Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On January 31, 2018, we celebrate National Appreciate Your Social Security Check Day, one of those many days you find all over the internet that seem to have no specific origin. Well, this cowboy does not celebrate this particular “holiday,” because of the JERK (or jerks) that came up with the WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) that cheats people like me out of half their social security! Today we list 7 Jerks of the Month. Digging Deeper 1. WEP (Congress). How can our country celebrate social security when so many people are getting so thoroughly shampooed by the…

A Brief History On January 27, 98 AD, Trajan became Emperor of Rome, succeeding his (adoptive) father Nerva as Emperor. Trajan ruled until his death in 117, a time when Rome saw its greatest military and territorial success. Digging Deeper Many readers may immediately think of Gaius Julius Caesar when the subject of “greatest Roman emperors” comes up, but in fact, Julius Caesar was not emperor, as that office did not exist at that time. The first person to be considered Emperor of Rome was Augustus, the great nephew (and adopted son) of Julius Caesar. Born Gaius Octavius, Augustus was…

A Brief History On January 26, 1965, the Constitution of India was amended to make Hindi the official language of Government in India, with English relegated to a “subsidiary official language.” Although the Indian constitution recognizes 22 “scheduled” languages, there are actually many more dialects spoken throughout the country, about 780, perhaps the second most linguistically diverse nation on Earth (after new Guinea with over 800 languages). Digging Deeper According to the official census of India, there are 122 “major” languages and an additional 1599 languages spoken there (presumably dialects). At least 30 of the languages are spoken by a…

A Brief History On January 22, 1917, President of the United States Woodrow Wilson called upon the warring European nations to end the Great War (World War I) in a “peace without victory.”  At this stage of the war, the major combatant nations had invested so many lives and so much national treasure that to quit without victory was political suicide for the leaders.  Wilson, with the US still neutral at that point, was clearly wasting his breath.  Wilson’s plea is just one of many times someone made an effort at peace despite having virtually no chance at actually gaining…

A Brief History On January 21, 1997, an historic event took place when the sitting Speaker of the US House of representatives, Newton Leroy “Newt” Gingrich of Georgia, was reprimanded by his peers by a vote of 395 to 28 for “ethics violations.”  Gingrich was the first Speaker ever censured by the House, a shameful blot on the record of just one more shady politician!  A phony and a hypocrite, it is hard to believe Newt Gingrich was once only 2 heartbeats away from being President! Digging Deeper Born in Pennsylvania, Newt’s parents (mother age 16 and father age 19…