In my quixotic quest to put some sort of restraint on the powers of the branches of government, along comes a story that perfectly encapsulates the need for more control on the part of the people.
That in turn puts fuel to my passionate fire; there really needs to be something done about this.
The latest news is the Case of the Missing Mitch. The gentleman from Kentucky, who has been in his position since 1985, and who has served as Senate Majority Leader and a host of other made-up positions of authority in the Upper House, fell ill and has been ensconced in the embrace of modern medicine.
Nobody knows what’s wrong though. Nobody has seen the man since he was carted off by ambulance almost a month ago. Even the governor of Kentucky is asking questions. And that’s a problem.
In a representative government, we go through the election process, in McConnell’s case every 6 years, in order to have our wishes made part of governmental debate. Without any recourse, that representation has been taken from the state. Now, I’m sure that FMLA would come into play here, at least for most any other person in the public (or private) sector, but that requires certain things, such as notifying your boss and the filling out of proper paperwork.
Who would get that notice? What kind of sick leave is available? More importantly, what do the people of Kentucky do in the meantime?
This isn’t the first time this type of thing has happened. Pretty much the entirety of the Biden administration was the Case of the Missing Mentality, which was only recognized after a disastrous debate performance by the president. To this day, there is no credible public information as to how long Biden suffered from declining mental faculty, or who actually was running the country.
Think about that. A sitting president showing undeniable signs of decline couldn’t possibly be the one quarterbacking the federal government, and there has been nothing put out as to his performance. The voters, the states, the country was kept completely in the dark with no recourse and no idea what the country would be on the hook for.
Also, the Defense Secretary under Biden, Lloyd Austin, disappeared for prostate surgery, and later for complications because of the surgery, and told no one, not even the boss. Granted, he’s not an elected official, but what is it about the federal government that precludes them from public disclosure of these types of issues?
A New Yorker article has pointed out that Sen. Strom Thurmond, who served in the Senate for 47 years, did not have full control of his faculties in his last years of service. Then there’s Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey, who was absent from his seat for four months while being treated for depression. Frederica Wilson of Florida had eye surgery and was out for several weeks before letting on about her eye surgery. Even in our great state of Texas, Kay Granger still occupied her position while suffering from dementia and living in a care facility.
In all of these cases, and in more that we may or may not know about, the underlying problem is the same: the constituents who these legislators represent have been given short shrift, and as things are right now, have no real recourse. In every case, there has been no one pushing for answers, and no one looking to put up guard rails to ensure the people are given what we are due.
Tony Farkas is editor of the Trinity County News-Standard and the San Jacinto News-Times. He can be reached at tony@polkcountypublishing.com.
