THE BIG O AND A THIRD TERM

And I don’t believe it either.  I heard along the grapevine that the Big O is presently seeking or may be only thinking about a third term, or possibly longer?  Is this really  something that he himself wants or is it only his ‘fan club’ that is getting all riled up regarding the possibility of attaining the impossible?  While I do agree with a few of the things that he has done, a very few, based on his overall record and position on just about anything of an international nature, I think that he has been extremely lucky so far in that no one of any substance has called for his impeachment, even though some of our previous leaders have been shot and some even killed for far lesser deeds or perhaps doing nothing when some kind of response was required..

After Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s record four terms in office (unfortunately he died before completing the fourth term) a few years later, during the administration of Harry S.Truman, a two term limit for the office of President was enacted by Congress so that no individual can serve more than two consecutive or non-consecutive terms unless the third term is the result of completing the term of a deceased President.  However, there is no such limit regarding the office of Vice President.

Unbeknownst to most people, Jose Serrano, a Democrat from New York has been proposing an amendment to the constitution which would repeal the two term limit.  He has done this a total of nine times since 1997, his most recent attempt was his introduction of HJ RES 15, on January 4, 2013.

Similar recommendations have been made over the past twenty years or so, by members of both parties, for a total of twenty-three times, all to no avail. This is surely no easy task to accomplish.  Assuming that such an amendment to the Constitution was passed by both the House and the Senate, it would still have to be ratified by three fourths of the various State Legislatures before it would become the law of the land.  It should be noted that none of these attempts ever came close to being brought to a vote.  They were all sent back to the committee from where they originated and remained there until they died, never getting close to being sent to any state for its approval.  In a worst case scenario, even if such an amendment did make it all the way through to completion, it still does not guarantee for anyone a lifetime Presidency, as a re-election every four years would still be mandatory.

So how does all of this affect the Big O?  Based on his currant approval rating or rather the lack of it, I don’t think he has a snowball’s chance in hell of even getting nominated, let alone being re-elected for a third term.  I wonder if he could be so naive as to think that the American public would want him to remain in office any longer than is absolutely necessary?

BUSH vs TRUMP

Almost last in the polls and a big cry baby as well, Bush has been lashing out at Trump, as though he was the anointed Democratic rival and not Hillary, by making such statements that he cannot insult his way to the Presidency and that “he is a jerk”.  Isn’t that exactly what Bush was doing by the way he was carrying on?

To satisfy my curiosity, I checked the polls to see how the two of them stacked up against each other, not in New York but in Bush’s home state of Florida, where he previously served as Governor.  While there are a number of different polls, I did find out, to my surprise, that the percentages for Bush ranged from 9 to 13% whereas the percentages for Trump ranged from 30 to 36%.  And that’s in Bush territory.

COST OF A COLLEGE EDUCATION

While surfing the internet the other day I came across an item declaring that the cost of getting a four year college degree was free in certain countries, such as: Brazil, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden whereas in the US it supposedly cost $75,772.  To me this seemed a little preposterous so I decided to check it out for myself.

While searching through Google, I found a study called, “Global Higher Education Rankings-2010”.  It is a fifty six page report with extensive statistical comparisons that was completed about five years ago but its findings and conclusions are for the most part the same today as they were then.

True, there are any number of countries where the tuitions, just the tuitions mind you, are for free but not so for all of the other related costs attributed to obtaining a four year college degree, such as food and housing, the cost of books and materials, transportation, taxes and a host of other expenses.  In summary, Japan and the US are by far the most expensive.  But when you factor in the average median incomes when comparing costs, Mexico is by far the most costly with Japan and the US only half as expensive and  with Australia close behind.  Having worked as an actuary for most of my life I can tell you that statistics do not lie whereas statisticians may be accused of lying when they select parameters designed to produce certain results.  One thing is for certain and that is when you look at the bottom line, there is no country on the planet where a four year college degree is completely free.  Wherever you decide to go or to send your kids, good luck.