Time to permanently declaw the Presidency?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely- damned straight.

I've always wondered why the hell it was set up so as to give one individual such limitless power to do what they please, when they please to do it. To me it's never made much sense to divide the governmental functions into three distinct parts, then give that third arm, the President, the means to toss monkey wrenches into the works any time he gets a wild hair.

It's time to straighten things out- we need to redesign the entire government. We need to remove the inherent power of dictatorship- not only from the Presidency, but also from the rest of them.

I have no idea HOW it should be arranged, but don't you think it's time it was taken care of? Put the power of the government back into the People's hands, where it belongs? I believe it's time to:

-Get rid of the power to pardon.
-Get rid of the veto.
-Get rid of executive privilege.
-Get rid of the power to hop into Air Force One at any time, for any reason.
-Get rid of unending vacations.

-to name just a few little things...

Hey, I know it's a pipe dream. But still, 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd...

[Demeter]

1. Very Interesting Limitations You Propose

I'd hate to think that presidents had to be treated like teenage deliquents...but maybe it's a sign of the times.

[BlooInBloo]

2. Sheesh. No...

... Possibly I could be convinced to attenuate the pardon power a bit - along the lines of requiring advice and consent of the Senate. The rest is silly.

The problem is that we have a mean, bigoted, stupid electorate. Democracy is NOT idiot-proof - though the founding fathers tried their damndest to make it so.

[Q3JR4]

3. Why not just amend the constitution

to give the electorate the power, if enough of them choose to wield it, to veto congressional legislation, overturn presidential orders, and remove elected and appointed officials in the federal government (presidents, congresspersons, and judges) from power? You allow this power not to be used through the various state legislatures, but through direct vote of the electorate.

It might also have the added benefit of giving Americans an incentive to vote in an election or simply in an advisory capacity and would remove the holier-than-though-because-I'm-here-and-you're-stuck-with-me-until-next-election attitude most congresspeople start to develop after a time.

[Selatius]

5. You're talking about the same thing Mike Gravel talks about with his "National Initiative" proposal

I dunno the exact details of Gravel's proposals, but the model that comes up in my mind is the Swiss system. There, the people have the collective power to call a referendum on an act of the legislature, the power to recall legislators, and the power to pass laws directly through the initiative process. All of this is done through standardized petitions, usually requiring X percentage of the number of people who voted in the last election cycle or X percentage of eligible voters.

[Q3JR4]

6. Sounds like it,

and I've never heard of Mike Gravel.

I doubt anything like it would be implimented in the U.S. After all a constitutional amendment starts with congress and the very fact that such an amendment would shift power from all three branches of government could be enough to kill such a proposal.

[regnaD kciN]

7. As you say, I think most of these could be more easily solved...

...by amending the Constitution to allow for recall elections for the President and Congress, as they have in some states.

I'd also be in favor of an amendment to change the Supreme Court from lifetime appointments to 18-year terms, with a new appointment every two years (this time period would prevent any one President, even serving two terms, to appoint a majority of the Court, but would mean that we'd be eventually rid of even the biggest ideologues, and assured that the makeup of the court would be changing on a regular basis).

[MonkeyFunk]

4. No

The pardon power should be curtailed a bit, but not eliminated.

Vetos are important.
executive privilege is real, and when not abused, is a fine concept.
Nah, let the President have a plane. That's just petty.
Vacations? You gonna force the President to work? Can't be done.