I didn't want it to be busy. But I'd made the mistake of drinking coffee after dinner -- that after several months of very little caffeine -- and I was wide awake at two in the morning. So I lay there and thought of stuff.
I thought of what I needed to do the next day -- and the next week. All that Christmas prep. I've made a start but . . .
I thought of cambric tea -- I'd heard the term years ago from a friend whose grandmother used to give it to her when she was little. I assumed it was weak tea with milk and sugar but I'd never wondered about the name. So I lay and wondered and made a mental note to ask Mr. Google when I got up.
(Mr. Google told me that cambric tea -- a popular drink for children, invalids, and the elderly in the 19th Century -- is hot water, milk, and sugar -- a dash of tea is optional. And it's called cambric because it's thin and white like the fabric. Now I know.)
I thought of what has happened to the characters in the Goodweather books in the past seven years. No murders, I decided, and I went on to map out scenarios for the characters. (Harice Tyler's wife died of snake bite and he is courting a teenager in the congregation.) I think I'll save the rest of them for another post.
I thought of what I would do if I had the power to wave my hand and alter certain aspects of our political situation.
Electoral College -- poof, gone!
No big donations to campaigns. A set number of appearances on television, a limited number of position statements, interviews, debates, and NO commercials or phone calls.
Clean bills only -- no tacking on odds and ends.
Certain classes mandatory for graduation -- Civics, American History, Critical thinking and an approach to detecting Fake News.
A new appreciation for facts and scientific proof.
Tax churches that engage in political rhetoric.
And my old favorite -- full citizenship and voting rights only for those who have completed two years of some sort of federal service -- military or otherwise.
This is just a beginning but I finally fell asleep. What would you add?
9 comments:
Great ideas as you fell asleep. Our minds do tend to race around when caffienated, and I did it myself just a couple of nights ago. Solve world problems and work on Christmas list! Add some art and practical money management to your curriculum, please.
Great list. Well I maybe can't get onboard with the last item, but otherwise ...
Hey, some brilliant ideas in there ... if only ... I must confess my mind latched on to the fiction, because I'm bone-tired about pretty much everything in the real world.
30 days to campaign for primaries and caucuses. 30 days to campaign for the office. With modern technology and TV's in almost every home, there is no need to drag this out on and on.
I particularly like the idea of shorter campaigns!
I don't think I could add anything to your list. It's pretty comprehensive. On another note, it was fun to learn about cambric tea.
I like your list except for the last one. I would add a modification to the lobbying rules if their are any. No parties, no all expenses paid trips, absolutely no donations of any kind from lobbyist. No past representative or past senator or elected official can take a job as a lobbyist. When the elected official is through in his or her office they cannot stay in Washington but must go back to their homes.
Electoral districts to be created by a non-partisan group, preferably as part of the Census process, and preferably by a reproducible mathematical formula.
Early voting, and voting-by-mail as universal rights, no extenuating circumstances required.
Election day a national holiday. Free transportation to the polls provided for anyone who requests it.
No more rushing through bills in the dead of night, with no time to read the final version. All bills to be published in final form long enough before voting so the press and public have a chance to examine them.
Amen
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