Friggen' Socialist

[Pilgrim]

"... All the libertarian handbooks seem to make it sound "real easy" to get rid of departments and agencies, but if that were really the case we would have seen them being jettisoned by various presidents over the years - and that definitely hasn't happened."

Playing fast and loose with the word "definitely" aren't you?

Possibly - but the context of the sentence implies a certain level of frequency. But put another way, how many times - since say, WW2 - has a POTUS eliminated a cabinet level agency with an executive order, over the objections of congress?

 

[Pilgrim]

The government is the size it is and has abused its power and violated the constitution for one reason: that's how they want it. Washington is the way it is because that's how both parties want it. Neither party wants to decrease their power or the scope of government. No, no president in my lifetime would have abolished anything, even if there were a flashing red button in the oval office that would do it in one fell swoop.


You know the problem with bad cops? They make the other 5% look bad.

Agreed - 100%. The US Govt is a self-perpetuating behemoth that feeds itself in spite of the efforts of a few that might want to control it. The problem we fact today is that Barack Hussein Obama wants to feed it even more of our tax dollars and borrowed money to give it more control over our lives.

 

[Turtle]

"... All the libertarian handbooks seem to make it sound "real easy" to get rid of departments and agencies, but if that were really the case we would have seen them being jettisoned by various presidents over the years - and that definitely hasn't happened."

Possibly - but the context of the sentence implies a certain level of frequency. But put another way, how many times - since say, WW2 - has a POTUS eliminated a cabinet level agency with an executive order, over the objections of congress?

Over the objections of Congress? None. That's never happened, before or since WWII. It likely never will. All such executive orders have been with the cooperation of Congress, with the exception of a couple of them from Kennedy (which is probably why he was assassinated) that were quickly reversed. Most end up just being reorganized and shuffled around into other departments.

We've grown from six Cabinets to sixteen Cabinets, plus another nine Cabinet-Level departments. It's ridiculous.

I never said getting is done would be easy, but issuing the order certainly is. And issuing such an order over the objections of Congress would either eliminate the possibility of getting re-elected, or ensure it.

 

[AMonger]

Agreed - 100%. The US Govt is a self-perpetuating behemoth that feeds itself in spite of the efforts of a few that might want to control it. The problem we fact today is that Barack Hussein Obama wants to feed it even more of our tax dollars and borrowed money to give it more control over our lives.

Yes, now we have to pay interest on the money we borrow to pay the interest on the money we owe, "and the **** fool wants to push on," but we're already up to our nose, not our waist.