Barbara Boxer is leaving Congress.
Unfortunately, that departure is a result of being feted at a retirement party, rather than frog-walked out of her office by the FBI.
But gone is gone – not that it matters much given California’s delegation. It remains blinkered far-left, and is still home to some of the our worst Congresspeople, even absent Boxer.
Boxer moved to the Senate a generation ago as female candidates rode a burst of popularity, she noted in her official farewell address Wednesday. She departs just after the defeat of the first female presidential nominee.
She entered public life when it was considered a “noble” profession, she reminded listeners, and will leave just before the inauguration of a man who succeeded in large part by denouncing politicians.
The sooner that idea is mocked out of existence, the better we all will be.
Representing the people isn’t dishonorable. Turning government into a cash cow for one’s self and one’s special interests is no more “honorable” than being a pimp.
In your second link, David Greenfield awards the Dumbest woman in Congress honors to Sheila Jackson Lee. He is wrong, of course, but his error can be simply explained by observing that Betty McCollum has more experienced care givers to shepard her through the day.
Did she also happen to mention what her net worth was when she entered Congress, and what it is now?
Boxer gone, Reid gone, Hillary gone, I’m feeling like I need to pinch myself.
NW, I’m guessing she bought the villa next to Charley Rangel’s at his Punta Cana Resort.
Turns out, the only black nationalists that have been successful in creating their own homeland are corrupt Democrat politicians.
Per NW’s comment, is there clear evidence Boxer used her position to enrich herself? I know there was at least a strong hint of that with Reid.
Interestingly, for all his ickiness and rhetorical incompetence, it appears that Joe Biden did not cash in, at least not very well. He ended up taking out a second mortgage to pay for his daughter’s education.
And I love Jackson-Lee’s comment about giving stereotypically black names to hurricanes…God help the poor guy who wakes up one morning and thinks that’s a good idea. They’d bring back crucifixion, I dare say.
Swiftee,
I know that, with so many dumb libidiot women, it’s always a toss up as to which one is dumbest, but Shiela may actually take first place!
AFAIK, Reid was a school teacher before being a US Senator. Somehow he got interests in land that just happened to be needed for public or private development and could be sold for yyyuuuuge profit. How serendipitous!
What ever you do don’t call her ma’me.
If you are flying to or from the Orient, the last waypoint or the first waypoint – depends on your viewpoint – in San Francisco Control’s airspace is “BOXER”.
Read into that what you will.
She defends politics as “a noble profession.” No, it’s not. It’s a necessary evil.
The people who think being in Congress is a high and wonderful calling are the same people who relish being on the Student Council and the Homeowner’s Association Board. They are precisely the wrong people to be there.
We ought to find people who do NOT want to be there and force them to do the job, like jury duty but for competent people. Busy top executives who are required to take voluntary unpaid leave to sit in Congress as long as it takes to finish their work would have an incentive to cut through the bullshit to get done things that needed to be done, and leave undone things that should not be done.
If your annual income exceeds a certain amount, the total of employees under your command exceeds a certain number, and the size of the budget you’re responsible for is at least this much: report to this office on Monday. You’re in Congress for this Session, as long as it takes. Clear your calendar.
I was essentially forced to join the Homeowner’s Association at the first place I owned when the Association was about to go bankrupt, which would have put quite the damper on my property value. I and a handful of others formed a new board, went after the delinquent fees (which were mostly from the developer of the property, who we sued) and in roughly two years got everything back to a functional basis. I didn’t stick around to enjoy it. As soon as I could get 5 cents more than I paid for my property I sold it and got the hell out.
I don’t have a HOA, but I have a road association. The subdivision streets are privately owned. Dues are $160/year. I get billed and I pay, but a lot of people don’t. There is some mechanism to put a lien on the delinquent properties, but many of these lots are not built. The cost of putting the lien down would be more than the delinquent dues with little hope of payment, ever (or so I’ve heard).
Some of the dead end roads in the subdivision aren’t paved. It’s very jungle-like, and the people who live on those streets don’t want them paved. They want to discourage casual visitors, probably because they are growing dope on the empty lot next door. Having an unpaved road in front of your house decreases property values, of course.
One fellow bought a vacant house at the end of one of the unpaved roads, and promptly sued the association to make them pave the road. It cost $40k. As soon as the road was paved, he sold the property for about $25k more than he paid for it.
That kind of thing is not an uncommon occurrence in my county.
If a lawyer buys a few cheap properties in your subdivision and then joins every friggin’ committee he can, watch out. He has probably got a scheme to enhance the value of his properties by raiding the other members equity or pocketbooks.
They are precisely the wrong people to be there.
Public Service Selection = Jury Duty Selection. Hey JD, you just might have something there.
Loren, it appears that Reid was actually a policeman and a lawyer. See here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Reid#Cultural_and_political_image
The corrupt schoolteacher would be, of course, Lyndon Johnson. And Tim Walz. :^)