printThat “Barack Obama is exceeding his legitimate constitutional authority” is not news. CNSNews.com: “The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified specifically to prevent the government from taking or redistributing private property without due process of law. The amendment says: ‘No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.'”
Michele Bachmann reminds us that BHO’s strong-arming British Petroleum to “set up an independent fund, not controlled by the company, for compensating victims of the Gulf oil spill”—this is in violation of the constitution’s “jurisdictional limits … on what the extent of executive power” should be. (I hope the congresswoman is not implying that if Congress, and not the president, decided to seize BP assets—why, that would be an entirely different matter.)
The conservative from Minnesota said she was particularly bothered by the call President Obama made Monday–later reiterated in his Oval Office address Tuesday night–for BP to set aside money for reimbursements to victims of the Gulf oil spill that would be administered independently, taking control of the money away from the company.
“Bachmann acknowledged the problem began under President George W. Bush with the creation of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).”
Socialism is not necessarily the ownership of the means of production. As usual, Bachmann is a beacon of light in pointing out that, “just because we don’t own an industry doesn’t mean that we don’t effectively control it, because we are in a lot of ways.”
Not that anyone is listening. CNN Republican analyst Bill Bennett seemed satisfied with the arrangement whereby BHO compelled BP to surrender “$20 billion into escrow to compensate victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.”
BP has stated repeatedly that they will pay all costs and damages associated with the cleanup.
This is the administration trying to take credit by ‘forcing’ them to do what they already said they would do.
Ever had someone order you to do something you were already doing, so they could demonstrate their authority over you?
The fact that BP has flummoxed up the deal from the get go is not up for debate. I think their biggest sin was the financial suck up job with millions going to Democrats and Lord knows what else to placate the pols. But, even with that in mind the absolute incompetance of the Obama administration, if it is incompetance and not deliberate, is the story of this debacle.
For now the Progressive train is running smoothly. Hopefully in November there will be some change. It’s probably our last chance, if there is any chance left, to derail it.
I find myself asking the following question at an alarmingly high rate. “By what authority does he (the president) take fill in the blank this action”? If he president weren’t prepared to strong arm the CEO of BP why did he have the attorney general, Eric Holder, in the room?
Aside from its dubious constitutionality, the gesture seems meaningless. I expect that $20 billion will prove to be pocket change by comparison to the actual damages and cleanup costs.
Yes Mike, we now live in a society (and have for some time) where the government completely flouts any and all laws (i.e. the constitution) that pertain to it. Us commoners however are expected to obey the countless pages of laws they hand down to us.
Dan