for all has become such a cultural phenome that it's still in the campaign trail. In my experience, Medicare runs out of funding with every hospital or emergency room stay. Perhaps instead of insisting on Medicare for all which is essentiall...

The constitution is the law of the American land. Not a leader elected or not. In fact this is the situation the Founding Mothers and Fathers were concerned about. An illegitimate president installed by a foreign entity who was hostile to both the United States and America.  Trump has been found guilty of election interference but the charges were set aside as an alleged courtesy to the office of president. He has manipulated and lied about it because he is constitutionally illiterate and has no understanding of the criminal justice system.  For starters, the criminal charges against him are simply hanging opwn until his term in office is done. The Department of Justice doesn't want to prosecute him likely for political reasons, and House and Senate Democrats are scared he will lynch them if they push the issue.  This is a violation of the Separation of the powers under the constitution. I believe Trump knows this regardless what his delusional old brain can understand. H...

A quorum is how the federal government votes, achieves goals like removal of a president who is charged with a crime or a minor offense like an impeachment.  In the American system, two thirds is generally accepted as 30 of 50 states voting yes. Gerrymandering has been used across US history to prevent citizens from doing together to influence state governments.During the civil rights era, this was done across the south and other states with large Black populations. Legislating racism just like legislating oligarchy or fascism will take time and real connection with people, including people who don't believe just like you. It means developing friendships and allegiances with Democrats and Republicans, and other people. It means moving places where local politics are less important than common goals. For Americans these goals include the constitution as an entire document recognizing that without the 1st Amendment the 4th and the 25th so not stand. It means holding people up instead...

              The national parks are at risk currently too. How can a country without national parks and state parks survive?  It can't. Talking about climate change, and how we make changes means making the current administration look silly. It's not hard to do, so we can talk about trees and the U.S. Forest Service, and John Muir and a lot of people with no names who travel from Maine to California down the East Coast to Florida to the Everglades, then back west to Kansas, Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park and Mesa Verde.  Utah, in its natural beauty with Canyon Lands and Zion National Park then to Nevada and on to California.   If you don't know the history of the national parks and how valuable they area, you might be all right with the threat of drilling for oil, natural gas, and gas in America's prime lands. The good thing about the west, is that it doesn't have a lot of oil, natural gas and gas.  Therefore t...

I write my state legislators daily, in between raising a family, work and taking care  of my elderly parents and playing with the dog or on walks. Every day about things I think are important: the sanctity of the constitution, the importance of safe elections, the safety of the environment, universal health insurance, higher minimum wage and lower housing costs. It may mean smaller living and a change in administration long before the next election. As the current administration seems to be out of touch with the constitution, case law, American history, and the way we as Americans resolve problems.  Sometimes I hear back, sometimes I don't. It doesn't matter. But sometimes an answer is necessary and inevitably I hear from an agency or a policy wonk that sincerely wants to help. Those people serve. The pay may be low though sometimes that's been fixed. The key for Americans is that helping people is something we do. And we do it well. We are being encouraged not to however....