Manifesto #1: A Return To Basics

Some of you who may follow my Facebook posts will recall that not too long ago, on my 35th birthday, I declared my fictional candidacy for the President of the United States in 2012. Since that time, some have expressed amusement, some horror, and some have quizzically asked what my positions are on various issues.

I have laid before you in this blog, what I believe to be a foundation, or, philosophy that guides me. It is more important, I believe, that you understand how I think, rather than knowing what my position is on specific issues. Because, as we all know, events are fluid, variables to specific events that demand attention and decision making are always ... varying, and it is generally unwise to predetermine what your exact response will be before it happens, and the details bear themselves out. As Ike once said: "Unless circumstances and responsibility demanded an instant judgment I learned to reserve mine until the last proper moment. This was not always popular."

However, I do feel it is altogether reasonable to provide a basic explanation of how I would approach the issues of the day, bearing in mind that I will only give the underlying philosophy that I will use to guide me through issues of general interest.

So, over the course of my fictional candidacy, I will endeavor to issue a number of Manifestos for your amusement and consumption.

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I begin with an issue that is near and dear to my heart. Quick, does anyone know off the top of their head which article of the Constitution of the United States enumerates the powers of Congress? Does anyone know if a President can author an Act of Congress? Who holds the power of the public treasury, anyway?

These are fundamental questions that very few people (in my estimation) know the answers to. And while I think there is some shame in that, I do not desire to chastise the people at large who can't find Texas on a map. It is my duty to remind the people of some of the basic concepts upon which our government and society functions.

Over the years, I think, it has become easy for elected officials to confuse some of these issues because then it is unclear who the people should blame if something goes wrong.

Who wrote the "No Child Left Behind Act?" Nope, not President Bush. No president can author an Act of Congress. Article 1, Section 1 of the Constitution clearly leaves legislating to the legisla...tors. A president can propose, draft stuff up, but only a Member of Congress can present a bill before Congress for consideration, and that Member must have his/her name on it. So, who wrote the NCLB? Senator Ted Kennedy. Why all the confusion about President Bush? Because he supported the bill...strongly. He advocated for it, drafted portions of it, but ultimately, he had to hand it over to someone in Congress to author it and propose it. That person was Senator Kennedy. (Now, don't all you Democrats who castigated President Bush for NCLB feel a little sheepish?)

But that's an example of what I'm talking about. A simple principle clearly defined in the Constitution, so clearly fundamental to our form of governance, but somehow obfuscated over the years of muck and murk.

As President, I will seek every opportunity to remind the great citizens of our nation how our government is supposed to work. I will take the events of the day, make decisions, and explain the underlying philosophy motivating my decision, and how my decision is in concert with the fundamental truths of our Republic. That is my promise to you, my fellow Americans.

More to come.