Once, Presidents Were Honorable

Today marks Presidents Day.  We celebrate those brave men (so far) who oversaw our country in good times and bad.  Presidents used to be honorable people who strived to put the good of the country first. None was perfect.  For the most part, however, we felt that our leaders had good intentions.  Not so today.  For the first time in  our history we have a President whose actions seem less than honorable and less than patriotic.  Yes, I’ll say that – unpatriotic. Barack Obama has thumbed his nose at The Constitution, the separation of powers, working with Congress and acting as a true leader.  After all, he told us he has a pen and a phone.  His entire administration follows his corrupt lead.  On Friday evening, Megyn Kelly’s show focused on the abuses of power Barack Obama has committed while in office.  Her guest, Judge Andrew Napolitano, stated that the only recourse at this point is impeachment.  I’m starting to agree with him.

Following is an article from The Heritage Foundation.  It should not only alarm you but have you thinking the “I” word as well.  7 Times Obama Ignored The Law To Impose His Executive Will

President Obama—the imperial President, the “I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone” President who can’t wait to show us his “year of action”—once vowed to do exactly the opposite.

“The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m President of the United States of America“.

That was candidate Obama back in 2008. This comment somehow slipped under the radar for the past few years and resurfaced this week.

Proving the absurdity of this campaign promise, Heritage’s legal experts have put together a list of seven illegal actions the Obama Administration has taken in the President’s unilateral drive for executive power.

If it seems like there should be more than seven, you’re on to something. It’s more complicated than you think to tell what’s illegal or unconstitutional when it comes to presidential power. Heritage’s Elizabeth Slattery and Andrew Kloster explain:

While it might not be possible to define in all instances precisely when an action crosses the line and falls outside the scope of the President’s statutory or constitutional authority, what follows is a list of unilateral actions taken by the Obama Administration that we think do cross that line.

1. Delaying Obamacare’s employer mandate

The Administration announced that Obamacare won’t be implemented as it was passed, so employers with 50 or more employees don’t have to provide the mandated health coverage for at least another year (and longer if they play their cards right). Slattery and Kloster observe that “The law does not authorize the President to push back the employer mandate’s effective date.”

2. Giving Congress and their staffs special taxpayer-funded subsidies for Obamacare

It was uncomfortable for Members of Congress when they realized that, through Obamacare, they had kicked themselves and their staffs out of the taxpayer-funded subsidies they were enjoying for health coverage. But the Administration said no problem and gave them new subsidies. In this case, “the Administration opted to stretch the law to save Obamacare—at the taxpayers’ expense.”

3. Trying to fulfill the “If you like your plan, you can keep it” promise—after it was broken

When Americans started getting cancellation notices from their insurance companies because Obamacare’s new rules were kicking in, the President’s broken promise was exposed. He tried to fix things by telling insurance companies to go back to old plans that don’t comply with Obamacare—just for one year. Slattery and Kloster note that “The letter announcing this non-enforcement has no basis in law.”

4. Preventing layoff notices from going out just days before the 2012 election

There’s a law that says large employers have to give employees 60 days’ notice before mass layoffs. And layoffs were looming due to federal budget cuts in 2012. But the Obama Administration told employers to go against the law and not issue those notices—which would have hit mailboxes just days before the presidential election. The Administration “also offered to reimburse those employers at the taxpayers’ expense if challenged for failure to give that notice.”

5. Gutting the work requirement from welfare reform

The welfare reform that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1996 required that welfare recipients in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program work or prepare for work to receive the aid. The Obama Administration essentially took out that requirement by offering waivers to states, even though the law expressly states that waivers of the work requirement are not allowed. “Despite [the law’s] unambiguous language, the Obama Administration continues to flout the law with its ‘revisionist’ interpretation,” write Slattery and Kloster.

6. Stonewalling an application for storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain

This was another case where the Administration simply refused to do what was required by law. An application was submitted for nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain, but “Despite the legal requirement, the Obama Administration refused to consider the application.”

7. Making “recess” appointments that were not really recess appointments

Slattery and Kloster explain that “In January 2012, President Obama made four ‘recess’ appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, claiming that, since the Senate was conducting only periodic pro forma sessions, it was not available to confirm those appointees.” The catch: The Senate wasn’t in recess at the time. Courts have since struck down the appointments, but the illegitimate appointees already moved forward some harmful policies.

MORE: Slattery and Kloster list even more actions that, while they might not be illegal, are definitely abuses of executive power. That list includes imposing new immigration law by executive fiat and refusing to enforce more than one federal law.

Sheila Jackson Lee:  Writing Executive Orders for Obama to Sign ‘Our Number One Agenda’  

Culture of Corruption Postscript:  The Hilda Solis Files

Treasury:  Employers Must ‘Self-Attest’ That ObamaCare Not Behind Staffing Decisions

God Bless America – Pass This On!!

The New Normal?

ALOHA, ALL!!

I’m in Boston right now and of course the news is focused on the bomb threats at Harvard.  Both local and national media are covering this heavily….mostly because it’s Boston and it’s another bomb threat.  But what’s interesting is that as they show students and people on the Harvard campus walking by the TV cameras and carrying on their daily lives, they seemed unconcerned.  In fact, it’s been reported that Harvard students cheered when they were told finals were cancelled for the day.  Cheered?  There’s a bomb threat yet they cheer because college tests are avoided?  Welcome to the new ‘normal.’  Welcome to a world where all that’s paramount is short-term gratification.  It’s a world that most young people – thanks to my ‘Baby Boomer’ generation – only care about what might happen in the next nano-second with no concern for the long term.  A truly abnormal normal.

Harvard Students Applaud Bomb Threat After Final Exams Canceled  To fix this, Heritage has suggested a tax credit or tax deduction that would be the same for everyone. This would help offset the cost of insurance, making it more affordable.

Harvard Bomb Scare Forces Evacuations, Halts Final Exams

The Harvard Crimson has updates on Twitter and its Website

OTHER NEWS:

How to Help Uninsured Americans  To fix this, Heritage has suggested a tax credit or tax deduction that would be the same for everyone. This would help offset the cost of insurance, making it more affordable.

Why Hasn’t Jane Fonda’s $800G Charity Made Any Gifts Since 2006?  Bah Humbug, Hanoi Jane.

IRS Targeting, Round Two  The administration claims this rule is needed to clarify confusing tax laws. Hardly. The rule is the IRS’s new targeting program—only this time systematic, more effective, and with the force of law.  Yeah….those Tea Party groups need more regs but you go, Jane Fonda!!

LOL!  ANC Hires Garrett Morris as Sign Language Interpreter  A White House official applauded the move, saying HHS was looking into hiring Morris as the official sign language interpreter for videos found on the website Healthcare.gov.

Biden Gropes for Way to Knock ObamaCare Off Front Pages  Unfortunately for Biden and the O team, Biden’s latest headline-grabbing antic, no doubt choreographed to drive the ObamaCare news off the front pages, appears to involve grabbing of more than just news headlines.  YIKES!!!!

He’s just a ‘folksy’ kinda guy…..

Watch this when you get the time.  Mike Lee is brilliant.

Carl Adds:

GOD BLESS AMERICA – PASS THIS ON!!!