Question Everything, Especially the Continuing Resolution

I have been trying for some time now to gather all my ramblings about pursuing TRUTH into a book. I’m told that this is the thing to do to get recognized as a “thought leader” and to build credibility. There is somewhat of a process that I go through in writing each article. It is basically this. I come across a topic or thought related to TRUTH that sparks my interest, I research it looking at various articles on the subject or perhaps asking ChatGPT for some insight, and then I start writing drawing from both my thoughts and the information I have discovered. Yes, I must confess that I will do some cut and paste to save time and draw from the material I have been researching, but for the most part my articles are my words and thoughts derived from several different sources.

Here in lies, as they say, the rub. I’m not very good at capturing and recording citations. Non-fiction writing has this thing about referencing sources from which information or ideas have been generated. In other words, giving credit where credit is due. It is not that I am trying not to give credit, or that I am purposefully trying to deceive anyone. It is usually just a matter of taking the time. I apologize if I have offended anyone by my lack of scholarly citations. My thoughts are that some of the things I am sharing might not even be thought about otherwise. If you want, this is now the time to unsubscribe from my newsletter.

It’s true, we were taught in school how and when to use citations. They were required on almost every paper I wrote. This article, however, is not exclusively about citations, it is about what we are hearing in the news about funding our government and something called a Continuing Resolution. Or should I say something that it is about something that is not found in this Continuing Resolution. I am unable to find any reference at all for who or what wrote each of the many provisions for spending my, and your, tax dollars. When I inquired about this, I received the answer “a lobbyist” or a “staffer” but no specific names, sources, dates and times, as required in a citation, could be found.

Politicians are all fond of telling us what will happen if the resolution is not passed, who will suffer if money is not made available, that the original was bipartisan, and that we will not be able to pay our soldiers, old people on fixed incomes, or others. The 1,500-page measure, known as a continuing resolution, would have done more than keep the government funded at current levels to prevent a government shutdown. The bill was laden with dozens of add-ons making it resemble the massive end-of-year spending packages that GOP leaders have vowed to avoid. The bipartisan “deal” kept the government running until December 20th, today!

How is your reading speed? How about your comprehension? Are you capable of devouring over 1500 pages of legal double-talk? How are you at the old kid’s game of “kick the can” because this is what is required to be a legislator today. Forget the citations because no one knows, or perhaps even cares, a long as it might buy you a few more votes. What is a “one-year farm bill extension” going to do for farmers, roughly $100 billion in disaster relief, about $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers, and the list goes on. The bill covers nearly $30 billion in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than $2 billion in funding for the Small Business Administration, and $1.7 billion to replace the Francis Scott Key bridge that was run into by a super tanker.

It also inclusion 500 pages of health care provisions and the return of a stadium to Washington, D.C. for a possible new stadium for the Redskins, oh I mean the Commanders. A billion here and a billion there and we have no idea who wrote each specific provision, how exactly it will benefit farmers, highways, small businesses, football fans, or any of us. We only know that it is essential for keeping the government running. Oh, I forgot something. It will also provide cost-of-living raises for federal legislators.

Perhaps we should defund the government for a while and see what happens. Media and others are criticizing Elon now, but he at least knows how to run a business and may just be able to help us run a country a little better.

Perhaps this will all be magically resolved before any of you read my ramblings, but I doubt it. There are many, I am sure, that may say I do not know what I am talking about, but the TRUTH is that I am questioning what is going on and I fully believe that there must be a better way of doing this. We deserve better!