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Is it OK to make one post about two little-related subjects? I hope so.
This first one may turn out to be awfully important, its about the California Prop 8 Decision. Have you read it? Probably not, I suspect there aren't an awful lot of folks that have, but I am one of them. I read it yesterday. I'm not a lawyer but I love a well prepared argument, and the document is certainly that. It is beautifully written, anyone can understand it. It is also something different than what is generally being depicted by the news/entertainment world. The argument is very detailed, very restricted. In the end it finds that 'separate is not equal' and the constitutionality of the proposition fails. But you should read it. I say that because there is more.
You see, the decision does something else, and I'm very much surprised that someone hasn't latched onto this and pointed it out. It is an amazing thing to me. Here is what the decision does - give it a through reading and see if you don't agree - it enshrines every individual's right to "respect and dignity" and that is a mighty strong thing to say. When it dawned on me what the Judge (and concurring Judges) had said it occurred that this should be of great interest to not only others effected by state and Federal regulation, but also Federal prisoners.
The thing on the other end of the spectrum that I'm trying to get my arms around is this. The real work of Government gets done by the Federal Agencies. Its fine that the Court acts as referee, and the Congress passes laws enabling things to be done and provides the money to do them, but when its time to swing the hammers its the Agencies that do the work. And each Agency was created to serve a need and at one time or another every Agency of Government worked and worked well - every one of them. But today that simply is not true. The Agencies seem unable to snap into action, to get the ball moving, to do the things they were meant to do. And why is that? Well, for one thing that should be obvious is that every Agency has been co-opted by that sector of the commercial and corporate world that clusters to support it. It is true from Agriculture to Defense, Commerce to Energy. In every case the Agencies ability to serve the people has been corrupted and nothing gets done. Much of this seems to come from the seeding of the Agencies with zealots during the Reagan years, they are ripe in the hierarchy today. Bush did the same thing, remember the quality of staff that came out of those Virginia religious colleges, the ones with "law schools'? Those idiots will be running the Agencies 25~30 years from now. If Obama did the country no other favor he would get rid of the last vestige of the Reagan years and simultaneously erase any trace of the Bush years.f Get rid of those people before they rise high enough in the Governmental structure to do damage.
End of Friday evening rant. As always, thank you for your patience.
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