Someone recently asked if President Barack Obama loves his country. The query elicited varied reactions from pundits to national media commentators. I have no personal animus against the President nor do I have problems answering love of country. I remain a strong believer in the \u201cstars and stripes forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, I\u2019ve also keenly treaded national debates on presidential and congressional authority on the concept of separation of powers. The Republican-controlled Congress is divided on some issues and a Johnny-come-lately on others. The vacuum is what Mr. O uses to impose his rogue views on such issues as healthcare and immigration, among others, using his pen and cellular phone.<\/p>\n
Monica Crowley, national columnist and conservative political radio commentator asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Barack Obama love America?<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this point, who really cares?<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf of America isn\u2019t paying much attention to him, and the other half is thinking about who might succeed him in 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet, thanks to a recent comment by former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, the question shows it still has political legs.
\n\u201cThe problem is that it misses the real point.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issue raised by Mr. Giuliani\u2019s comment is not whether or to what extent Mr. Obama loves his country. It is also not about Mr. Obama\u2019s patriotism or lack thereof.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real point is as true as it is frightening: Six years into Mr. Obama\u2019s presidency, the man is still a stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, can the President rewrite federal laws by violating the concept of \u201cseparation of powers\u201d eviscerating congressional authority? Former Judge Andrew Napolitano asked a challenging query:\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on is the exercise of authoritarian impulses by a desperate President terrified of powerlessness and irrelevance, the Constitution be damned. I say \u201cdamned\u201d because when the president writes laws, whether under the guise of administrative regulations or executive orders, he is effectively damning the Constitution by usurping the powers of Congress.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the safeguards built into the Constitution is the separation of powers: Congress writes the laws, the president enforces the laws, and the courts interpret them. The purpose of this separation is to prevent the accumulation of too much power in the hands of too few\u2014a valid fear when the Constitution was written and a valid fear today.\u201d<\/p>\n
All the blurred view from Mr. O touted as a constitutional lawyer from Harvard University Law School? Isn\u2019t his deficient view normally committed by social organizers in cities throughout the country rather than constitutional lawyers?<\/p>\n
Immigration challenges<\/strong> More than 3,000 from the CNMI have relocated since four to six years ago. They sensed it in the air\u2014a familial economic headwind\u2014and while money provides the means to leave, they picked up their luggage and headed to jet ways.<\/p>\n Uncle Sam goes AWOL<\/strong> It\u2019s obvious that chief executives find the late federal payments a serious fiscal challenge at home. In short, local funds are diverted to accommodate the needs of our friends for healthcare and education, among others. We do so as compassionate fellow islanders.<\/p>\n Health insurance skyrockets<\/strong> Those who don\u2019t qualify for Medicaid must quietly swallow the bitter pill of another assault on the family pocketbooks. In my case, it means an additional $109-plus per month where even money budgeted for medication needs some serious juggling. Don\u2019t know how to navigate the $1,000 deductible at CHC. It\u2019s mea culpa time!<\/p>\n The increase is especially hard for those who barely miss qualifying for Medicaid. It\u2019s another long bout with trying to find extra income to make up for health insurance. Healthcare becomes an additional hardship for families who hardly make ends meet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Someone recently asked if President Barack Obama loves his country. The query elicited varied reactions…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[55,2811,1135,1743],"class_list":["post-193610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","tag-health-2","tag-monica-crowley","tag-new-york-city","tag-uncle-sam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe outmigration of islanders includes all jurisdictions between here and Majuro. Our fellow islanders are looking for opportunities for their families. The economic stagnancy at home creates the sentiment of hopelessness where relocation is the last ditch effort.<\/p>\n
\nRecent discussion on Compact Impact funds highlights Uncle Sam\u2019s deficiency in meeting his obligations. His tardiness sometime turns discussion into spins hurting innocent migrants from the region. The Compact agreement allows them free movement within U.S. jurisdictions.<\/p>\n
\nHealth insurance (Aetna) is slated to increase by 40 percent for all members in the public sector and Settlement Fund. It\u2019s another increase most can\u2019t afford and not when wages, salaries, and the economy have stagnated\u2014stayed the same\u2014for over a decade now.<\/p>\n