(1) I was listening to a podcast yesterday while in my car.

Digression: Okay, let me be honest. I don’t know if I was listening to a podcast or not, because I don’t really know what a podcast is, assuming it has a definitive definition. A better way to describe it would be to say that I was listening to an interview on YouTube yesterday while in my car. I could have also been watching it, but my guess is that that would not have been particularly safe. The interview was by someone whose name I don’t remember and the interview was with someone whose name I don’t remember, but who sounded like he had some authority. The interview was apparently one of many conducted by this same mysterious person, whose name I don’t know, under a general “program name”, which I also don’t remember. Was I listening to a podcast? I still don’t know.

I was listening to a podcast yesterday while in my car, and it was an interview and the man being interviewed was asked why our legislative branch is so dysfunctional. He said, as you would assume that he would say, that there are many reasons, but he also said that there was one that stood out above all the others.

So I will ask you. What do you think the main reason for our dysfunctional legislature is?

His answer was C-Span.

He thought that C-Span, by televising, gavel to gavel, sessions of both the House and Senate, including sessions where legislators speak to totally empty champers, empty that is except the C-Span camera, as well as many Congressional hearings, has changed the political world. He believes that C-Span, well meaning as it has been, and efficient as it is, has turned legislative governmental work into show business.

Give it some thought.

(2) “South of the border, down Mexico way…….”

I’ve long said that the southern border is likely to keep Biden from winning a second term. I still believe that, and that he is in a no-win predicament at the border. Yes, it’s the Republicans keeping Congress from reforming our immigration laws, but it was the Democrats who waited until over three years into the Biden term to propose legislative changes. And, after saying that he can’t take strong executive action, it appears that Biden is strongly considering strong action – again over 3 years into his 4 year term.

So even if it succeeds, it just looks like he is pandering, doesn’t it? And will it succeed? The order, as currently proposed, will apparently try to limit political asylum to people requesting asylum before they cross our border, not after. The problem is that Trump issued that order during his time in office, and the courts blocked it, saying that the right to request asylum belongs to anyone who crosses the border, no matter how they get here. Perhaps the Biden administration has a twist that will give it a chance to obtain judicial approval. We will probably see.

(3) Tomorrow is the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And the partial shutdown of the government is scheduled for next Friday, one week from today. The remainder of the government will shut down a week later. And the full solar eclipse will occur a month after that. Mark your calendars.