there is a reason that the first article of the Constitution is called the Legislative Article, found just after the preamble, and before the article addressing the office of the presidency. it clearly discusses the rights awarded and forbidden to the congress (which includes both the senate and the house of representatives). it is to make sure that this legislative body can keep the executive office (or the president and vice president) in CHECK, and not allow the BALANCE of our system to falter.
from page 27 of my history book "government by the people" 2001-2002 edition (Burns is the first wuthor) in order for our system of checks and balances to work, James Madison wrote in the Federalist NO. 51 that "the great security against a GRADUAL concentration of the several powers in the same department consists in giving to those that administer each department the necessary constitional means an d personal motives to resist encroachment of the others... ambition must be made to counteract ambition"
what this says to me is that every single member of congress who voted to allow president bush to have so many POWERS entruste solely to his opinion must be kicked out of office in November, for i can truly say that the only motivation the members of OUR congress seem to respond to is the ambition of reelection
18:45- i want to add a link to The Goldwater Girl. Sen. Clinton also proves the point that it is "ambition (that) must...couteract ambition", as Sullivan points out after this speech...though i must say, hillary had not much impressed me up to this point, but she is showing her knowledge of history and intentions as a lawmaker
1 comment:
Shalom Molly,
That's true. You're absolutely right. There is a good reason to hold onto those old textbooks.
B'shalom,
Jeff
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