Lynne Stevens
I would have hoped that our high school-educated, young adults would have known to stand up against a recent blatant lie by the former president.
Being able to properly identify this lie as a lie requires very basic knowledge of our Constitution and our government. It is disappointing that the truth was hardly mentioned on mainstream and right-leaning media.
Is the proof hidden requiring research to find it? Not really. It is only hidden to those who were not taught by no fault of their own or chose not to learn about how our government functions while they had the opportunity in school.
Ok, so what is this lie? Trump has stated at numerous rallies that Kamala Harris stole $1 billion from FEMA to house and support illegal aliens at the expense of Americans suffering from significant weather events here. For the record, FEMA money for food and shelter of legal or illegal immigrants does not come at the expense of American disaster relief (poynter.com).
So with the help of the Constitution Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7, we understand no president can write a check for whatever they want. It must go through the appropriations committee in Congress, which is often referred to as having “the power of the purse.”
States have all but ordered the Feds to help with the influx of migrants. That is a separate request. In the current situation a request has been made to fund long-lasting effects, apart from search and rescue operations. The request will go to the appropriations committee in the House of Representatives headed up by a member of the majority political party – currently Tom Cole, a Republican. A request for supplemental appropriations for the hurricanes is certain to pass when Congress returns from recess.
Going through supplemental appropriations is not stealing any more than accusations of Harris stealing $1 billion to hurt Americans. This is how a “checks and balances” government works; there is no billion-dollar heist here.
Another fabrication that has seeped into the psyche of many Americans is the false notion that Harris wants to take away citizens firearms. Let’s see where this fear goes.
Over 60 percent of gun owners favor increased background checks for all gun sales, including gun shows and some private sales (theconversation.org, 6/22). Public opinion also favors banning assault weapons (pew.research) that have killed so many children – and Harris supports this public view.
Congress, the Second Amendment and courts are obligated to protect the ownership rights of law-abiding and mentally-competent gun owners within North Carolina law. While no law can stop a determined killer, laws can lessen the opportunity for easy access to guns, particularly AR gun-types. There is a strong history of hunting in my family, but none used a weapon of war to kill a deer.
If you own a firearm, unless a tyrant overturns the Constitution and takes charge of the courts, you can sleep well tonight.
Lynne Stevens writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. She can be reached via email, geminga@mailfence.com.