By Adrian Murray
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas For at least the 3rd time in his presidency Obama has taken the position that if he doesnt agree with existing laws he can just ignore them. Without getting into the finer points of whether the Obama
Administrations Immigration Policy announced last Friday - cynically calculated political ploy that it was - is better or worse than the currently undefined Republican plan
what is especially concerning about this latest development from this rogue administration is the spectre of Obamas dislike like of - if not utter disdain for - the rule of law.
As John Adams wrote We are a nation of laws not men. The Obama administration seems to be of the belief that we are a nation of whims not laws.
If one does not agree with a particular law there are proper remedies in our system of government to change a law to ones liking - or at least there was.
The first time the President didnt agree with existing laws and simply ignored them was the Philadelphia voter intimidation case in which thugs from the New Black Panthers wielded clubs at a voting location in November 2008. The Obama Justice Departmant decided that was perfectly okay and dropped any charges.
The second instance was the administrations unilateral decision not to enforce certain provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act. If youre of the opinion that the federal government has no business determining which consenting adults can and cannot get married (which it doesnt) the proper remedy is to petition a change in the law. Obama simply chose to ignore it.
This 3rd and latest instance once again demonstrates Obamas total disdain for existing law.
The immigration statues that are in the United States Code are the law of the land. Obama simply has no authority to ignore existing law or
create his own. And yet he has done just that.
If the President of the United States can by his own volition pick and choose which laws he will observe and which he will not is he not then practicing dictatorial powers? Our system of government was intended to restrain such an abuse of power not protect it.
One would think that if nothing else this would awaken the gutless wonders in leadership on the right. Unfortunately so far the silence of the lambs has been deafening
Rule by decree is the most undemocratic of governmental systems. We do not elect our presidents to create our laws. There is no Constitutional basis for a president to do so. We elect our presidents to uphold the law and protect the Constitution.
At least thats how it used to work before we became a nation of wimps not laws.
The giant is awake. Welcome to the revolution.
Adrian J. Murray is president of Painless Performance Products in Fort Worth Texas and past President of the Fort Worth 9-12 Project.
