I haven't posted on this BLOG for over a year but, the time has come to crank up the laptop and begin posting again.

In the last two days, the Supreme Court of the United States has issued two major rulings. Both of them are certain to generate a tremendous amount of debate in the country. So perhaps it might be a good idea to stress the importance of a Supreme Court decision. Simply put, it's not what the Constitution says that is important. It's what the Supreme Court says the Constitution says that matters. In the 1890's the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Plessey v. Ferguson that the concept of separate but equal did not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th. amendment to the Constitution. In essence Jim Crowe laws now had the full protection of the federal courts. This went unchallenged until 1954 when a case reached the Court from Kansas; Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas. In  the unanimous ruling in this case, the Supreme Court ruled, with Chief Justice Warren reading the opinion that segregated schools were "inherently unequal" and ordered that the school district in question desegregate with "all deliberate speed." This ruling was the death knell of de jure segregation in the U.S. It took the better part of the 20th century but legal segregation no longer exists within the borders of the USA. The only ways that segregation could be reintroduced in the United States would be to either get an amendment to the Constitution drafted and ratified or, for the Supreme Court to overturn the rulings that have been made regarding the constitutionality of past rulings regarding racial segregation.

On Thursday the Court upheld, once again, the Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). For the second time the justices have upheld parts of the law. While the ACA is far from perfect, it essentially guarantees health insurance for Americans that cannot be denied for a pre-existing condition, change of employment or having reached a life-time limit. Undoubtedly there will still be attempts to bring an end to the ACA but at least for the time being the United States, like every other industrialized country in the world is ensuring basic health coverage for all Americans,

Today the court ruled in favor of same sex marriages throughout the country. The 26 states that prohibit same sex marriages must abide by the ruling of the court and allow for gay and lesbian marriages and adoptions. There is a bill pending in the Michigan State Legislature that would make marriage a function of the clergy. No longer would judges, mayors, clerks and other elected officials be authorized to conduct weddings. The bill is the brainchild of two Tea Party members of the state legislature and will probably never make it to the floor in either house.

I hope that this BLOG will stimulate some debate and look forward to hearing from you.

Lupus Buddy :): Summer break

Lupus Buddy :): Summer break: Hi lupus buddies I can't believe that next year is the last month of school until summer break. This week I'm going to be doing test...

What's going on

There are three things that occupy my time now that election time has passed. The above photos illustrate two of those things; the time I spend at the Detroit Zoo as a docent and photography. The third time is my family.
Right now, I'm thinking that there some problems facing our country that if not attended to could damage our country to the point that we could actually be faced with a government that is incapable of governing. The men and women who represent us in Washington seem to have forgotten the reason that they were elected. They were put into office to legislate for us not to bicker among themselves to the point where we move from one partisan crisis to another.During the last term of Congress almost nothing was accomplished. Bills languished in committee or were prevented from any deliberation by the Speaker of the House. In the Senate, the infamous filibuster was used over and over again to prevent action on legislation and appointments. Dozens of federal judicial appointments have been waiting confirmation for over a year. Why? The minority party is requiring a 60% majority vote because of the threat of a filibuster. In effect, a single senator has the power to block legislation.Committee meetings have degenerated into witch hunts during which spurious charges are blown out of proportion and character assassination seems to be the rule rather than the exception.Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House puts the chamber in recess for ten days using up critical days before the "sequester" come into effect on March 1st. Why a recess? So that member of the House who took office less than two months ago can go home to engage in FUND RAISING. These people are paid a salary of $175,000/yr plus an extremely generous benefits package for what has essentially become a part time job. Does anyone believe that we are getting out moneys worth from them?