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On Tuesday night both Houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, gathered to receive the last State of the Union address from President Obama. This year’s speech was very forward looking and not simply a “victory lap,” as last State of the Union speeches have been for previous presidents. President Obama made it clear that he wants to infuse everything he does for his last year in office with the possibility of the American spirit, and that we cannot take our foot off the gas pedal; he will continue to work until his last hour in office next January.

Dear Friends,

Back during the “olden” days, as my children describe my high school years in the sixties, the Ohio Art Company launched a new toy called the Etch-A-Sketch. It became the must have toy for me and my younger sisters, and it was quite common to see my fellow high school freshman and I using the magic knobs to manipulate a drawing. If a sketch did not work out, we would simply shake it and begin again.

For more than five years, I have written a weekly commentary treatise promoting the need for an elevation in congressional civility and a denunciation of the notion that compromise means capitulations. Four hundred and thirty-four Members of the House of Representatives receive the weekly congressional communiqué. Hundreds, over the years, from both sides of the aisle, have expressed enlightenment in the ruminations.

Dear Friends,

Stumbling through a Dollar General store, looking for last minute gifts before the holidays, I came across a section that had Magic Stick-Em Glue. I thought, “I’ll use some of this glue to impress others with my handyman skills.” Then finally I thought, “Maybe I can incorporate this when performing wedding ceremonies: instead of saying ‘until death do us part,’ I could say, ‘until the glue wears out.’”

As we rapidly approach the holidays, I want to bring something to your attention. On Wednesday, I sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs Dr. Stephen Ostroff, calling on them to investigate slave-peeled shrimp in Thailand, which is entering the United States’ food supply.