"President Trump will sign the border security compromise package on Capitol Hill to avert another government shutdown and will take the extraordinary step of declaring a national emergency to obtain funding for the border wall, the White House announced Thursday."
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 15 2019, @08:09AM (10 children)
Bankrupting the country, with just $5.7B USD? Not a chance. The military budget alone exceeds $700B... No, this is just another bullshit project intended to transfer taxpayer money to companies with political ties to the president and other officials. As a democrat, I want these greedy fucks to actually build the wall. There are a lot of land owners in border towns who voted for this shit and are freaking out now that it's affecting *their* property and towns. #FollowTheMoney
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 15 2019, @08:46AM (1 child)
If we’re talking corruption, why does Nancy Pelosi get such sweet deals for real estate transfers of public property? Oh right, this is a ‘WHATABOUTISM’ because we’re not talking about corruption, we’re talking about orange man bad.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 15 2019, @01:03PM
Pelosi sounds like she's having seizures when she talks.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday February 15 2019, @01:12PM (7 children)
Actually yes. The problem isn't the raw dollar amount. It's the precedent. Once declaring national emergencies becomes a standard way for presidents to bypass the power of the purse of the legislature, then it'll get abused a lot. Not everyone who enters the office will have equal propensity to abuse it. But sooner or later, you'll get a spendthrift in. That's when the bankrupting occurs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 15 2019, @01:26PM (3 children)
Once it become standard? It has been for a long time, along with various other "tricks" I am sure.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday February 15 2019, @01:58PM (2 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 15 2019, @03:49PM (1 child)
Well I'm in favor of ending all these national emergencies and revising the rules surrounding them, but pretending like this one is exceptional is not going to help there.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday February 16 2019, @12:04AM
I have no trouble not doing that.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 15 2019, @01:37PM
Congress pretty much has the power to do anything within the limits of the constitution. One of the best things about the Trump presidency is that it is encouraging them to take back some of the powers that the presidency has seized by default.
If they rein in some of the bullshit that comes out of the executive branch, that may be a lasting beneficial legacy of Trump. He may even be The One to Bring Balance to the Farce.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Friday February 15 2019, @04:41PM (1 child)
That precedent was already set a long time ago. "Police Action," it was called. "Signing statements" were later added. Pretending like this $5 billion for Trump's wall is the straw that will break the camel's back is nonsense.
Take a look around. Fiscal sanity has long been gone. Public faith in government institutions, corporations, and other civil institutions has evaporated. The only reason we're not already in a hot civil war or revolution is pure inertia.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday February 15 2019, @11:27PM
Modded up for being horrifyingly, staring-to-the-edge-of-the-universe-and-seeing-it-all on target :( We're fucked.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...