Sanford Deyo: Van Elfen should better educate himself

Rick Van Alfen, in his guest column on June 12, should be applauded for his desire to educate, but I believe he should better educate himself as to the workings of our government.

Article 1, Section 1, of our Constitution reads, “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”

Article 1, Section 8, of our Constitution reads, “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Exercises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Exercises shall be uniform throughout the United States; .....”

Clearly, it’s Congress, not the president, that has the power to develop and enact laws and provide for the general welfare of the United States.

Congress, in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s along with FDR, HST, DDE and JFK, all believed in the above. A president could propose or make a suggestion, but it was Congress that had the real power. I think it’s also important to note at that time, Congress consisted primarily of war veterans, both Republican and Democrat, who had served together for their country and felt their country was more important than their political party. Most members also felt truth, honesty, integrity and respect for others were vital to properly serve their country.

While members of both parties, in the Senate and the House, might disagree on many issues, they would work together to resolve the issue to the best interests of the citizens of the United States.

This concept of “agreeing to disagree but working together” to achieve a compromise goes back to our founding fathers when we had 13 colonies with varying interests that worked together to form the United States of America.

Mr. Van Alfen should also consider “those living in glass houses should not throw stones.” Hillary Clinton has a long history of questionable ethics and has lied about going to and arriving in Bosnia while serving as First Lady. She has also lied about their financial status when leaving the White House. While serving as Secretary of State, she lied multiple times about her use of her server. Mr. Comey confirmed this in his “exoneration speech,” but there didn’t appear to be any action by Democrats to investigate it.