20200106

If you're bitching about the broad, 'unitary' power of the Executive, blame Congress

Gene Healy (same guy who I used to read in Liberty? yep) in Reason:

"the more fundamental problem is the office, not the man. The presidency has grown far too powerful to entrust to any one fallible human. Will the current impeachment drive do anything about that?"

The unitary executive has grown excessively powerful because Congress has passed legislation that hands that power to the Executive.  Congress should not bitch when that power is abused.  Write legislation that the President can execute.  By the way, do we yet have a Federal budget for FY2020? (Continuing resolutions do not count)

And be prepared to argue that legislation's Constitutionality when the Executive asserts its own power to decide what is Constitutional and what isn't, what is discretionary for the Executive and what isn't.

In the same article, he praises Nixon-era Congressional reforms that would limit future Presidents, including (ahem) "the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."

Wonder what Mr Healy thinks about FISA abuses, or whether he sees them as, in fact, abuses? 

No comments: