"A free college education for every student at every public college or university in America" is as likely as being swept up in a tornado, landing on your head still holding your dog, and living to tell about it – i.e. assuming the Wizard of OZ is a true story!
During my early December trip to Washington DC and New York the streets were crowded and restaurants were packed with Holiday Celebrants. San Bernardino dominated the news but none of the travelers or "locals" I met seemed overly concerned. None where concerned enough to change their plans. My random sampling of opinions found no widespread fear -- just a desire for smarter government security rather than just more government security.
The more goods and services Americans buy from fellow Americans the faster the economy grows. This domestically fueled growth makes our economy less vulnerable to international economic pressures.
True, earthquake is an ever present risk in California. But the odds of a veteran being hurt by falling debris in pending seismic retrofit VA housing are infinitesimal compared to odds of his being injured, murdered, contracting a serious illness or starving while spending another year or two sleeping on the streets.
It is farcical to believe that it is possible to secure any of the nation's borders as long as the rewards of illegal entry – the "anchor baby" at the end of the rainbow -- outweigh the risks posed by the US Border Patrol, TSA, or Customs and Enforcement.
I can't remember whether I saw the Statue of Liberty before or after I had to memorize and recite the Emma Lazarus poem it inspired. "Give me your tired, your poor" – "send these the wretched refuse of your teeming shore" – "I lift my lamp beside the golden door". Stirring words for a 19th
The lessons the American people and the members of Congress can learn about bureaucratic over-reach and inadequate Congressional and Executive oversight can be a catalyst for change far beyond this single scandal.
Indifference is so deeply imbedded in the VA culture that VA sources quoted .. didn't even recognize that they were personally accountable to their fellow human being.
The President's unwillingness to work with Congress to fix laws he believes need fixing violates his constitutional oath to "faithfully execute" the laws of the land. Unchallenged, the President would set a precedent that reduces Congress to an investigative body.