I woke up at 3:45am and decided that, since I wasn’t sleeping, I may as well get up, start the coffee, and read the news. So here I am.

Today’s example in the news of our Law and Order President is his plan to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding (1776-2026) with a $1 commemorative coin that has his picture on both sides. One side would show him giving the 1960’s ‘black power’ fist salute to indicate victory because someone failed to shoot him, and the other side would be a bust of his head, in profile. Think ‘Profiles in Courage.’ 

Here is the Federal Law governing the issuance of any and all US money:

“(b) United States currency has the inscription “In God We Trust” in a place the Secretary decides is appropriate. Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities. The name of the individual shall be inscribed below the portrait.” -31 USC 3114 (b).

And this is the law governing the issuance of commemorative coins for the 250th anniversary celebration:

‘‘(1) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS.—No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of any coin under subsections (x), (y), and (z).” -H.R. 1923, Public Law No. 116-330 T

I added the emphasis. So unless President Trump plans to commit suicide between announcing the plan and when the coin is minted, and to claim that his portrait does not really depict a person, his plan to issue the coin violates two Federal laws. This is by no means the most consequential Federal Law that our President has violated, based solely on what the law says and what he has done. But it seems very clear and illustrative.

I would also point out that the Washington Post described the plan for the coin as “probably illegal.” This qualifier is despite the clear wording of the law. So, when Conservatives describe things they don’t like, they use the clearest, simplest, and strongest possible language. For example, Trump called Portland a “war zone” which it wasn’t; another example would be calling the family of his political opponent ‘the Biden crime family,’ also suggesting a lot more than what really was true. On the other hand, when responsible media describe things that people in authority do, they hedge their language because they don’t want to create the appearance of bias. It’s no wonder that Trump got elected! His message is clear, simple, and straightforward. His opponents’ words are muddled and complicated. It is very asymmetrical.

To show how this process works, and to bring it closer to home, here is a statement from my very own Representative Chris Smith that is on his web site about the ongoing Government shutdown:

“The Democrats’ CR [continuing resolution to fund the government] includes a plethora of preposterous provisions, such as the reinstatement of free healthcare and benefits for illegal aliens, the gutting of a $50 billion investment for rural healthcare, and the allocation of billions of dollars to foreign countries for left-wing climate initiatives—all ridiculous partisan demands that would again overburden hardworking, taxpaying American citizens.”

I added the emphasis. And I love the alliteration of ‘plethora of preposterous provisions‘!! It hearkens me back to ‘nattering nabobs of negativism’ which was intended to insult the critics of Richard Nixon.

Regarding the claim that Democrats want to give illegal aliens free healthcare and benefits, this is false. The reality is complicated, but ‘free healthcare and  benefits for illegal aliens’ is not an accurate summary of the legislation.

Similarly, the $50 billion rural healthcare fund is a relatively modest attempt to undue some of the damage that Republicans just did with Medicaid reductions in the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ earlier this year. The rural healthcare fund was proposed as a band-aid to get Republican members of Congress to vote for the BBB given that the Republican/Trump bill is expected to cause many of their constituents’ rural hospitals to close. The fund does not begin to make up for the lost Medicaid funding, which the Democrats are trying to put back. Using the phrase gutting rural healthcare is misleading and disingenuous, an attempt to turn the victims into the perpetrators, and a prime candidate for the 1984 Ministry of Truth award.

You can do your own research on whether aid to foreign countries supports left-wing climate initiatives that are preposterous.

Maybe tomorrow I will sleep better. We can only hope.