From: mobej@thaad-1g%hac2arpa.hac.com (Mario Obejas)
Newsgroups: alt.politics.elections
Subject: Re: Why we should blame Democrats...
Date: 15 Sep 92 00:40:38 GMT
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joec@fid.morgan.com (Joe Collins) writes:
: While I am not sure if I will vote for Bush/Quayle, I will certainly
: NOT VOTE FOR CLINTON/GORE. I happen to like Bill Clinton as a person
: but the Democrats have wreaked financial havoc with our lives and those
: of our children.
: 
: For 50 of the last 60 years, the Democrats have controlled the Senate.
: For 56 of the last 60 years, the Democrats have controlled the House
:  of Representatives.

: Excerpts from the Constitution of the United States:
: 
: Article 7, section 7.1:
:  "1. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of 
:   Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments
:   as on other bills."
: Article 8:
:  "The Congress shall have the power 1. to lay and collect taxes, duties,
:   imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common
:   defence and general welfare of the United States"

Good. I hope that all aerospace and defense workers will credit the Congress -
not Reagan/Bush - for the defense buildup of the early 1980's. You can't have
the credit without the blame.

: Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the President has the authority
: to spend money, borrow money or raise taxes.

He certainly can open his mouth and mobilize the country with a vision:
1. Let's go to War - Roosevelt
2. Let's go to the Moon - Kennedy
3. Let's bring the troops home - Tricky Dick
4. Let's put ideologues onto the federal bench - Reagan

: So we cannot fully blame the President for the deficit (except perhaps for his
: lack of powers of persuasion on the tax/spend Congress). 

He's a player and quite an effective one. Last count Mr. Bush had 31 vetoes;
not one was overridden. "What can I do? I'm just the President". I don't want
four more years of whining about how rough it is to have Congress go along with
his programs. Reagan also had a very large number of vetoes. I think only two
were overridden. 

Two ways to look at it:
a. The president is powerless, exempt from the gore and the glory. 
b. The president is powerful, subject to blame and laurels. 

I subscribe to (b) - if you can't do the job, get out of the way and let
someone elese take it.

There are people at my work that I HAVE to work with. I don't like their
direction or vision. But here I am and I contribute. If I had the power of the
veto over management policies ....

: Why don't we have term limits for Congressmen/women?

Get active. In California, Pete Schabarum will be backing an initiative to
limit the State's 2 U.S. Senators to 12 years and Congressmen to 6 years.
Personally I think he should have m,ade it 12 each but I'll still vote for it. 
Pete Schabarum is the guy who wrote Prop 140, which limits terms of the
governor, state assembly and state senate. You have to start somewhere.
Quit asking why - DO SOMETHING MAN! Contribute, write letters, get active. Or
is it that things aren't bad enough?

: Why don't we have Initiative, Referundum and Recall for Congressman/woman?

Because we have a chance to throw the bums out every four years but we give
them a sterling 96% approval rating intstead. It's always someone else's
representative that's the bad guy.

: But we KNOW what the Democratic-controlled Congress has done, a HUGE deficit
: and a scandal-ridden embrassement (Post Office, Kiting Checks, etc)

All the laws are approved by the president - an equal partner in government.

: I like what Thomas Jefferson once said, best of all:
:     "That government is best which governs least"
: 
: I may very well vote Libertarian since that appears to be their motto.

Good. At least vote.

--
Mario Obejas    mobej@thaad-1g.hac.com    (714) 732 2954
                mobej@thaad-1g@hac2arpa.hac.com   if the above doesn't work
Hughes Aircraft 676/Z341, P.O. Box 3310, Fullerton, CA 92634
ex-THAAD sysadmin: will work for food or Internet address
Disclaimer: my opinions are mine, not necessarily my employer's.
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