Hamilton, Madison, and Jay spinning in their graves tonight!

[ddeclue]

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

Just hook their spinning corpses up to generators and our energy crisis is over.



http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2008/09/20/treasurys-financial-bailout-proposal-to-congress/

Bush's new "bail out plan" includes this insane little clause which I just couldn't believe when I heard about it:

"Sec. 8. Review.

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."


I'm sorry but do they really think we are this STUPID?

Article I Section 8 of the Constitution grants CONGRESS the power to borrow money on the credit of the United States and the power to lay and collect taxes and to coin money.

NOWHERE in Article II Section 2 is the President granted any such control over the finances of the United States government.

If Secretary Paulson decided he wanted to spend the money on a war, well that's too bad under this new legislation - can't review it, can't investigate it, can't challenge it in court!!!

If he wanted to hand it out to his friends in duffel bags, ALSO OK...can't do anything about it.

What the Bush Administration wants is a 1 TRILLION DOLLAR slush fund with no accountability and no oversight presumably to be spent in the next 4 months before he leaves office.

The Founders are spinning in their graves! Even if you ARE a normal Republican, this HAS to be the "jump the shark" moment when you realize that these people are betraying YOUR ideals of small government and YOUR belief in the "original intent" of the Founding Fathers!

The Founders very clearly intended a far weaker Executive than George W. Bush and his friends want - just read the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution or read Federalist #69. They would have been horrified by what has happened thus far.

Messrs Hamilton, Jay and Madison must be spinning in their graves with flames coming out of their skulls right now at the notion of Congress even considering giving the Executive Branch sole discretion without any review whatsoever of a 1 TRILLION dollar slush fund.

The Constitution gives Congress the power to organize the Executive Branch as it sees fit and to make such laws as it sees fit for the good of the nation under the "Elastic Clause". That includes the power of inquiry and investigation and oversight.

This whole financial mess is the result of a LACK of regulatory oversight by the Executive Branch over the markets in the first place! Why in the world should we trust the Executive Branch to do the right thing with one TRILLION dollars?

The LAST time we had a scandal this bad it was under the HARDING administration with the Teapot Dome scandal where the Supreme Court UPHELD Congress' oversight role as "essential and appropriate"

Indeed the Supreme Court has repeated upheld Congress' oversight powers as legitimately required by their legislative duties, i.e. in order to grant consent to laws, that consent must be informed by the facts:

http://www.oyez.org/cases/1901-1939/1924/1924_28/

http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30240.pdf

McGrain v. Daugherty, 273 U.S. 135, 177, and 181-182 (1927):
Congress, investigating the administration of the Department of Justice during the Teapot Dome scandal, was considering a subject “on which legislation could be had or would be materially aided by the information which the investigation was calculated to elicit.” The “potential” for
legislation was sufficient. The majority added, “We are of opinion that the power of inquiry — with the process to enforce it — is an essential and appropriate auxiliary to the legislative function.”

Eastland v. United States Servicemen’s Fund, 421 U.S. 491, 509 (1975):
Expanding on its holding in McGrain, the Court declared, “To be a valid legislative inquiry there need be no predictable end result.”


If Congress caves and gives Bush and Company a blank check here with no oversight it will literally be a Constitutional armageddon on top of the financial one as Bush will have been given a totally free hand with a huge sum of cash equal to twice the annual Defense Department budget that he can spend any way he sees fit.

Impeach Bush now - we can't wait another 4 months!

Doug D.
NOT an attorney, just another concerned citizen!
Orlando, FL

[pokerfan]

1. "It would be easier if I was Dictator."

-Bush (CNN, December 18, 2000)



So this is the way liberty dies...

[gordianot]

2. I was thinking along the same lines today.

Maybe Hamilton would challenge Bush to a duel if he could.