2302+M2+Week+5

Week Five
 * GOVT 2302

Current Issues in the Executive: The Rise of Executive Power and the Imperial Presidency**

Using last week's readings as well as the links above, I want to call attention to concerns that the power and influence of the presidency has increased far beyond what was originally intended by the founders. The term "Imperial Presidency" was coined to describe the (alleged) excesses of the Johnson and Nixon presidency. It has been revived to describe further (again alleged) excesses of the Bush presidency. Some argue that the increased powers have been necessary in order for the United States to effectively and efficiently deal with the additional complex issues the country faces. Critics argue that the increases in power simply lead us further down the road to tyranny.


 * Readings:**

- Wikipedia: [|The Imperial Presidency] - About.com: [|Imperial Presidency 101]. - Findlaw.com: [|The U.S. Supreme Court and the Imperial President]. - Wikipedia: [|Department of Defense] - Wikipedia: [|Bureaucracy] - NYT Opinion Piece: [|Just What the Founders Feared].


 * Assignment:**

Write 250 words on the conflicts associated with expanded executive power. Find an example of a recent expansion of executive power, detail how it arose, and evaluate whether it was neccesary. While we may wish to have a stronger executive branch that can solve certain problems that might emerge, we do so at a cost. The loss of individual freedom and the ability of the legislature to guard those freedoms. There is also the very real possibility, justified by history, that crises are sometimes manufactured in order to scare citizens into supporting efforts to expand executive power. Some make that very argument now for the bailout recently passed by Congress.

Due: April 19 email your answers to me.