Help...You guys

[busterbrown]

My brother just told me tonight by phone that Obama can over ride the house and just order the Treasury to pay our bills... Is this correct?

Thanks

[csziggy]

1. Apparently there are various ways that Obama could take Congress out of the loop

I don't understand any of them but it's been discussed before. Here is one article about the ways:

3 ways Obama could bypass Congress
By Jack M. Balkin, Special to CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/07/28/balkin.obama.options/index.html

[busterbrown]

2. Are these a viable solution? n/t

[csziggy]

7. I have no clue - I am ignorant about economic issues

I've listened to some of the discussions and read some of the articles. The information might as well be in Sanskrit for all I get out of it.

I hope Congress does not push it to the point of destroying the American and the world economies but with the batch of morons in the House, who knows. If they do not raise the debt limit, on one level I hope there is a way that Obama can do something - but I am afraid that will lead to a Constitutional crisis and attempts at impeachment. Either of those could push the country to the brink of destruction.

I just don't understand what the crazies in the House think they will achieve by this.

[Paulie]

3. No he can't

All government funding must come from the house. That's its job.

The treasury already has been doing bookkeeping tricks to slow hitting the debt ceiling. Those accounting tricks run out in 3 weeks.

Tuesday is the new fiscal year for the government. Without the appropriations there is no money to use. It's like having an empty bank account

[Loudly]

4. There is an argument on the basis of Section 4 of the 14th Amendment.

But I see a problem of "questioning" the public debt as an act of insurrection.

It would come right up against the First Amendment protecting freedom of speech.

This cunondrum has kept rational minds in control of the Congress for decades.

All bets are off now. The First meets the Fourteenth.

[Oakenshield]

8. That would take some serious fire to call it insurrection.

Not sure that's the kind of fire our President possesses. I'd be thrilled to be proven wrong, but we'll see.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. There seems to be a provision somewhere in the Constitution, perhaps the 14th Amendment that

gives the power of the president to circumvent the Congress and ensure "full faith and credit," but I didn't do well in my constitutional law classes. I'm hearing rumbling about this, though. If Congress doesn't carry out its constitutional duty, there has to be some kind of "check" on its power, I'm sure. What about the courts? Someone has to make Congress do something, no?

[elleng]

5. May be thinking of what post # 4, Loudly, refers to, 14th Amd.

[Nye Bevan]

6. I hope he does, if it comes to the crunch (nt)

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

9. My friend who works for the Fed said that there is indeed a constitutional way for him

to do that. Some believe that this will likely open the door for the Republicans to see impeachment. Whatever.