Is America facing an invasion? The right-wing forces in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 thought so. The El Paso shooter thought so. Fox News commentators think so. President Trump thinks so. The “invaders” are people arriving at the border, trying to become immigrants. Some opponents claim their real intent is to undermine America. If you thought […]
Last week, a Washington Post editorial cartoon showed an elderly couple celebrating a man’s birthday. Nice. His name is “U.S. Constitution.” His wife tells him, “Some people are whispering about whether you are too old for the job.” A lot has changed since he was born in 1787. But the Constitution has stopped being updated […]
In a presidential election, should a vote in Brunswick, Biddeford or Bangor, Maine, carry less than half the weight of a vote in Cheyenne, Cody or Casper, Wyoming? That’s what happened in 2016. And Wyoming wasn’t the only state with more influence for each of its voters than Maine. By the same token, a Maine […]
Note: This is the second of a series on how to reform the federal government without amending the Constitution. A single person now prevents Congress from taking almost any action, including even to consider a bill or a nomination. President Trump? Another constitutional leader? No, a mere party official – the Majority Leader in the […]
There was once a legislative district shaped like a salamander. Its creator was a man named Gerry and making more weirdly shaped districts has come to be known as gerrymandering. Every ten years, the U.S. conducts a census and, in most states, the party that controls the state legislature then gets to draw the congressional […]
Gordon L. Weil Donald Trump’s strongest political case for re-election is the success of the American economy. It’s also a big risk, and he knows it. That’s why he lambasts the Federal Reserve for not lowering interest rates. He believes that lower rates will stimulate more growth, keeping the historic Obama-Trump recovery going. His demands […]
Here are three statements made last week. In a Democratic debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders said he wants a national system in which the government provides health care and there is no insurance. Washington Post columnist Marc A. Thiessen commented on the Democratic debates and concluded, “[T]here was one clear loser – the American taxpayer.” Billionaire […]
“Whack-a-mole” is an old arcade game that’s an exercise in futility. It has come to mean that each time you try to solve a problem, another problem pops up. In the original game, players would hit the mole on the head, forcing it back into its hole. Another would pop up, and players had to […]
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a large Latin cross on public land in Maryland was no longer a religious symbol, but merely a tribute to fallen American soldiers of any faith. Government was not giving special status to a Christian symbol, it ruled. This blurring of the line between church and state […]
Last week, President Trump traveled to Europe, jumped into British politics, patronized the Irish Prime Minister and attacked House Speaker Pelosi while he sat in front of American war graves at Normandy. It’s no surprise that Democrats and “Never Trumpers” want to see him defeated next year. But Trump won’t be the sole focus of […]
