Thursday, January 28, 2010

Obama Spits in the Face of Separation of Powers

As I alluded to yesterday, I thought president Obama might show his philosophical (please note the qualifier) color again during his state of the union address. Let me qualify right now that I’m not advocating whether the high Courts’ decision last week was good, bad or anything in between. It’s not the point here. What does concern me is the president, using his platform to publicly admonish any of his counter-parts in our governments system of separation of powers. His flagrant disrespect for our system of checks and balance is disturbing. His opinion that the ruling handed down was not a good one is fine, but he acts like the process is wrong and if he had his way it would be reversed immediately: contrary to the whole system the USA was founded on.

It reminds me of another controversial decision the Supreme Court made in 1973, Roe vs Wade. President Nixon in his state of the union address did not bring up the subject in anyway, though history shows he had strong feelings the Court made a bad decision. Nixon showed respect for our system, though he disagreed with the direction taken at the time as the Courts supported legal abortions.

Our founding fathers found it extremely necessary to make sure the people would have protection from someone having extended privilege of power that would undermine our republic. They knew it would not be an easy task and at times make progress messy and slow but knew the mechanics of our type of system was essential to keep our personal liberties. Note James Madison on the subject. 

But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defense must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. (Emphasis added)
The Federalist Papers - # 51, James Madison - Friday, February 8, 1788

In my opinion president Obama showed his progressive, anti-American philosophy much like a spoiled brat would stamp his foot and fold his arms in defiance to his parents’ refusal in allowing him to write the check for any toy he wanted in the store. There are ways to get what makes sense other than spitting in your parents face even if the toy was for them.

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