On the Side | Brad Hicks
Call me a dunce, a blockhead, a fuddy-duddy, meathead, or a grumpy old man if you must, but the time has come for me to get a few things off my chest.
• Congress makes laws. The executive branch is to implement them. The judicial branch rules on differences. How in the heck did we manage to screw up such a simple set of principles and get to the point that the executive writes and implements his own laws, the judicial branch is considered to have the final say on matters unless dressed down at the State of the Union Address, and Congress goes running into the woods screaming in fear of standing up for its responsibilities? All of this is occurring in a country with a constitution based on the idea that the people are sovereign, not the government, but the people turn to the government to solve every little problem, leading to the executive branch to write and implement….
• A few years ago, a change was made on birth certificates in Iowa to list the parents of a child as Parent and Parent, rather than Father and Mother. What kind of stupid is that? A state record ought to be a matter of actual fact, and so far as I know, two eggs or two sperm have yet to create a child. Look, if you want to not hurt people’s feelings, or kowtow to them in some way, just add a couple of blanks to include the possessive parents. We still need to deal with reality in government at some level, and acknowledging that a child is made from a paternal donor and a maternal donor doesn’t seem to be a stretch. In our brave new world of genetic research and genetic cures, having that information might one day be invaluable to one of today’s children.
• A few weeks ago, our federal government managed to grant citizenship to 1,800 people who were in the country illegally and scheduled to be deported. Well, it turns out, done is done. The government can’t fix its mistake, it says. Uh-huh. So, see if the government can fix its mistake if it sends you too much money in your tax refund.
• I am so tired of this presidential election already. All I read or hear from people is parroting of what they have read and heard. Yeah, Trump is a blowhard, will say anything, and has probably offended about everyone at some point. Yeah, Hillary is a liar who believes the rules don’t apply to her and skates by with the help of a liberally-slanted media. If you can’t see either of those, then take off your red shades. These are the candidates our esteemed parties have given us, so how about we have an original exchange on the issues at hand? We all have them. I want to know which candidate is going to cease the economic third-worlding the U.S. and look out for our citizens’ best interest, and which candidate has a plan to solve a problem – how about childhood poverty – instead of identifying its perpetuation as a way to remain in power. And before you jump to your “I-thought-about-it-for-two-seconds answer, really think about who’s been in a position to deal with these, and whether that person has really accomplished anything meaningful.
• All you folks who are for open borders and less monitoring of, or more immigration, let me ask you this: Are you also a proponent of higher wages? You see, regardless of how you feel, the laws of supply and demand apply in the labor market. If there is surplus or growing supply, there is no reason for employers to raise wages. And if you artificially inflict a higher wage, prices must artificially rise in response, or employers respond with automation to keep price down. Do you know McDonald’s is testing kiosk ordering rather than using service personnel? So how about before you take stands, you play one of those games they should have taught you in elementary art class – you know – connect the dots. We should always remember that what we do has ramifications beyond what we do.
There, I feel better. Now get the heck off my yard.
Brad Hicks is the editor and publisher of the Red Oak Express. Contact him at publisher@redoakexpress.com.