Tuesday, January 28, 2014

What are executive orders?

Executive orders:

Conservative: A power the president has to take care of emergencies during times when Congress is not in session. 

Liberals: Powers given to the president so, if he doesn't like something, can just "fix" it. But there is no such power granted to the president by the Constitution, and executive orders are not a way for the president to get around the Constitution. Elected officials come and go, but the Constitution does not change. The president cannot just write a law that says, "I don't like the 2nd Amendment, so I'm gong to make my own law saying you can't have guns, and if you own a gun you must hand it in." Executive order does not give the president the authority to break the law. If that were the case the president would be a dictator. For a president to overrule the law by using executive powers, is an admittance that you don't have the votes to get a law passed. The president cannot make laws, he can only recommend laws and push for them. Of course judges aren't supposed to make laws either, and they certainly do.

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