Quote:
Originally Posted by adpimiz
I just don't like how they surpass Congress. I know our Congress right now is fairly split and has a habit of not getting much done. But, the point of the three different branches of government is so that one branch doesn't get out of control. I know executive orders are necessary, they just rub me the wrong way sometimes.
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The kinds of things they use Executive Orders for are not things that typically go through Congress. If you look at those lists, they are different types of tasks. If everything had to go through Congress, nothing would ever get done and government would be even bigger than it is now.
I know those lists are really long, but just to highlight a few:
Reviewing safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
Issuing a presidential memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.
Releasing a report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and making it widely available to law enforcement authorities.
Nominating an A.T.F. director.
Starting a national dialogue on mental health led by Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, and Arne Duncan, the secretary of education.
Most of them are about obtaining more data and sharing more data with people who can use it. The nomination of an ATF director is the President's job, but Congress has to approve it for it to become official. These are not laws, they are daily work activities.