Yesterday at BMW: Nails, Lightning, Cards and Banks

Yesterday at Bob McCarty Writes, I offered the following posts:

• Tim Hawkins Nails Parody of Government

• Cartoonist Captures Lightning Storm on iPhone

• President Barack Obama Needs a Birthday Czar

• Bank CEO: 1,000 Banks Will Fail in Two Years

Click here to connect with yesterday's posts on one page.

YOU AND I FUND SENATOR'S OFFICIAL PORTRAITS

Unlike official Presidential portraits, largely funded by donations, we the taxpayers shell out the bucks so that politicians on Capitol Hill, as well as other bureaucrats, can burnish their perceived legacies.

From CNSNews.com:

Portraits of Senate leaders are almost always paid for with taxpayer money, at a cost of up to $70,000 each. By contrast, portraits of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush – unveiled on Friday [December 19] – were paid for with private donations.

[...]

In the Senate, portraits traditionally are commissioned for the majority and minority leaders, and former members who have been out of the Senate for 25 years who are chosen by a special commission of the Senate Rules Committee, said Donald Ritchie, the Senate historian.

The funds for those paintings come from a taxpayer-funded curator’s budget....

[...]

...[T]he tradition of portraiture of U.S. government officials goes back more than 200 years and...many lawmakers think the tradition is a way to maintain continuity between offices.

[...]

Many federal agencies also commission portraits for their top officials, a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget...

Government waste knows no bounds.

OUR DAY AT THE CAPITOL

Over a month ago I did a post entitled, Making an Impact on Your Culture. I'm finally getting around to doing my post on how our day at Jefferson City actually went.

First of all, in addition to my kids learning a lot, I learned a lot. Each of the kids had to write their own bill and then present them in front of everyone. During this process you learned how bills were introduced on the floor, how a Representative or Senator would speak out on what they thought of the bill and the process it went through to actually get the bill passed. They had the kids use the "Parli Pro" language such as, "Would the gentleman/lady yield to a question?" and "I call for a division of the house!" It was very interesting.

The Certificates that they received at the end of the day talked about how they had learned:

--How the Government is set up
--How to write and debate bills
--How to speak in public
--The importance of praying for my Legislators and others who represent me

I felt they had learned all that and more. What I found amusing was that in debating the bills it could get very tedious and boring. I sat there imagining what it would be like to be in D.C. and have to listen to Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd ramble on about the most inane things. It would take a lot of patience to have to sit through listening to other politicians who think too much of themselves go on and on.

The day also highlighted the differences in my children's temperaments. My son raised his hand every time he got a chance whether he had anything to say or not. Although, amazingly several times I was very impressed with what he had to say and I felt good that the training of my kids hasn't been in vain. I was surprised at how some of the other kids' bills were small forms of socialism and Calvin said more than once that the Government should not be telling us what to do. Bravo!! He did a great job of getting up in front of everyone and talking. If any of my kids ever go into politics, I have a feeling it will be him.

My oldest daughter is the exact opposite and doesn't like being in front of others and my other daughter is probably somewhere in between.

We also went on a tour of the Capitol building and learned a lot of really neat things. I especially enjoyed learning the history behind the room that was filled with a huge mural entitled, A Social History of Missouri by Thomas Hart Benton. The details were fascinating. Benton originally painted it in 1937 and they have been able to preserve it all this time.

It was a great day and worth the time and effort that went into making it possible.

Previously:
Making an Impact on Your Culture