Kayla’s Birthday and Inaguration

 

          My brother Patrick has his birthday on St. Patrick’s Day.  It is always on St. Patrick’s Day regardless the day of the week.  St. Patrick’s Day is not a federal holiday in which some people are able to take the day off with pay.  It isn’t even seen as a holiday by many people though there are some who choose to celebrate the Irish heritage day.

          Kayla and I both have birthdays which may fall on a holiday weekend as both MLK day and Memorial Day have moved their celebrated day to Monday – or rather a day that follows the weekend and those who get paid for Federal holidays are able to take them off.  I think had mentioned in an earlier post how excited my mom said that Kayla was to be off on her birthday in 1986 – the first celebration of MLK – though it wasn’t nationally celebrated until 1995 (here) 

https://www.almanac.com/content/when-martin-luther-king-jr-day

        I was on my mission at the time and do not have any other recollection except that mom said that my sister thought it was a cool celebration as it gave her the day off from school.  Roland had the Monday off in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. though the holiday recognition is the 20^th (here) 

          In addition to MLK is the presidential inauguration every four years.  How terrible it was (and still is) for 2016 celebration.  Not a great way to start out her birthday – though only half of the nation was in mourning.  Of course each year was worse – especially the last one.  But this year is better.  So far it has seemed peaceful. 

EVERYBODY's President - not just a specific party

          Kayla sent me an email as I am not currently on facebook and so have not looked at what was sent through messenger – though she says it says the same thing.  The inauguration this year is surely an improvement over the last.  Kayla is 46 years old today.  Joe Biden is our 46^th president – well sort of.  Grover Cleveland served two terms in office which were not in a row.  He served as the 22 and 24 president.  #23 was Benjamin Harrison – grandson of William Henry Harrison – our 9^th president who served less than two months – if he even served at all . . . (here)

          WHH gave the nation’s longest inauguration speech in freezing weather.  He wasn’t dressed for it.  He caught pneumonia and died.  Nice weather on January 20^th seems rare.  There was one year Kayla and my mom had gone somewhere (probably to a birthday lunch) when neither of them were wearing coats.  Kayla said it was the first birthday she remembered not having needed a coat.

          Happy Birthday Kayla.  Joe Biden is going to make America great again.

Constitution Day - My First Online Assembly Experience

Well, the assembly was mostly on our voting responsibility - or at least that's what I got out of it.  The instructor asked.  What is November 11?  Here are some of the answers:

"Doomsday"  

"the best liar wins"

 

"Election hot mess, the day of voting"

We were referred to this website and quote.

John Adams said:

"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution."

We watch a less-than-exciting video and then the conversation starts up again:

"I've heard that many reports say that the voting system is rigged, can be hacked, is faulty, that is fixed, that we just show up with false hopes in that the decision is already made by the 5 big families"

"The election is like, you have to pick your poison. My question is this. If the votes do not go the way that the ones who govern our land. Who has overall finally say so?"

"Trump is going to make our country file for its own bankruptcy"

"you can vote for any one even Mickey Mouse"

"there is a city in Georgia in which it's illegal to vote for Mickey Mouse - I don't know how they enforce that as our ballots are supposed to be private"

"what happens if someone gets the most votes to be president and they weren't running or don't even want to be president?"

The instructor didn't know, as it has never happened; perhaps we'll learn this year?

"So basically make sure you complete your ballot and won't no one vote for you, pretty much is what you are saying?"

"I get my ballots mailed to me...so I'm definitely voting"

"When did the popular vote start?  Article II Section I talks about electorates, equal to the number of reps and senators per state, and they vote.  So why do we even have the popular vote?"

"Utah is a Republican State.  I only know of one time when all 5 electorial votes weren't all Republican.  One time.  If I were to vote Democrat, I feel like it's such a waste.  It's like my vote doesn't even count.  Heck, just in my own household we seem to cancel each other out."

". . . but if almost the whole republican state vote democrat than what? because i know Idaho is a Republican state but I remember a year we were blue so that confuses me a little"

"At the Constitutional Convention, Ben Franklin stated his belief that public servants should not be paid a salary, for in paying the civil service, our government would not be made of "the wise and the moderate ... the men fittest for the trust" but instead by "the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions ... in their selfish pursuits.'"

"funny how I learned all of this in government and i don’t remember anything and everything you are saying right now is like a reminder of oh yah we learned about that."

Our instructor asked the question, which constitution states: “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,”

"15

no"

"i honestly have no idea"

"How 14"

"the one in the Constitution"

"14"

The next set of comments were made during the second video.

" i like Donald Trump's hair!"

" Isn’t that awesome??"

"exactly

lol"

"Donald Trump and Martin Van Buren.  Fine hair."  

"This is true; They might be related lol"

"There is a lot of awesome Presidential hair out there- Van Buren and Buchanan both had Presidential hair!"

"What happens to the money left over after they get the job? It is not going towards the US debt. Which I think It needs too. Since getting a government office is just pretty much based on

how much money you can raise."

"It goes onto a server in their basement..."

". . . fine haircuts"

"Elvis has left the building!"                       - I don't know why that got put in there

Now, this video and comments

"blast from the past"

"Please say that is the Steven Crowder video..."

"now that takes me back"

"I love this!"

"omg i member watching this in government class lol"

"i watched this in high school"

"Really school house rock....lol"

"I love SNL version better lol"

"This used to be on Saturday Morning cartoons.  I loved this!"

"i watched  this as a kid every sat morn"

"Saturday morning cartoon were the best!"

"yea i watched in a history class my Junior year"

"I know they should put these back on for our children"

"yup...good ole Saturday morning cartoons...and Reading Rainbow...<shutting up before my age starts shining thru"

"LOL…me, too"

"great and fun way to learn"

"hahah!!"

"Everything I know about history, I learned from schoolhouse rock"

"The good way to Learn"

LOL…. I hope you learn more here!"

Of course that was only just some of the dialogue.  Conclusion.  Class members said their good-byes and the assembly was over.  90 minutes after it started.