(March 17, 2016 at 11:15 am)Brian37 Wrote:
The fuck it doesn't. YOU SHOW ME, where there is any religious, or political or class social pecking order the First Amendment sets up. IT NEVER HAS OR EVER WILL ALLOW ANY PECKING ORDER, IT DOES NOT play favorites. Neutrality IS the idea of equal protection.
Show me where it says "Christians only get to drive the bus and everyone else is just a guest". You show me where it says "Only the republican party runs the pace". You show me where it says "Only one class gets a say".
The most important part of the First Amendment is the last part, the part that allows ANYONE to challenge a law if that person/group thinks it is trampling on their rights, "to petition the government for a redress of grievance".
If there were a political/religious/speech/ pecking order, there would be no need for that last part.
There is no favoritism set up by the First Amendment. IT IS THERE FOR EVERYONE TO USE.
Now, the only argument one can make, is it is still up to you if you want a voice to raise it and that ESPECIALLY the Supreme Court does not get to pick the cases, but someone has to bring a case to the court. And no, it certainly is not a given that the court will side with the petitioner every single time. Just that the TOOL is available if you want to use it.
YES THE PRESIDENT DOES LEGISLATE Who is the last one to sign a bill, even after a veto and it comes back to the desk the second time? THE PRESIDENT!
And the president and all of them have done it, they can also use EXECUTIVE ORDER. But even that is not a dictatorship because even those can be challenged in the courts, or be used by the President to challenge congress to come up with their own version. Still no dictating going on.
It is also quite common and AGAIN every president has done this, while they cant force congress to accept their version of a bill, they often do write parts of a bill or a bill to congress to consider, CONSIDER, NOT MANDATE. It IS still the job of the congress to pass a bill through both houses and it is STILL up to the president if they want to sign it, if they don't it is up to the congress to pass it through both houses again to FORCE the president to sing it if it gets to their desk the second time.
The three branches ARE separate, in that none can monopolize the other, and ALL OF THEM ARE SUBJECT to the oversight of each other. The only branch that does not offer up legislation but only rules on legislation is the Supreme Court.
The president DOES NOT get to force legislation on congress, no, but they do hold meetings with their own party and even opposition as to HOW a bill THE congress considers gets written as a SUGGESTION only.
Are you going to claim that no president in our history, has never said to their own party or both parties "Hey read this, what do you think of this, do you think we can get that passed? Would you consider it?" EVERY president has held meetings with congress as individuals or groups, not as a member, but an outsider. The still have an influence, even if they cant dictate.You may want to read upon the American legislative process before going on a rant about how it works.
http://www.senate.gov/reference/referenc...es_vrd.htm
If Congress overrides a veto it become law without the President's signature.
If the President does a pocket veto Congress doesn't get a chance to override the veto and the bill is dead.
The President isn't FORCED to sing (or sign) a damn thing.
