Breaking quorum is noisy and it sure does stink

Texas House Democrats fled the Lone Star State in an attempt to prevent GOP state lawmakers from redrawing con gressional districts in the state.The Republican-led redistrict ing proposal could add up to f ive GOP seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Constitution 101: Congressional Punishment and Expulsion Clause

By James Finck, Ph.D.On Dec. 21, 2023, the United States House of Representatives voted 311-114 to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress. Doing so was the first time a member had been expelled without a prior conviction of a crime since the Civil War.

Historic Travels: How a Hollywood sex scandal helped create a slice of paradise

By James Finck, Ph.D.As part of my son’s graduation celebration my in-laws flew the family down to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We spent a week in a tropical paradise enjoying the beauty and the friendly people.

Oklahoma’s State Question 836 is not OK

By Steve Fair On June 24, the Oklahoma Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit filed by the Oklahoma Republican Party challenging the constitutionality of State Question 836.Justices did not immediately issue a ruling.

God Only Knows How Much You'll Be Missed

I am the product of a wannabe hippie. While Dad grew an afro for a time, he was far from an actual hippie, but he absolutely loved the music of his generation.The soundtrack of my childhood includes The Doors, The Who and CCR. Dad also loved the folk bands like The Mamas & The Papas and Bob Dylan.

Skeletons rarely stay in the closet

In Numbers 32:23, Moses warns the tribes of Reuben and Gad their unfaithfulness will be exposed. The scripture presents the principle that misbehavior and wrongdoing, deliberate or not, will eventually be discovered and have consequences.

As farm debt grows, loan payments lag

From staff reports American farmers saw their debt grow in early 2025, with more of them falling a little behind on their loan payments, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest Agriculture Finance Report.

Why are we snapping over SNAP?

By James Finck, Ph.D.Last week our nation seemed to split across a metaphorical fault line over the “Big Beautiful Bill.” One side called the measure a masterpiece while the other condemned it as the downfall of our society. Yet, amid all this fighting, our nation experienced a real tragedy.

Constitution 101: Congressional Rules Clause

In July of 2022 U.S. Rep. John B. Larson (D-Conn.) wrote an op-ed in which he called the Senate “the most debilitating threat” to our nation. He was writing about Rule 22 in the Senate which requires 60 votes to take up a House bill.

Passage of ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ proves Republicans can govern

On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law H.R. 1 aka “The Big, Beautiful Bill.”Introduced on May 16, the legislation was passed by the House on May 22, the Senate on July 1 and the House again on July 3 – record time for a piece of federal legislation of this magnitude.