Page 6
May 10, 2017
New Prices
Effective
April 1, 2017
O PINION
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$50.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or more
$30.00 each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$50.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $30.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) :
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
$10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109 - $139
Chair or Recliner:
$25.00 - $49.00
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
Can’t Run the Country like a Business After All
Constitutional
checks and
balances
J ill r iChardSon
Our
president
says he wants to run
the country like a
business. But it turns
out running the gov-
ernment isn’t like
running a business after all.
Trump, for his part, says he’s
located the source of the problem:
the Constitution. All those checks
and balances our founders are
cramping his style. “It’s an archaic
by
system,” he complained.
Unfortunately for Trump, un-
like on his reality TV show, when
he doesn’t like a member of Con-
gress, he can’t simply say,
“You’re fired.”
Yes, Trump was elected
by… well, not a majority of
Americans. Or even a plu-
rality of voters. But he was
legally elected, and he has
some power. Yet he cannot
erase or overrule the power
of our representatives in Congress.
How does Trump feel about
that? “It’s really a bad thing for the
country, in my opinion.”
Yes, he actually said that about
our system of government —
The Law Offices of
Patrick John Sweeney, P.C.
Patrick John Sweeney
Attorney at Law
1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon
Portland:
Hillsboro:
Facsimile:
Email:
(503) 244-208
(503) 244-2081
(503) 244-2084
Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com
which, admittedly, is less efficient
than running a business. That’s the
idea.
A publicly traded corporation
has one goal: to make money for
the shareholders.
A government, on the other
hand, has many goals: economic
prosperity, reducing poverty and
hunger, keeping the public safe,
preserving human rights and civil
rights, and so forth.
A successful business lead-
er may excel in making money.
It doesn’t follow that they can
achieve the many other objectives
the leader of a nation must work
toward.
A business can pick and choose
who it deals with. The CEO can
hire and fire employees at will and
choose which other companies to
work with. It can target its prod-
ucts towards a particular customer
base, instead of attempting to sell
its products to the entire public.
And the CEO is the boss.
The government gets no such
choices. The voters are the boss-
es. Our leaders have to deal with
all of us, and they can’t pick and
choose which segments of the
population they want to represent.
We’re all Americans.
Furthermore, Trump doesn’t
get to choose who’s in Congress.
We do.
Whether our members of Con-
gress are Republicans or Dem-
ocrats, they’re supposed to rep-
resent their districts. If Trump
wants something that will harm
their constituents, and potentially
get them voted out of office, they
won’t (or shouldn’t) go along with
it. The president can’t simply is-
sue orders and have them imme-
diately followed like the head of a
company can do.
In a company, it ultimately
doesn’t matter if the marketing
and the accounting departments
disagree with the CEO. They have
to do what they’re told to keep
their jobs.
In a democracy, it does matter
whether the representatives from
Montana or Florida agree with
the president. If the majority of
Congress doesn’t agree with the
president, they won’t roll over and
do as he likes. And he cannot fire
them, because they’re accountable
to their voters.
So, welcome to Civics 101, Mr.
President. You’re right. Our Con-
stitution is “archaic” and it lim-
its the powers of the presidency.
That’s what our founders intend-
ed.
Maybe you ought to take some
time out of your busy golfing
schedule to read it some time.
OtherWords columnist Jill
Richardson is the author of Recipe
for America: Why Our Food Sys-
tem Is Broken and What We Can
Do to Fix It.