Article here.
This article gives a good history lesson on the formation of the executive branch, as well as some interesting ideas for reigning in a branch of our government that has gone berserk.
Among all the solutions that were offered, I think the best and most interesting one was a complete rewrite of Article II in which the president's powers are clearly spelled out instead of just offering a grant of vague executive authority. As the article mentions, the presidency in its current form exists largely outside the Constitution in that whatever isn't specifically prohibited, Presidents seem to assume they can do. This is the sort of thing that leads presidents to say they can torture and wiretap people in defiance of the law, that they can attach signing statements saying they refuse to follow the laws they are signing, etc.
I'm just wondering what other people think, specifically since executive power has recently changed hands. I personally think Obama will turn out to be a pretty decent president, but I also think that no man should have this much unchecked power. How long can it be until we're saddled with another Bush who makes things even worse?
This article gives a good history lesson on the formation of the executive branch, as well as some interesting ideas for reigning in a branch of our government that has gone berserk.
Among all the solutions that were offered, I think the best and most interesting one was a complete rewrite of Article II in which the president's powers are clearly spelled out instead of just offering a grant of vague executive authority. As the article mentions, the presidency in its current form exists largely outside the Constitution in that whatever isn't specifically prohibited, Presidents seem to assume they can do. This is the sort of thing that leads presidents to say they can torture and wiretap people in defiance of the law, that they can attach signing statements saying they refuse to follow the laws they are signing, etc.
I'm just wondering what other people think, specifically since executive power has recently changed hands. I personally think Obama will turn out to be a pretty decent president, but I also think that no man should have this much unchecked power. How long can it be until we're saddled with another Bush who makes things even worse?