It's Two Birds Sitting on a Branch Thing

Dear America,

"I've learned so much from my mistakes, 

I think I'll make a few more."

Tee Shirt Guru strikes again

so this is kinda funny...

here's Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg, courtesy of a quote plucked from Los Angeles Times...

“We still go back to the basic problem: 11.3 million people,” said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Congress has not appropriated the money to arrest and deport millions of otherwise law-abiding immigrants, she said, so it makes sense to allow some of them to work legally and raise families.

Which made me wonder....I wonder what planet little miss ruthie lives on these days -- how long as it been since this nation, and more expressly this Congress,  been concerned with living within it's means?  Considering the annual budget deficits in the trillions, and a National Debt at nearly 20 Trillion, and UNFUNDED LIABILITIES from Medicare...Social Security...etc. exceeding 100 TRILLION....what's with the concern of "appropriating the money" first?  The interest on the nation's debt alone should preempt any future appropriations of any kind!

And to the point of the case itself --  what's Congress got to do with it, right?  It's before the Supreme Court, for Pete's sake, simply because the Executive Branch -- President Barack Hussein Obama --  did the legislating all on his own, without Congress!

OH but Reagan did it...nana nana na na  -- OH REALLY?  read this little number.

What I really like about that link -- if you read it -- is the point that it didn't work the first time, or the second, and at this rate, third time's a charm has no legs to stand on either, no matter if those legs be considered juvenile or fully matured into adulthood...

 3) The Reagan-Bush examples are not positive ones. The 1986 amnesty did not work as promised. It was riddled with fraud. The enforcement provisions were ignored or circumvented. Illegal immigration actually increased in the years after the amnesty. The supposed "once and for all” solution almost immediately gave rise to an even larger version of the original problem.

The argument that “Reagan and Bush did it,” is essentially an argument that future generations should not learn from the errors of previous generations. With the advantage of experience, it is clear that their decisions did not produce the desired result, and actually greatly worsened the problem they sought to solve. Let’s not repeat their mistake.

And then there's this --
one of my favorite founders, Ben Franklin, gave us warning...

He recognized the "natural inclination in mankind to kingly government" --  for through a Ruler's Law,  the subjects may gain the illusion of security, as if the people are better protected under a certain centralized rule -- but at what cost?  And more important, where would it stop?  

If the king giveth, the king can taketh away,..

And given where America is at these days -- with about half of the population realistically considering a full-blown socialist or a bonafide lying elitist leftist to take the highest office of the land, oppressive rule seems to be coming back around again on broken wings and promises, usurping the Rule of Law and all.

Here's an illustration for you, as described in The 5000 Year Leap:

The Two Wings of the Eagle

The Founder's view of their new form of government can be further demonstrated by using the symbol of the eagle and referring to its two wings:  #1 The Problem Solving Wing  #2 The Conservation Wing.

Wing #1 of the eagle might be referred to as the problem-solving wing or the wing of compassion.  Those who function through this dimension of the system are sensitive to the unfulfilled needs of the people.  They dream of elaborate plans to solve these problems.

Wing #2 has the responsibility of conserving the nation's resources and the people's freedom.  Its function is to analyze the programs of wing#1 with two questions.  First, can we afford it?  Secondly, what will it do to the rights and individual freedom of the people?

Now, if both of these wings fulfill their assigned function, the American eagle will fly straighter and higher than any civilization in the history of the world.  But if either of these wings goes to sleep on the job, the American eagle will drift toward anarchy or tyranny.  For example, if wing #1 becomes infatuated with the idea of solving all the problems of the nation regardless of cost, and wing #2 fails to bring its power into play to sober the problem-solvers with a more realistic approach, the eagle will spin off toward the left, which is tyranny.  On the other hand, if wing #1 fails to see the problems which need solving and wing #2 becomes inflexible in its course of not solving problems simply to save money, or not disturb the status quo, the the machinery of government loses its credibility and the eagle drifts toward the right where the people decide to take matters into their own hands.  This can eventually disintegrate into anarchy.

What do you think?

Are we there yet?

Dare I suppose that we are swiftly approaching the outcome of this duel come November.

Oh the error of our ways is going to the extremes.  Just where oh where is our balance -- our compassion and our conservation meeting somewhere in the middle?

The thing is -  never mind the central government,  this seemingly rather unnatural law of finding such balance may very well start with us, as individuals.  And yet, look at us, look at our children, look at our colleges, look at our millennials...look at our congress, look at our courts -- instead of instilling this kind of reserve and respect for that which is found in the good company of coming to the middle -- a balance of wings so to speak -- by all evidence, be it by our lack of civility or the total absence of critical thinking in areas of life and liberty, finding such middle-ground of the common man has nearly all but  self-destructed.

Let's hope the highest court of the land is at a tie when this lawlessness of amnesty through executive order is once again decided, third time around.  Let's only hope.

Let's slow our roll from here on out and settle things down, for once and for all -- or at least for the next four to eight years, shall we?

You know, when this girl was just a kid, my dream was to grow up pretty much so that I could eat Ding Dongs whenever I wanted; I couldn't wait to get older just to have that kind of power.  tee hee

As If that kind of power comes without any responsibility; as if that kind of perk comes without any second thoughts, missteps, trial and error, or without just cause for taking a pause from time to time...

moderation in the form of two birds always seem to show up just in the nick of time....

they come swooping in from out of nowhere.... taking their proper place upon my shoulders...one to the left and one to the right...and begin pecking at me.  [It's rather hard to ignore.] And sure enough, no matter the argument presented to the psyche, deep down, the answer reveals itself with the responsibility to heed or not to heed to do the right thing.

So once upon a time, there were two birds sitting on a branch....

What does the Law say?  

How about we --- and when I say We, I mean, the Supreme We -- start there.

Make it a Good Day, G