Mitt Romney made several important points in the first presidential debate last night. As you may surmise from the blog's title, I was pleased with his references to the Declaration of Independence and to the Constitution.
As president, Barack Obama has issued numerous executive orders, many of which are of dubious constitutionality. Some examples:
*He has told defense contractors that they need not issue notices of impending lay-offs in disregard of the provisions of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) Act.
*He issued waivers for work requirements in the welfare reform act passed in the Clinton administration.
*He promulgated new rules to resolve the status of illegal immigrants without congressional approval.
*He issued regulations mandating religious organizations to include in their insurance policies coverage for contraceptives and abortifacient drugs contrary to their beliefs and in violation of the first amendment's guarantee of religious liberty.
*He announced that his administration would not enforce the Defense of Marriage Act, an act duly enacted by Congress,
This President avoids participation in the legislative process, an area where presidential leadership is important. He seems to have an aversion to the give and take of the political arena, projecting an aloofness and dislike of the process of governing.
An example of this was his handling of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) which was rammed through Congress in secret with special deals reminiscent of the politics in authoritarian countries and not of a democratic republic.
The Declaration of Independence declares in part: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Since ancient times, the prevailing philosophy has been that all men are not created equal, that each person only had those rights assigned to whatever class in which they were born. The Declaration's pronouncement of equality for all turned that concept on its head. We as Americans have struggled to perfect that ideal since our founding. It is an ideal worth defending. It is an ideal which makes America an exceptional nation--"a city on a hill".
The ideals proclaimed in the Declaration are the basis for the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, its Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments. Attempts to circumscribe these basic precepts, to manipulate and stretch their meaning beyond the original intent, is an affront to constitutional government and a threat to our liberty.
As president, Barack Obama has issued numerous executive orders, many of which are of dubious constitutionality. Some examples:
*He has told defense contractors that they need not issue notices of impending lay-offs in disregard of the provisions of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) Act.
*He issued waivers for work requirements in the welfare reform act passed in the Clinton administration.
*He promulgated new rules to resolve the status of illegal immigrants without congressional approval.
*He issued regulations mandating religious organizations to include in their insurance policies coverage for contraceptives and abortifacient drugs contrary to their beliefs and in violation of the first amendment's guarantee of religious liberty.
*He announced that his administration would not enforce the Defense of Marriage Act, an act duly enacted by Congress,
This President avoids participation in the legislative process, an area where presidential leadership is important. He seems to have an aversion to the give and take of the political arena, projecting an aloofness and dislike of the process of governing.
An example of this was his handling of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) which was rammed through Congress in secret with special deals reminiscent of the politics in authoritarian countries and not of a democratic republic.
The Declaration of Independence declares in part: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Since ancient times, the prevailing philosophy has been that all men are not created equal, that each person only had those rights assigned to whatever class in which they were born. The Declaration's pronouncement of equality for all turned that concept on its head. We as Americans have struggled to perfect that ideal since our founding. It is an ideal worth defending. It is an ideal which makes America an exceptional nation--"a city on a hill".
The ideals proclaimed in the Declaration are the basis for the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, its Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments. Attempts to circumscribe these basic precepts, to manipulate and stretch their meaning beyond the original intent, is an affront to constitutional government and a threat to our liberty.
Well done Norm. I too enjoyed the mention of the Constitution last night. This President has failed in his duties to uphold the Constitution of our great country so many times. Your readers may be reminded of Cap and Trade legislation. Passed during buy the House but failed in the senate (when dems held majorities in both bodied of the legislature). What did Obama do? Simply ordered his EPA appointee to institute stricter rules and regs without Congressional approval. Funny thing the hypocrisy of this President. He orders Eric Holder to fight all voter I.D. laws but one must show a photo ID to enter the dem convention, tour the White House, and heck, google food stamp application and see what applicants must provide......The most corrupt administration in my lifetime...
ReplyDeleteThe points mentioned by Kenny (cap & trade and voter ID laws) are additional examples of why Obama should not be reelected. It should be clear that Obama is not competent to be president. But more importantly, I believe that he is dangerous. When a president shows such disdain for the legislative process, unilaterally imposes regulations and decides on his own not to enforce laws that he has sworn to uphold, he should not be sitting in the Oval Office. The danger of a second term (when Obama will have "more flexibility") is that it will result in not only further damage to the economy but also to our constitutional form of government.
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