On
the Road (to Destitution) Again
Pick-up trucks, even brand new ones, used to be inexpensive
because
they were
basic working vehicles, the kind where even the heater was
an add-on option. They were never intended to be the rolling
wombs of hedonistic splendor they are now.
As a result, today the average payment for an F-150 in this
country is almost $1000 a month. Considering
the back half of a pick-up is mostly air there's something
sinister going on here.
Ford is not alone in this shame, of course, as there's any
number of lumbering leviathans blocking the view of the road
ahead from most
every
manufacturer.
(Grumble-mutter-mumble)
----------
While pondering the auto strike I wondered if the current,
deep-in-shit's-creek iteration of Trump has the mental competency
to personally command a vehicle, besides a golf cart, that
is.
Joe Biden
is always delighted, as we all know, to show off his
Corvette chops whenever he can
but
I
cannot
ever
recall Trump behind the wheel of a car.
Like, ever.
A little Googling revealed that this is a moot point as,
due to the 1958 Former Presidents Act, former Presidents
are
not
allowed
to drive
on public
roads once they've left office. They can never be without
Secret Service protection, never be alone, ever, because
they have to acquire state secrets that you or I would probably
have a coronary over.
They can no longer directly receive private mail, it has
to go through the Secret Service, but can sit in on daily
security meetings if the current president
is
amenable.
Additionally, ex-presidents are required, required,
to establish a Presidential Library. (Any word on that, prisoner
#P01135809. Any at all? Just asking.)
The final, most interesting part of the FPA is this: Former
Chief Executives cannot share any classified information
that wasn't shared while
they
were
in office. (Ohhh... REEEEALY?) Which begs the question: Is
there any penalty if a former president violates any of the
above
rules
or are they intended for honorable presidents alone?
Guess I answered my own question.
=Lefty=
|
