President, Dictator, or King?

We happen to live in a country that functions under a republican form of government.  It is not a democracy, a dynasty, or a fiefdom.    For those of you who may not have been forced to sit through a government class in high school, this is an important point to understand.  A republic is a government in which the people elect others to represent them in making laws, controlling national and international commerce, providing for and maintaining security and a strong defense, and protecting the citizens’ rights.  In a democracy the rules and laws are decided directly by a vote of the people.  There is no intermediary elected official to make decisions about what laws to pass.

We do not live in a country ruled by a king, lord, dictator, or other form of crown worship and fear induced obedience.   Here in the United States of America laws are passed by a congress of elected officials and signed into law by an elected president.  These laws can be and are sometimes challenged, and the founders set up a court to deal with such challenges, the Supreme Court.  Only they have the power to overturn a law passed and signed into law, and only if they find it unconstitutional.  Congress can, and sometimes does, pass new laws to change or revoke a previously instituted law when they determine it to be harmful for the country.   We, the people, execute the greatest power, however, because we have the power to change those who are making these decisions.  If we do not like what they are doing, we vote them out of office.  In order for our government to be kept in check, however, the electorate, you and I, need to keep ourselves educated and informed.  That is our responsibility.  If we do not like what the current governmental leaders are doing, no matter whether they be city, state, or federal elected officials, we need to vote them out of office. That is our right and that is our voice.

We, the people, are allowing the office of president to take upon itself more power than it was ever intended to have.   We have seen some real examples of this in the last year alone.  When our president takes power reserved for the Congress of the United States and gives it over to unelected officials in governmental departments and committees, he has stepped over the line.  This was the case recently with immigration law.  No matter whether you or I think the immigration laws need to be changed or not, the president does not have the authority to bypass congress and, on his own, instruct departments in the government to follow his personally requested changes; yet he did.  It is also true of the Welfare Reform Act which was passed in the 90’s and signed into law by President Clinton.  The president had no legal authority to direct any department or committee to make changes to the law, and yet he did.

When our president told the highest legal official in the land, not to defend a law legally passed by congress and signed into law by a president, he has overstepped his power; yet our president did. This was the case when our president told his attorney general not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act which was passed in a bi-partisan vote by congress in the 90’s and signed into law by President Clinton.

When our president ignores the constitutionally defined powers of the federal government and the state governments and willfully steals the power from the states usurping it for the federal government, and then puts all that power into the hand of one unelected official, he has stepped over the line.  That is exactly what he did, when he signed Obamacare into law.  Obamacare, a bill too large to be read and studied in the 3 days allowed, a bill that had many flaws, but they were left uncovered because as we were told, “You’ll have to pass it to see what’s in it.” (Pelosi)

When our president, ignores laws passed by congress and signed into law by a president, and tells companies to ignore a law they are legally obligated to obey, he has stepped over the line of his power.  This was the case, recently, when our president instructed defense contractors not to issue warning letters to their employees.  The Warn Act, passed by Congress in 1988, was written, passed, and signed into law to provide employees with warning of a possible impending layoff.  The president, elected by the people of this great land, to be their leader, chose to blatantly council citizens to disobey a law and went so far as to promise that my tax dollars and yours will pay for legal fees.  These legal fees are those that may be incurred by the companies due to law suits that are likely to spring up over the failure to provide the legally directed notice.   Our president has committed our tax dollars to repay those dollars to those companies.

If we allow our president to ignore laws, override the will of congress, side-step the Constitution, and decide as one person to change laws, what power can he not grab?  Where is our media?  Where is the outcry from the guardians of old?  Why are the media ignoring these power grabs?  Could it be because they are sold out to one party and this president happens to be of that party?  Fine, but one day, and maybe soon, there will be a president of a different party.  What will they do when he follows the same path?

We the people must stand up and say enough is enough.  We, the people, decide when an elected official has overstepped the line.  Today, I am claiming that this president has done just that, and he MUST NOT be returned to office.  If he has done all this now, just think what he might do when he no longer has to please the voters? 

I welcome your comments and discussion. I ask only that your remain respectful to others with whom you may disagree.