President Bush, Barack Obama and John McCain, the two major party candidates hoping to replace him, all made statements today. The topic was, basically how to get the Bush Bernanke and Paulson Plan passed with the least inconvenience--to the politicians.
Altogether, the three leaders made four statements.([link edited for length] All of the statements had to do with a meeting at the White House between leaders of the Administration and the leaders of the two parties in Congress and the candidates of the two parties for President.
The first statement to be considered is the joint statement of the McCain and Obama campaigns. This statement says:
"The American people are facing a moment of ...crisis...Now is the time to come together for the sake of the American people....This is the time to rise above politics for the good of the country."
All of this is just what we have come to expect from a pair of American politicians. But neither Senator McCain nor Senator Obama was willing to rise above politics for the good of the country without getting in a few political pokes.
The second statement to look at is that of Senator McCain. Faced with a peremptory demand from the President that the Congress should turn over its constitutional power to appropiate money from the Treasury to the Executive branch, Senator McCain protested--against being asked questions at a debate between the major parties' candidates for the Presidency.
In justice to Senator McCain-- who, along with Senator Obama, has resisted doing the legislative job he receives a salary to perform--it is true that it silly to leave an important debate about the future of the Republic in order to fly to Mississippi and engage in a meaningless campaign ritual.
But the Senator spoils his chance to pose as a responsible legislator by saying that he hopes to have passage of the President's proposal before the markets open on Monday. The Congress has the legislative power under the Constitution. It also has the Constitutional power to decide on war and peace and the power to spend money and borrow money. The Congress has already given up the war-making power by using resolutions authorizing the President to do whatever he thinks is necessary. Now the President has asked for a blank check in lieu of appropriations for a specific purpose, and Senator McCain wants the thing passed by Monday. How can he be elected President if he regards the obligations of his current position and his constitutional duties with such contempt?
Senator Obama's statement is even worse. He supports holding the debate because "It's my belief the American people must hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess."
Somebody needs to provide Senator Obama with either a calendar or a copy of the Consitution. It is true that in approximately forty days the voters will choose their electors. But the vote for President by the electors will not take place until December. The new President will take office on January 20 of next year. That means that the candidate chosen will not become "reponsible for dealing with this mess" for approximately 118 days. In any case, neither under the constitution nor in the President's proposed program is the President in charge of dealing with the crisis.
President Bush made his call for action before the American people last night([link edited for length]). The emphasis, as might be expected, was on the need for immediate action and the implication that taking the time to investigate the problem on the proposed solution is almost treason to the American people.
As President Bush and both Senators McCain and Obama say, the economy is in dire straits and there is danger of a collapse of the financial system of the United States. But, as pointed out in my article on Tuesday( "ABill to abolish the Constitution") , this crisis was predictable, preventable and created by the deliberate policies of the Clinton and Bush Administrations and the Federal Reserve Board.
Since the crisis was manufactured by government policy, and since the bubbles created by those policies HAD to end in a crash, and the crash would necessarily be more damaging the longer the bubble was allowed to exist, to pretend that action must be taken THIS WEEK to resolve the crisis is not just disingenuous, it is an outright lie. The administration is trying to panic the Congress of the United States into passing, and the American people into accepting this Law:([link edited for length])
Note that the bill gives unlimited authority to borrow and spend. There is no indication that the Congress will be privy to the plans to spend nearly a billion dollars. There is no requirement that the Congress even be informed about the money spend before three months have passed. The Congress is being asked to sign a blank check.
President Bush has issued his orders. Senators Obama and McCain are prepared to roll over and obey. Ron Paul, during his presidential campaign, told voters "I say it is not time to roll over but to stand up and resist." He needs to say this now to every member of the House of Representatives, individually where possible, and from the floor of the House.
One would have hoped that Senator Obama or Senator McCain or both would undertake this job in the Senate.
But every citizen who does not want to see this unconstitutional law passed, who does not want to see the Congress sell his children and grandchildren into debt slavery to prop up a broken system, is represented by one Member of the House and two Senators. Get on e-mail, get on the telephone, tell your representatives to do their duty under the constitution
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Published: Thursday, September 25, 2008
Last modified: Thursday, September 25, 2008
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