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bristol ozturgut

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What actions can we take to return power and attention to our congress?

We live in a unitary state. An article published by NPR on three realistic alternatives to a single president fully illustrates that. I am extensively irritated that congress wasn't the natural response to the growing problem that the American people look to the president to affect change. As I recall, early congressmen decided to name the head of state "president" as the position was intended to merely preside over the going-ons of our nation's politics. Somehow (possibly inevitably) the president has become a modern-day king, responsible for almost everything our congress once was. So, my question now is: how do we return our attention to congress? How do we re-invest power in the legislative branch of the government?

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    edward long 100+

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    Feb 19 2013: To see if we are all on the same page here, is this an accurate description of U.S. Federal power distribution:
    The CONGRESS: Make, or repeal, national/federal laws in accordance with the expressed wishes of The People.
    The SCOTUS: Confirm, as necessary, a law is, or is not, in accordance with the COTUS.
    The POTUS: Implement and enforce all standing national/federal law?
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      bristol ozturgut

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      Feb 20 2013: Generally, yes.
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        edward long 100+

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        Feb 20 2013: All rightey then. Your post asks what can be done to return POWER to Congress.
        The implication is that power has been lost by Congress. I am ready to refute that, but I don't want to waste my keystrokes or your time (I am retired) if that is not your meaning.
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          bristol ozturgut

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          Feb 26 2013: I believe it has. The executive branch has taken on the responsibility of making laws. I'm sorry if the specific wording of my question betrays myself. I can be quite poor at wording my questions.

          I would like congress to regain that responsibility in the voters' eyes. I believe the majority of voters look to the executive branch - including (or especially) the president - to perform the functions of congress, making congress redundant.
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        edward long 100+

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        Feb 26 2013: Please do not interpret my remarks as being critical of your composition. I want to be sure I don't comment based on misunderstanding the question. We agree on everything but the words "power" and "responsibility". Those belong to Congress and always have. Without a Constitutional amendment that cannot change. What has evolved is the wrongful application of constitutional powers. Congress has all the power it needs to do its rightful job. They are simply not using it ethically and responsibly. Article 1, Section 8, Clauses 1 through 18 give our elected Representatives and Senators their vested powers, both specific and elastic, and their precise job description. What we need is not more power for Congress, but proper exercise of the power they already have. As with every national problem we have in the USA, the root cause is apathy and ignorance on the part of the People. Thanks for your awareness-raising post. Restoring proper operation of our government is certainly an idea worth sharing.

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