Again...not true at all. That's not how "government works". The U.S. Constitution dictates how government works and it is the law. Every time it's violated, the people doing it are violating the law. Jimmy Carter violated the law when he created the Department of Education out of thin air. And even if Congress had created it, it would still be illegal since it is not permitted by the U.S. Constitution. You want it? Jimmy Carter wants it? Then amend the Constitution. That's the law. That is how "it works".
Basically, what you and all of your pals on the left are saying is "we can't get the votes to legally get what we want so we will just break the law achieve everything illegally". Not acceptable. Sorry. And only an unethical sleaze bag would find it acceptable.
But then again government is fluid, changes with time, and changes with the will of the people, right? Or supposed to.
In all seriousness Fridge - even being a liberal - don't you think that things are completely out of control in this nation? Don't you think $19 trillion is just insane?
You ever hear that old saying: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
That's what we need to to in the U.S. The federal government attempted to swallow and entire elephant and it chocked. If we don't provide the heimlich (i.e. Constitutional government) really soon, it's going to die. Literally die. The federal government is responsible for 18 enumerated powers. Beyond that (such as energy), pass it down to the states. The liberal states (such as California and New York) will be
all over that shit. The conservative states may ignore that stuff (so be it - so what?) but be all over other things (such as conceal carry laws). Everyone wins. Conservatives get to live their life how they want, liberals get to live their life how they want. Failed liberal policy will only affect liberal states - the rest can thrive and prosper. Failed conservative policy will only affect conservative states - the rest can thrive and prosper. Why wouldn't you want that kind of flexibility, freedom, and redundancy? Why have single-point-of-failure invested in the federal government? A great example of this is Detroit. It's a miserable shit hole that filed for bankruptcy. But guess what? Doesn't affect me at all because I don't live in Detroit. That was the whole idea behind the United States. When everything is handed over to the federal government, it profoundly impacts all of us. And just as bad - none of us have a voice in any of it. If the people of Detroit try to get a meeting with the mayor - I guarantee you they will. Try to schedule a meeting with the president of the United States. I dare you. It won't happen. Ever. We need to restore Constitutional government so that everyone can take control of their area of responsibility, so that all of us have more freedom and flexibility, and so that each of us has a louder voice in the direction of our lives.
Yes, I do.
However, you're presenting issues which I feel don't address the problem.
The BIGGEST problem in the US, by a long way, and an issue which hardly anyone every talks about, is the manner in which people vote.
The voting system is undemocratic. Not that people can vote and have "democracy", but that it forces people to vote for two parties out of fear the other party will get in.
This message board is full of partisan hacks who live and breath this nonsense.
I've lived in various countries, I did my dissertation on the Swiss political system, I sat in class on Bavarian politics in Bavaria (and understood nothing), I've studied the Germany political system, the Austrian political system, seen the British political system, the US political system, looked vaguely at the Chinese system, for all that's worth, and have an understand of many other systems like France, Australia etc.
The one thing I see is that democracy is best when people don't fear their choice. In America they fear it as they do in the UK, both are FPTP.
In Germany people don't fear who will get in, they vote positively for the party they choose. If you don't want the SPD (Liberals) to get in, you'd have to vote CDU under a British or American system. In Germany you can vote FPD if you like, or if you don't care that the SPD get in, but you want them to be checked, then you vote Greens or someone else and they'll have coalition government.
In November, no matter how many candidates are on that piece of paper, 95% or more of the people are going to say "I'm voting Hillary because I don't want Trump" or "I'm voting Trump because I don't want Hillary". That isn't Democracy.
So the politicians live in a world where they can buy votes with advertising and the people don't get much of a say, because of the fear.
You want REAL CHANGE, it isn't Obama, it isn't Trump, it isn't Hillary, it isn't Dubya, it isn't Paul, it isn't Sanders. It's a change in the way people vote, then the politicians will have to change, and open themselves up to democracy.
But it'll never happen, why? Because the political elite would fear they'd lose control. And they would. But they won't.