ButterflyGrove: Blog https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog en-us (C) Peter Henry (ButterflyGrove) Mon, 16 Mar 2020 07:23:00 GMT Mon, 16 Mar 2020 07:23:00 GMT https://www.butterflygrove.com/img/s/v-12/u197377178-o76911180-50.jpg ButterflyGrove: Blog https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog 90 120 I can't help myself https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog/2018/12/i-cant-help-myself As we move away from Holidays and into times when the impact of a federal shutdown will be felt more dramatically, I feel compelled to make some observations.

Budgets and spending are the purview of Congress, not the president. The concept of an authoritarian leader that dictates policy and budget should be anathema to every American. The very existence of the United States of America is a rebuttal to authoritarian leadership. Spending and policy is decided by the will of the people as represented through our legislature. The President's job is to oversee the execution of those legislative decisions, carrying out the decisions of Congress in an effective manner. The President can, and must give Congress a budget, outlining the spending needs to implement their decisions. The president should have no authority to present ultimatums to Congress. It is Congress' responsibility to decide if a budget is appropriate, or if the policies need to change. Congress does not serve at the will of the president. 

Over the last decades, we have seen Congress increasingly abdicate its responsibility, tacitly allowing the President more authority and control over policy and spending. It is time that Congress rises to its responsibility as representatives of the American people and take back that authority. Make decisions. Work across party lines. Compromise. Present the President with a spending and appropriations bill that has the support of the people through our Congress. It won't be perfect. Not everyone will be happy. But only Congress can bring the diverse views and needs of America together, and only Congress can work through the compromises necessary create a spending package that reflects the will of the people.

This shutdown is unnecessary. Congress needs to pass a spending bill and give it to the President. And then the true colors of our President will show - will he represent the American People or will he represent his own special interests.

 

 

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(ButterflyGrove) https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog/2018/12/i-cant-help-myself Sun, 30 Dec 2018 01:05:16 GMT
Ospreys and Buzzards and Pelicans Oh No! https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog/2014/2/osprey-and-buzzards-and-pelicans-oh-no The new birds gallery has some superb photos of Ospreys near Lake Tahoe. A family was nesting by the shore of Martis Lake next to Truckee-Tahoe Airport and took advantage of the great fishing. This land is preserved largely through the efforts of the airport district which, together with several conservation agencies, has successfully limited development of this beautiful habitat. 

Additionally, Spring 2013 saw a large number of American White Pelicans in residence at the lake. This lake provides an important rest stop for several migratory waterfowl species. 

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(ButterflyGrove) https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog/2014/2/osprey-and-buzzards-and-pelicans-oh-no Mon, 03 Feb 2014 10:08:22 GMT
Expect galleries to be back in January https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog/2013/12/expect-galleries-to-be-back-in-january A couple of images were uploaded to the gallery from our trip to Hawaii over Thanksgiving week in 2013. We had some spectacular days in the water, and saw more turtles than we have ever seen before. We'll do some cleanup on the images and get more uploaded shortly. Most of the galleries will get back online in January, with Ospreys, Death Valley, Coyotes, Roadrunners and more.

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(ButterflyGrove) https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog/2013/12/expect-galleries-to-be-back-in-january Tue, 24 Dec 2013 04:11:47 GMT
Still under construction https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog/2013/12/still-under-construction Unfortunately all of the public galleries were deleted while making substantial changes to the content and structure here. If you are looking for private galleries, they're here whether or not they have a thumbnail on the page. Please bear with us while we get this site going!

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(ButterflyGrove) https://www.butterflygrove.com/blog/2013/12/still-under-construction Tue, 24 Dec 2013 03:33:04 GMT