For being a former lecturer on Constitutional Law, the President seems to have a fairly precarious understanding of the separation of powers. Of course, this is assuming he concerns himself with the Constitution outside of political considerations. After his move to unilaterally delay aspects of Obamacare, and his extensive use of executive orders, the President is now considering adopting the powers of Congress in financial affairs. The wannabe-Emperor-Obama has decided that his executive branch alone (one of three total branches of government) might be able to increase taxes on all cell phone customers and use the money to build a “whole new educational ecosystem.”
The objectively odd use of the word “ecosystem” aside, the President’s plan would increase taxes on cell phone users, and allocate the revenue to building a high speed internet based educational tool for “99 percent” of school districts. (The 1 percent always get the shaft when it comes to government handouts. . . Unless it’s green energy subsidies.) The best part? Obama is quoted in the Washington Post as saying “We can do this without Congress.”
Right. Because that whole “separation of powers” concept was just a design flaw in our foundational document. . . Not the intent.
According to the Post:
“The effort would cost billions of dollars, and Obama wants to pay for it by raising fees for mobile-phone users. Doing that relies on the Federal Communications Commission [FCC], an independent agency that has the power to approve or reject the plan.”
The educational system would be authorized as an effort to equip school districts throughout the nation with high speed internet connections for online text books, learning plans, and tests. I guess the NSA wasn’t learning enough about our children through Facebook and common-core.
The Post went on to say that “White House senior advisers have described the little-known proposal, announced earlier this summer under the name ConnectEd, as one of the biggest potential achievements of Obama’s second term.” And while it’s nice to know that the President is looking for a legacy other than Martha’s Vineyard’s Most Avid Golfer, he’s quickly earning the legacy of the Empirical President. Isn’t it also worth noting, parenthetically, that all of his attempts to achieve a “legacy” have revolved around raising somebody’s taxes?
The plan itself should be seen as objectionable to small-government Republicans, educational Libertarians, and – well – cell phone users. And since most of America has a cell phone (thanks OBAMAPHONE), it’s safe to assume that had this issue been brought up in last year’s election, it may have very well been a political looser.
Obama’s administration, however, seems to have a penchant for adding impropriety to an already objectionable idea. Not long ago the President said, in passing, that “the problem is, I’m not Emperor.” I’m starting to believe his off-the-cuff statement reflected his true concerns. (He must hate it when the teleprompter goes out.) The Constitution, the deliberative body known collectively as Congress, and on occasion even the courts, are viewed by this President as an obstacle to utopia. . . Not the institutions that have provided America with centuries of prosperity and freedom.
The question, for any remaining Obama supporter, is simple: Would the left in this country be comfortable, content, or amicable if a Republican President employed the same disregard for Constitutional process? The answer is obvious. And, to the Washington Post and DC Democrats, it is also irrelevant.