Myers: When will our constitution be protected?
According to our constitution, congress passes laws and the president is empowered to enforce them. During the last five years, that has not always been the case. The latest examples of the president legislating rather than enforcing the law concerns Obamacare.
Remember, this was the law that no one in congress read before it was passed without a single vote from any Republican in either the House or Senate. Since its rollout on Oct. 1 we have seen how inept this administration is. The administration had over three years for preparation and almost a billion dollars to implement it. I doubt that Amazon or any other large Internet company had that amount of money to implement a program.
This law was supposed to be cheaper than the current system, personnel with pre-existing medical problems could not be denied insurance, and those who liked their current policies and doctors could keep them. What was not to like about that? Unfortunately, we have since learned that with the exception of pre-existing medical problems all of the other promises were lies and those lies were known for years.
In order to save some face, the president has delayed the implementation of mandatory insurance requirements by companies for a year. Some unions also have been exempted. Delays in other parts of the law have also been implemented by the president. Since when does the president have the power and authority to change a law? Only congress has the power and authority to write the laws.
Sadly, this law is so vague and all encompassing that unelected bureaucrats in Washington will have a ball writing the regulations to enforce it while defining exactly what certain parts mean. We have already suffered under this with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and what it has done to restrict industry and private individuals.
No other country in the history of the world has been able to achieve so much in such a short period of time as the United States of America. We challenged and defeated the most powerful country in the world when we won our independence from England. We challenged and defeated this same country during the War of 1812. Any country throughout history that had the power to rule the world, did just that- IT RULED. The United States is the only exception. Our constitution is what makes the difference. It limits the power of government and frees individuals to become all that they are capable of becoming.
The checks and balances in that constitution have stood the test of time, but it is under attack now. A divided government is not necessarily bad. It prevents one party from being dictatorial. Our senate took a step to hinder that when it changed the rule to prevent the minority from filibustering and requiring a 60 member vote to break it. Now a mere majority is needed to push through a contentious issue. The minority has been seriously handicapped by this change. Executive Orders by the president have been used in an effort to get around congress and it has been quite successful in doing so.
Each of these actions are weakening the constitution. Our constitution is what makes this country so different. When Ben Franklin was asked, “What type of government did you give us?” He responded, ” a republic if you can keep it.” Our founding fathers did not want a strictly democratic government because the majority could become dictatorial. The representative republic allowed for the three parts of the government to be wary of each other and prevent one from becoming too powerful. That republic is under attack and must be protected.
Donald J. Myers a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a regular columnist for Hernando Today. He lives in Spring Hill and can be contacted at [email protected].
