Tracy K. Lorenz/Fresh Eyes

Typing Out Loud


If I see snow in October then I better see 70’s in March.  You get five months, winter, that’s it.

I hear a lot of people talking about the importance of not giving up, but no one ever talks about the importance of knowing when to give up.

If there are any 20-year-old falcons out there, they are technically millennial falcons.

If humans couldn’t breathe through their mouths, the thought of getting a cold would be terrifying.

Riding a bike is just vegan horse riding.

Every person you meet is the main character in their life story and you’re just an extra.

Ladies tees, smaller basketballs, three set tennis matches, lower volleyball nets...the only true “woke” sport is bowling.

Speaking of which, how long before TV allows a man to slap a woman back?

The second most populous country in the world (India) is supposed to pass the most populous country in the world (China) by 2027.
For one brief moment both countries will have the exact same population until one couple messes the whole thing up.

Death is the premium version of sleep.

Every time you look in a mirror your brain is inspecting its vessel.

The chance of you being murdered in a bathtub is low, but not zero.

I saw a guy in the Home Depot bathroom pretend to wash his hands. THAT is supreme laziness at a masters level.

If someone says “hair” you picture a lot more hairs than if someone says “hairs.”

People are probably going to

figure out how to hack Tesla's computer system and pro-
gram the cars to drive you off
a bridge.

When you’re a kid you look forward to Christmas, as an adult it feels more like a deadline.

It’s weird that Vikings went from being the most feared people in the world to being the nicest people in Europe.

When you use your old computer to buy a new computer online, your old computer is digging its own grave.

High School students complain that they have to learn things they’ll never use in real life, and then they go home and play video games like Fortnight that develop skills they will never use in real life.

When you open a bottle of pop and it makes that “ffffsssst” sound you have raised the barometric pressure of the room.
    
Printed by permission of the author.

Email him at Lorenzatlarge@aol.com.

Get Tracy’s latest book at BarnesandNoble.com or Amazon.com, or  download it from www.fastpencil.com.

Only $3.99, cheap.

 

 _________________________________________________________________

 

With Fresh Eyes: Transparency Dismissed

by Rich Nelson

Few would counter the need for a transparent, open government. It is the public’s right, and our elected representatives’ responsibility, to ensure that decisions impacting all of us are done in a responsible manner and appropriate forum. To claim that transparency is not forthcoming from the opposition party, while at the same time taking measures to obstruct the process and cloud the truth, is the epitome of hypocrisy, as demonstrated by Republicans in recent months.

In an October 31 Facebook post, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R), who represents Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District, stated “Nancy Pelosi’s closed-door impeachment inquiry has poisoned the well of impartiality, undermined the bedrock principle of due process, and eroded any hope of transparency in the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives.” Nothing in this statement holds up to scrutiny. The closed-door depositions, gathering sworn evidence as a first step in the impeachment inquiry, included Republican members of the committees involved. The minority party was not shut out of this initial step. Since then, transcripts of those interviews have been publicly released, and televised testimonies from key figures have begun.

If the president insists that he has done nothing wrong, and his July 25 phone call to the Ukrainian president was “perfect,” what does he have to fear about an open process? Why his refusal to allow members of the White House staff, including acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, his aide Robert Blair, former Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Dearborn, and former staff secretary Rob Porter, among others, to testify before Congress? Why the defiance, in violation of the constitutional responsibility of Congress in their role of oversight of the Executive Branch, as a co-equal branch of government?

If transparency is his utterance, why does the president keep his tax returns from public view? For over forty years, all presidents have released their returns, until now. And, contrary to the president’s claims, there are no IRS regulations that tax returns cannot be released while under audit.

If Republicans claim to value an open process, why does U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R- KY) continue to sit on legislation passed by the House, not allowing a transparent process of hearings and debate on these bills? In a September 27 tweet, Trump said “The Democrats are now the DO NOTHING PARTY.” To the contrary, the Democratic-led House of Representatives has passed approximately 400 bills this year, which have moved to the Senate for consideration, but continue to gather dust on McConnell’s desk. This legislation covers such vital issues as prescription drug costs, protecting insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, the minimum wage, and gun violence prevention. In the wake of yet another school shooting, U.S. Senate inaction is inexcusable, and, yes, negligent in its complicity with such tragedies.

If an open and transparent process is important to Republicans, why has Senator McConnell also held up HR 1, passed by the House on March 8? HR 1 is referenced as “For the People Act of 2019,” an election reform legislation package which includes such measures as automatic voter registration, election security against foreign attacks, and the end to partisan gerrymandering. Why the continued effort to suppress the vote, Republicans, putting more obstacles in the way to cast a ballot and ensure fair elections?

Resistance to the truth. Diversion and deception. Efforts contrary to a more just and secure nation. This will be the Republican Party’s legacy. This will be their shame.

Contact Rich at richmskgn@gmail.com

 

––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available