It Could be Worse, We Could Live in Idaho

Remember this character?  I was surprised to hear that he was out of jail already.

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We have discussed this before.  Presidents and governors can temporarily suspend civil liberties by declaring a state of emergency.  There is a time limit on this, 30 days, 60 days, something like that, probably different in different states.  They need legislative approval to extend it beyond that point.  I think the federal one is 60 days because that's how long Trump's ban on travel to and from certain countries that coincidently happened to be Muslim was in effect.  I seem to remember that Congress tried to over rule it, but they failed to muster the necessary 2/3 majority to over ride his veto.  I think the courts got involved, but the order timed out before they could do anything about it.  I believe it's 30 days in Michigan because our governor's "stay home, stay safe" order was for three weeks, and that was after a week of only schools, bars, and restaurants being shut down.  Last I heard, she was asking for a seven week extension and the legislature was more inclined to make it just till the end of April.  It might be different in different states, but in no state is the governor's power unlimited.

I don't know how wide spread the TP shortage is in our region anymore, but our newspaper reported that, when our local paper mill held their public sale, people came from as far as 80 miles away and started lining up four hours before the sale was to begin.  I haven't yet made a serious attempt to find any because we've got enough for now, but I did notice that the three stores I have visited since I bought some at Walmart did not have any on the shelves.  I did see a few small packages in a gas station convenience store, and my wife brought home a single package of four last Friday.  I'm hoping that the shelves will be restocked by the next time either of us needs to go shopping.  We have a Walgreen's, a Family Dollar, and a Dollar General store that I haven't checked out yet.

Another thing I will need to find soon is tobacco and tubes out of which to make cigarettes.  The smoke shops are closed, but I know of a couple of gas stations that sell the stuff.  They are likely more pricey than the smoke shops, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  My broken recliner still works, but I don't know for how long.  It makes a clunk sound when you lean back or forward, and the foot rest sits crooked when it's extended, but it hasn't caused a problem for my back yet.