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The Jonathan Dolhenty Archive |
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The Dolhenty Report A Commentary on the Human Condition by Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty Lake
Champlain will never be a Great Lake,
Many years ago, I publicly suggested that the entire country would be better off if the United States Congress met only once every two years for a period of two or three months. Furthermore, no congressperson would be paid a salary; he or she would, however, get all expenses paid. It would be a true citizen's congress and, believe it or not, the Congress could get all of its constitutionally delegated business done in the timeframe I suggested. Professional politicians are, in my opinion, the cause of most of the nonsense going on in this country. Virtually every important political decision that affects our lives can be made with the help of government at the state and community level. Congress has only become necessary because it has made itself so. Granted, Congress needs to be involved in foreign affairs and a few other things, those which are outlined in the Constitution, but otherwise it is not really needed. It is, moreover, generally incompetent and tends to promote nonsense more often than common sense. Case in point: the decision to "elevate" Vermont's Lake Champlain to the status of a Great Lake. Every schoolchild knows (or ought to know) that there are five Great Lakes and these are called such because they are really large, connected to one another, and vitally important commercially. But Sen. Patrick Leahy (who is not unknown for sponsoring and supporting Nonsense) has decided that little old Lake Champlain in his home state of Vermont should also be included with the historical Great Lakes, even though it nowhere near the big five and resides in a landlocked state. And besides the fact it is only one-fifteenth the size of the smallest Great Lake! Why, you ask, should Sen. Leahy ask for such Nonsense? It's very simple. There's political pork involved. A politician can smell MONEY thousands of miles away! What is involved is a political pie to the tune of $290 million, authorized by Congress for the National Sea Grant College Program Reauthorization Act. This act grants money to colleges and universities for the study of problems related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. Now Vermont is not on the ocean, nor is it coastal, nor, up to now, has it been a Great Lake. But, if you create the fiction that it is, in fact, one of the five (now six) Great Lakes, then the state of Vermont is eligible for lots of money for its colleges and universities. This is apparently a done deal and Sen. Leahy has been on the media to justify this Congressional Nonsense. He did not do so, because it can't be justified. But, nevertheless, it is now Reality (fictional, of course). Does anyone out there now agree with me that Congress should meet every other year for a few months and be a true citizens' unpaid legislative body? Remember, Sen. Leahy's legislative Nonsense is but a small illustration of a BIG problem. Congress has too much taxpayer money and likes the taste of POLITICAL PORK. Keep in mind it's not the government's money. It's yours. And you know perfectly well how most people treat other people's property and money. For this piece of NONSENSE, Senator Leahy and his buddies get my "NONSENSE OF THE MONTH" award. He, along with his colleagues who supported this piece of Nonsense, should be voted out of office and have to make a real living for a change! Enrich Your Life With a Philosophy Book... Enrich Your Life With a Philosophy Magazine...
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