And then I wrote...

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that a national columnist this morning noted that if President Trump does nothing else (and he hasn’t been able to do much!) he may have had some success in reestablishing the separate roles of the three branches of government. He has in some instances undone the executive orders of his predecessor and referred a matter to the legislative branch, where it should reside according to the constitution. And he named an apparent strict constructionist to the Supreme Court.

If those actions prove fruitful, and the jury is still out, perhaps there is hope that we can return to representative republic form of government established by the Founding Fathers. When the Greek prime minister on his visit to this country seemed to stress the united states of America, he seemed to realize the difference between what the founders envisioned and what many politicians, and others, seem to feel reflects conditions today. That thinking appears to consider this the United State of America, as if the 50 individual states did not exist.

Anyone who has traveled outside his or her home state, or broader home region, knows that the states can be very different, so it isn’t surprising that they might want to approach things in different ways, except for those few things the constitution says are the responsibility of federal government.

It is great to note the success of the Waukon High School football team in making the playoffs again this year. In 7 of 9 games they scored 50 or more points. By the time you read this, you will know if it made any difference or not, but I was surprised to note that most teams with 8-1 records like Waukon were named host schools for the first round. Waukon’s foe had two losses. Two 8-1 teams faced each other. Only one other two loss team got to host, against a three loss team.

Also noteworthy is the state finals trip earned by the cross country girls, particularly given their preponderance of very young runners.

The notoriety given that Florida congresswoman with the flashy cowboy hats reminded me of a couple of things. One was the hit song Rhinestone Cowboy, or in her case I suppose cowgirl.

The other was a phrase used by a fellow officer and golfing partner who was a native Texan and graduate of a Texas college. When he would encounter someone who seemed to have an overly favorable impression of himself, he would say he was “more hat than cattle.”