Rules. Let Them Deal With It On Their Own. 45th Season Opener!
Just My Take = no religion and no politics. With that said, and due to the top of mind subject of impeachment, I wanted to understand the rules by which a President of the United States can be impeached. Again, I will not stray into the political arena but after further review here you go:
- Here is the law of the land on the hows and whys the President can be impeached: “The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” The process starts with the House of Representatives having the power to impeach the president. A simple majority is necessary for an article of impeachment to be approved (each article lays out a charge against the president). Then the process moves to the Senate, where a trial will be held, with the chief justice of the Supreme Court presiding. Finally, and crucially, it takes a two-thirds vote from the Senate to actually convict a president on any count. Conviction on any count would then remove the president from office and put the vice president in power.
- Note that two-thirds of the Senate — 67 votes — is a very high threshold almost never achieved on any matter that’s remotely partisan. The framers of our Constitution did not make it easy for Congress to remove a democratically elected president from power.
- I don’t know how long this process takes. To me, my focus has been and always will be our military, the economy, and healthcare. This process will make all media outlets and their advertisers very happy but to me it is a major distraction, energy draining, and just another reason to spend my free time staying away from listening to political pundits. Here is a nicely done piece that explains the process way better than I just did:
In previous posts I have mentioned the disturbing trends with parents and their lack of guidance with their children. The words ‘helicoptoring’ and ‘bulldozing’ come to mind – and all of us have witnessed or experienced this new wave of parents hovering over their children and making issues go away – instead of having their children figure out how to deal with the obstacle or problem. I raised a daughter and of course made many mistakes with her and her upbringing, though I am proud to say that I did not ‘helicopter’ her. I definitely made her deal with issues head on so that later in life she would have the wherewithal to handle both personal and professional hurdles. She still remembers me telling her in no uncertain terms, “I am your father, not your friend”. The issue of parenting came to light again as last night, at a relatively upscale eatery, I witnessed a family of five sitting at a round table in the middle of the restaurant. The two younger children were using the round table to play tag; the older child was on his iPad, and the parents sat staring at their phones. Yes, I did put them ‘on the clock’ and by my watch it was over five minutes before the mom told the younger ones to sit down. The older child and parents did not look up from their devices until the food was served some ten minutes later. Can you say problematic? A family of five having dinner at a restaurant with barely any conversation or interaction. This type of parenting can only lead to, in one word, dysfunction, which of course is just my take. This Aussie journalist explains what this behavior may lead to with our children as they get a bit older: (note: I have no opinion on Al Gore, global warming or immigration-but I obviously have an opinion on young adults and their ability to adapt after being ‘helicoptered’ before and during adolescence).
It does not seem possible that Saturday Night Live kicked off its 45th Season last night with the SNL premiere hosted by Woody Harrelson. With a few people over after dinner, college football watching was suddenly dismantled as I was outvoted by the majority who wanted to watch the SNL opening segment. Though I do stay away from politics, I must say that the opening, that included Alec Baldwin, Liev Schrieber , and Larry David, was incredibly well done and very funny. Speaking of Alec Baldwin, remind me to tell you about my encounter with him at the LaGuardia airport many years ago, just a week after his infamous rant to his young daughter. He, in my opinion, would be the poster child for the dysfunctional parents described in the take above. Where the heck did forty-five years go? #SNL
I am sure that this post will get some response and rebuttal, which is all good as it is Just My Take. Please use the comments section of the blog to respond.
Adios, pay it forward, and have a Funday Sunday!!