Time Out
James Sullivan
Time,
judging by how politicians spend it, is the least valuable asset humans
have. Elected officials, obviously, have all the time in the world
to do their congressional jobs: consider pending legislation, appear
for roll call votes, attend several committee meetings, visit home districts,
and talk with constituents. And these politicians also have enough
time left over to go out and raise ever more campaign contributions.
Those
duties, except for the last mentioned, apparently take up very little of
a politician's day. More precisely, senators and representatives
devote few hours to those duties. "I wasn't voted in," an elected
official might say if confronted, "for all those menial activities.
My staff can take care of most of it. I was put in office to spend
as much of my time as possible away from Washington DC raising campaign
contributions so that I can remain in office in Washington DC indefinitely."
Consequently,
politicians are out there raising funds virtually every day of the week,
including the Sabbath, not only in their own districts or states but, increasingly,
around the nation.
With
little wit, and even less pizzazz, these people unashamedly ask for and
sometimes beg for money to finance their elections.
These
representatives of the people are using time wisely in mixing and mingling
with heavy contributors. And why? Because candidates for elective
office must compete with opponents who are building enormous war chests.
It's not unlike the chicken or the egg argument. But in the politician's
case, there's no yolk involved.
Where
will this all end? No one knows or cares. Certainly, neither
the politicians nor the public is concerned. If they were, they'd
be doing something about it. And no one is. Sure, a campaign
finance reform bill was recently enacted into law. But don't worry,
much of it will be struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme
Court. They've prepared the way by saying that campaign contributions
are a form of free speech.
Let's
face it. Time is a renewable commodity. There's always later,
tomorrow, and the day after. Americans, therefore, can't possibly
be hurt in any way when elected officials devote most of their time to
money grubbing. After all, the more days they're away from the nation's
capital, the less likely these people can do Americans any more damage
than has already been done!![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
A White Man's Notes
Sam Aurelius Milam III
On
April 17, 2003, the NewsHour presented a news segment called Focus:
Women Warriors. Women in the military were interviewed not because
they were in the military, but because they were women. Now, I'd
like to see a NewsHour segment called Focus: Men Warriors,
where men in the military are interviewed not because they are in the military,
but because they are men. Would that seem sexist? Why wasn't
it sexist when it was about the women?
On
Tuesday, April 15, 2003, NBC aired a two-hour special called Museum
of TV and Radio Special: Great Women of TV Comedy. The
performers weren't featured because they were comedians, but because they
were women. Now, I'd like to see a two-hour special called Museum
of TV and Radio Special: Great Men of TV Comedy, in which the
performers are featured not because they're comedians, but because they're
men. Does that seem sexist? Why wasn't it sexist when women
were featured?![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
The Bigger, The Dumber
Original Source Unknown. Forwarded by Sir John
the Generous.
A
mother and father took their 6 year old son to a nude beach. As the
boy walked along the beach, he noticed that some of the ladies had boobs
bigger than his mother's, and asked her why. She told her son, "The
bigger they are the dumber the person is."
The
boy, pleased with the answer, went to play in the ocean but returned to
tell his mother that many of the men had larger penises than his dad.
His mother replied, "The bigger they are the dumber the person is."
Again
satisfied with this answer, the boy returned to the ocean to play.
Shortly after, the boy was back again. He promptly told his mother,
"Daddy is talking to the dumbest girl on the beach and the longer he talks,
the dumber he gets."![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
frontiersman@ida.net |
Frontiersman,
479 E. 700 N., Firth, Idaho 83236
Also see Pharos at http://www.ida.net/users/pharos/ |
May 2003
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