Is Obama Trying to Emasculate Congress?

When the Watergate break-in caused Richard Nixon to be pushed out of office, pundits said that it was the end of the "imperial Presidency." A President who was out of control US Presidency was out of control and that had exceeded the Constitutional limits of his power.  I would submit that with the onset of Obama Presidency the imperial Presidency has come roaring back with a vengeance.

First there is the matter of the oft-mentioned Czars. Originally, the title Czar (derived from Caesar) meant Emperor in the European medieval sense of the term, that is, a ruler who claims the same rank as a Roman emperor. The title of Czar is being used by the President of the United States, to turn himself into a new Caesar.

Our founding fathers wanted the to protect the United States against too much power being placed in one person so they built checks and balances into the constitution.  Presidential appointees reported to the chief executive but they were appointed and served with the Advice and Consent of Congress. Appointees were approved by Senate, and once approved had to answer the questions of both houses.

While other president's have appointed "Czars" none have appointed the number of Czars that Obama has named. The reason for all of the Czar appointments is to circumvent the Constitution and create and imperial Presidency.  Some of these Czars have to be approved by the Senate , but most do not need Senate approval (such as  FCC Diversity Czar Mark "there is no such thing as freedom of speech" Lloyd).  These Czars do not have to answer questions posed by congress, giving the POTUS imperial power over their budgets and actions. Remember the Auto Bailout and how the Primary investors had their share of GM and Chrysler stolen from them and given to the ACLU? That was the work of the Auto Czar Steven Ratner. President Obama creates these Czars to enforce his own policy without the need of congress, and to back away from the pledge of transparency he made during the early days of his presidency.

 

Monday afternoon  when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions a danger to public health (and said it will begin to draft and enforce regulations). Even the EPA realizes these moves will be a disaster for the US economy. It will also make it difficult for us as both what we exhale( CO2), and methane (the gas we expel from the other end), are on the EPA. So once again the govt is going after the people from every side possible.

 

The EPA action was directed  specifically toward congress.

An Obama staffer -- speaking anonymously, of course -- told Fox News: "If [Congress doesn't] pass [emissions-control] legislation . . . the EPA is going to have to regulate in this area. And it is not going to be able to regulate in a market-based way, so it's going to have to regulate in a command-and-control way."

Take that, separation of powers. So if doesn't believe it prudent to destroy the economy, or if they wanted to investigate climategate, or believe that global warming is a hoax, it doesn't matter because Barack Obama wants to be both the executive and legislative branches of the govt, all rolled up into one.

 

In Federalist # 48, James Madison talked about the importance of separation of powers:

It is agreed on all sides, that the powers properly belonging to one of the departments ought not to be directly and completely administered by either of the other departments. It is equally evident, that none of them ought to possess, directly or indirectly, an overruling influence over the others, in the administration of their respective powers. It will not be denied, that power is of an encroaching nature, and that it ought to be effectually restrained from passing the limits assigned to it. After discriminating, therefore, in theory, the several classes of power, as they may in their nature be legislative, executive, or judiciary, the next and most difficult task is to provide some practical security for each, against the invasion of the others.

Whether intentional or not (I believe it is) the President's actions are serving to Emasculate Congress, and violate the separation of powers called for in the Constitution. Its time for Congress to fight back against this usurpation of their powers.