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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

How do You Spell Recess?

Our president took a moment out of his campaigning and vacationing schedule to thumb his nose at Congress...no, at you an me.  In a very third world dictator manner, our president made a handful of recess appointments.  The problem...not that Congress was not in recess, but that lawyers actually said that it is ok to make recess apointments when the body being bypassed is not out of session -- actually in recess.

Only a lawyer, following the advice of other lawyers could decide this is a sound course of action. Even a first grader knows that recess happens when class is not in session.  Please God, please let the little children lead them.

Worse still, our president, told we the people that if Congress won't take care of us then Big Daddy Obama will.

 "When Congress refuses to act and as a result hurts our economy and puts people at risk, I have an obligation as president to do what I can without them," Obama said in a speech in Shaker Heights, Ohio. "I have an obligation to act on behalf of the American people."

Would that be included in the "Presidential Obligation to act clause of the Constitution"? Hey, I am no Constitutional scholar, but I don't remember that clause.(What exactly will this Consumer Protection guy do that will improve the economy? Lessen my risk? Obligation?)

Even more maddening is the fact that unless K-Mart has a blue light special on cojonas in the near future, Congress will merely rollover and reveal its belly, hoping for a rub from the electorate.

Ladies and gentlemen of our elected bodies, either you act now to restore the balance of powers that our founding fathers inculcated in the Constitution, or stand-up now and admit that you will not trade your lauded positions, and lifetime titles (as in Newt Gingrich is not the Speaker of the House and Marion Barry is not Mayor of DC) for a principled action.

I remember learning to type.  (Yes, Virginia there was a time when we had to learn to type...keyboards did not link to anything...and we did not type before we could write...with a pen or pencil) The typing exercise was "Now is the time that tries men's souls." Yes, it is a paraphrase of Thomas Paine's, "These are the times that try men's souls." And, yes, it is as true now as it was then.

Congress, please find your souls or cojonas and stand-up for the limits of power that Thomas Paine and his fellows put in our Constitution. Amen!