----- Original Message -----
From: "slydrule"
Newsgroups:
alt.autos.toyota,alt.sports.basketball.nba.la-lakers,alt.sports.football.pro.dallas-cowboys
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:11 PM
Subject: Re: One thing I can agree with McCain on
>
> "Don't Taze Me, Bro!"
NoWhere.com> wrote in message
> news:qp1Xj.18444$%%X1.2266@trnddc08...>>
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1517615720080515?feedType=RSS&feedName...
>>
>> This has been long over-due in American politics.
>>
>> Personally, I think 5 senators from each party, and 3 house-reps for each
>> party, should be able to ask questions to the President each week. In
>> their place, congressmen and women would be able to substitute their
>> right to ask questions by allowing a constituent to engage the president
>> in a question. The President does not have to answer, but it would be
>> shown, nonetheless.
>>
>> I don't particularly like the U.K.'s way of doing it because its not
>> formatted and often involves nothing more than the parties hurling
>> insults and the P.M. is often unable to get any words out when he/she
>> responds.
>>
> The PM is a member of parliament which is why the PM spends so much time
> in the parliament.
>
> The president is elected by the people and as the executive branch is not
> accountable to congress. Frankly, I think McCain's ideas on this, while
> well intentioned are stupid. As President he is obligated to protect the
> executive branch of government form the other two branches. The systems
> is intended to work as 3 branches unaccountable to the other two. If
> McCain abbrogates his responsibility by bowing before congress he will
> forever damage the office of the presidency.
>
> Let's hope he comes to his senses should he get elected.
>
> If anything, congress should report to the president why that haven't done
> a single useful thing in 15 years.
>
Actually, all three branches share one thing in common. Ostensibly, they ALL
work for us.
It's not so much that I think a president should kowtow to Congress, or for
that matter, vice versa, OR that the Judiciary should be able to trump
either or both on a whim (as has happened more than once). It's not even
that I think it's all that great an idea to make the prez sit down and
listen... more that it's not really a bad idea.
You have to remember one thing. Every one of these clowns, president,
congress critter, Senator and Federal Judge, did something to let it be
known they WANTED these jobs. However, the only ones directly elected are
senators and congressmen. The electoral college elects the president, and it
can go (and has) against the popular vote.
Sure, congress has a LOT of questions they need to answer, but so do
presidents, and those answers are required by all of us who are paying any
attention at all. They (the three branches) may not necessarily be
accountable to each other, but all three are accountable to us, through the
US Constitution, and any time any one of them takes that lightly, they
should smartly be held up for scrutiny by the short and curlies...
regardless of party or place on the political spectrum.
The three branches are part of what's known as checks and balances, NOT a
license for one branch to assume anything resembling control over the other
two.
The day that happens is the last day of this Democratic Republic.
Bottom line for me, they all ask for the job, and should never shy away from
questions from the bosses... i.e. us... either individually, collectively or
through other elected representatives.
