Another fairly slow week for Congress, with only 16 votes taken. Eleven of them were party line, and Rep. Steil voted with the Republicans every time again this week. That brings us to six straight weeks of Bryan not thinking for himself.

A relatively busy week for Congress this week, with 20 votes. 17 were party line, and Steil continued his record of non-thinking, voting with the Republican caucus every time this week.

The phrase “separation of church and state” is one of the most commonly used yet least understood political sayings in all of modern vernacular. Many Christians claim this separation as the unrelenting law that took prayer from public schools, tore down crosses from public parks and seeks to removed America from being “one nation under God”. Others see it as an open minded and helpful gesture that ensures equality for a nation of immigrants that is a melting pot of global cultures. For both good and bad the term “separation of church and state” has been touted in more wrong ways that correct ways.

Another fairly slow week in Congress, with only 12 votes this week, two of them procedural and five of them non-partisan. Steil missed three votes on Wednesday. Of the party line votes he did participate in, he was 100% with the Republicans this week. Meaning that Steil has spent all of January always answering at his party’s call and never thinking for himself at all.

Here we go, the first Steil Watch of 2020. had to wait until there were enough votes to cover.

The politics of doing nothing

My grandpa quit smoking in 2002, after smoking cigarettes since he was 13 years old back in the early 60s. A time when doctors were the spokespeople helping tobacco companies sell their products.

My road to having two healthy, feisty daughters came with a few unexpected turns.

While most of the attention this week was on the Impeachment hearings, where State Department officials revealed the criminal network disguised as a presidential administration, Congress actually did cast a few votes this week.

Are you a kid that is gonna be turning or is already 18 years old? Do you young adults want 1,000 dollars to do anything you want! Well, Democratic Candidate/Entrepreneur Andrew Yang does. He wants you to become rich with the advocated policy “Universal Basic Income”. The Universal Basic Income policy wasn’t his idea in the first place. Explained in “Democratic Candidate Andrew Yang Wants To Make You $12,000 Richer” by Mike Prevatt, Universal Basic Income is a policy where everyone in a society gets a certain amount of money to do whatever you want to meet your basic needs,'' he explained, "And my plan—The Freedom Dividend—would put $1,000 a month into the hands of every American adult starting at age 18." As he is currently a democratic candidate, if he pulls through to becoming the nominated president, how would the Universal Basic Income policy thrive.

Each state is divided into different counties because one state is geographically too large to be controlled entirely by just one government leader. To have better and more localized service delivered to the community, county executives act as heads of each subdivision in the state.

Sutherland Springs, Texas is about forty minutes away from my house. For most of my life, I hadn’t even heard of it. It’s not a very large town. However, after November 5th, 2017, when 26-year old Devin Kelley shot and killed 26 people at Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, the town gained publicity. This event became the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history (Ahmed). For me, this tragedy was different. It wasn’t in some far off state like New York. I had some friends who knew people in Sutherland Springs. Never before had I been so close to an event so devastating. It’s because that church, could’ve been my church that the issue of gun violence has became the utmost importance to me. Thus, the question must be examined, what is the relationship between gun laws and gun violence?