2014-02-13

Authoritarian America: Obama Breaches The Separation of Powers

President Obama has set the authoritarian precedent with his use of executive power, namely the use of executive orders to change laws such as Obamacare. He has set a precedent that could allow a future president to change any law because the next president always can find wiggle room to stretch the law.


TURLEY: Well, you know, a system in which a single individual is allowed to rewrite legislation or ignore legislation is a system that borders on authoritarianism. I don't believe that we are that system yet. But we cannot ignore that we're beginning to ignore a system that is a pretense of democracy if a president is allowed to take a law and just simply say, 'I'm going to ignore this,' or, 'I'm going to shift funds that weren't appropriated by Congress into this area.'

The president's State of the Union indicated this type of unilateralism that he has adopted as a policy. Now, many people view that as somehow empowering. In my view, it's dangerous, that is what he is suggesting is to essentially put our system off line. This is not the first time that convenience has become the enemy of principle. But we've never seen it to this extent.
Authoritarianism is coming, though what that authoritarian president does with the power depends on who wields it. It could be used to build up a dictatorial state, but it could also be used to tear down the state.

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