Good Golly, It's Government Folly!

By David Heller

“The political and commercial morals of the United States,” observed Mark

Twain, “are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet.” Indeed, with that

spirit in mind, GOOD GOLLY, IT’S GOVERNMENT FOLLY pokes fun at our system

of government and politics through a poetic and mirthful lens. The potpourri of verses

presented, patriotic or just plain satirical, entertains in a light-hearted manner the

American history of government, the Presidency, our many scandalous events,

Congress and Senators and Representatives, the often adversarial political parties,

the Supreme Court, all sorts of other governmental offices, the always controversial

mass media, political nicknames and traditions, and our memorialization of American

history.

Here is an excerpt from a selection lampooning the Presidency, entitled

“TO IMPEACH OR NOT TO IMPEACH: THAT IS THE QUESTION”.


“Impeachment is a tumultuous event for sure

And thus it has not been a common thing,

As it startles and jolts the country

And forcefully rocks the West Wing.


High crimes and misdemeanors, you ask?

Why Donald Trump must have done them with every task!

He misled the nation with bleach and refusing to mask,

Only in disgrace and infamy will the 45th President bask.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664161269

David Heller

David Heller, PhD. is a clinical psychologist and the author of forty previous books, including many of a spiritual and religious nature. These works include: In Search Of God, The Soul Of A Relationship, When Darkness Reigned And Light Was Barely Visible (with Jared Heller), The Soul Of A Man, Talking To Your Child About God (Literary Guild Selection), Dear God: Children’s Letters To God, The Eternal Gifts Of Judaism, Just Build The Ark And The Animals Will Come, and The Kids’ Book of Prayers About All Sorts of Things (with Elizabeth Heller). Dr. Heller is a summa cum laude graduate of Harvard and received his doctorate from The University of Michigan.

Book preview

Good Golly,

It’s Government

Folly!

The Poetry of Politics

David Heller

Copyright © 2021 by David Heller.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/02/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

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Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter One Our Nation’s Notable History

God Bless The Founders

Greatest Declaration Ever Composed

The Once And Forever Constitution

America’s Top Ten List (Aka The Bill Of Rights)

The Old Glory Story

America And Its Wars

Remembrance In The Nation’s Capital

Chapter Two The American Presidency (Or Democracy Beats A King And Queen And A Royal Plush Every Time)

If You Want To Run For President, Have It Be A Primary Focus

Political Conventions: Not So Conventional Anymore

The Electoral College Game

Hail To The New Chief (The Presidential Inauguration)

Home Sweet Home: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Commander-In-Chief

That Annual Club Gathering Called The State Of The Union

The Power Of The Presidency

Number Two

The Parade Of Presidents

I Beg Your Pardon, Straight Outta The Rose Garden

To Impeach Or Not To Impeach: That Is The Question

Chapter Three Congress: The Many Voices Of The People (As Represented By Contentious Cohorts Of Congressmen)

Election Day: The Great American Ritual Of Voting

The Capitol: Citadel Of Liberty

Congressional Processional

House Of Ill Dispute

The Washington Senators

All Those Congressional Committees

Leader Of The Pack (The Speaker Of The House)

Whipping Up The Majority

The Gang Of Eight

Taxation With Representation (Sort Of)

Congressional Race Run-Offs

Chapter Four Partying Like It’s 1775 (Democrats Vs Republicans)

Those Charming Party Mascots

Brief Highlights From The History Of The Republican Party

Brief Highlights From The History Of The Democratic Party

All Those Fickle Political Polls

Taking The Bait And Watching The Debates

Chapter Five Democracy, A Bit Of Bureaucracy, And Lots Of Other Government

The Nine Supremes

How To Build A Cabinet

Secretaries Of State

Attorney For The People

Dee-Fense!

Joint Chiefs (Non-Indigenous Type)

The Military Branches

The Government Alphabet: FBI

The Government Alphabet: CIA

The Government Alphabet: IRS

Chapter Six Oh, When The States Go Marching In

Fifty Shades Of Democracy

Governors

Mayors

The Ageold Debate Over States’ Rights

Chapter Seven Democracy Dies In Darkness And Also On Some Cable Channels (Journalism And The Fourth Estate)

Mass Media Musings

Those White House Reporters

Cable News: Fake, Flake And Truth At Stake

All Hail The Internet

Chapter Eight A Modest And Mostly Mirthful Miscellany Of Other Matters

Those Ever-Present Lobbyists

Scandals, Scandals And More Scandals

America, Land Of The Right To Protest

A Bouquet Of Political Sobriquets

Remembrance: Historical Landmarks Throughout The Land

Dedication

W ith love for my son, Jared Heller, and

with appreciation for the flow of political

humor that goes back and forth between us,

much like our earliest games of Catch together.

Introduction

T he political and commercial morals of the United States, observed