Home of Today's Common Sense

Saturday, December 31st
He is still with us!
On NEW YEAR’S EVE CHUCK BERRY will be at the
B. B. King’s Blues Club – New York, NY IN PERSON
Only one show at 11 PM !
He can also be seen
Wednesday, January 18th 2012
at
The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill – Saint Louis, MO

Published Brownsville Herald December 19 2011

I was sitting at at my desk wondering where new honest political leaders can be found. The experience many have is that those that we hear about in public service are doing things we don’t approve of, are corrupt or just don’t get elected after spending substantial sums of money.
All of those things are unattractive and the job is not stable and does not provide a consistent income over a period. Let’s face it: That kind of public service just does not assure a stable income.
We still need to identify future political leaders and provide the technical information needed to research the requirements of the elected office and how to become knowledgeable about it.
Let us remember that our forefathers designed the process as a part-time job. It was thought that anyone who could maintain his household and his business or estate could become a congressman or other elected official.
It was also thought that the legislative process would be a parttime job if the legislators were honest and serious about the work at hand. The folks here in Texas believed that also and made it stick. Things work very well with a parttime legislature. Perhaps the U.S. Congress would do a better job were it a part-time one, as perceived by our forefathers. More »

Published Brownsville Herald December 5, 2011

As I begin these thoughts it is Thanksgiving Day and I can smell all the goodies cooking in the kitchen. You can be sure I will give thanks for my family and those good friends who have remained true over the years, even during the rough spots.
I have lived in Brownsville longer than I have anywhere else in my adult life, and have developed a deep affinity for the place and the surroundings that give the place its character.
For quite some time I have been troubled with the problems in our neighbor Mexico, and the migration of its citizens that has resulted.
How do we define what is happening? Is it just a collection of unlawful activities? Certainly if you only focus on the happenings one at a time related to the traditional administration, that might well be the case.
What if we look at it as if the country were more distant and we had not developed such a close relationship? Might we consider what’s happening as a revolution by another major local force?
Further, might we then determine politically whether or not we can support the existing government or the revolutionaries? Then we as a nation would offer the afflicted residents assistance, or even the opportunity to move to the United States. More »