Once Again, Obama Suggests That Laws Don’t Apply to Him
Mar 6, 2013 • By JEFFREY H. ANDERSON
weeklystandard.com
President Obama has grown fond of saying that he’s “not a dictator,” “not a king,” and “not the emperor,” but is instead “the president.” Whether his tendency to clarify a seemingly obvious point reveals his inner desires or not, his actions in a variety of ways suggest that he doesn’t think the president shares his fellow citizens’ ongoing obligation to obey the law. To the contrary, he seems to view the president as being somewhat above the law.
The latest example involves Obama’s legal obligation to submit a budget by the first Monday in February. We’ve now passed the first Monday in March, yet there’s no indication that Obama intends to submit a budget anytime soon.
According to the House Budget Committee, in the 88 years from 1921 through 2008 (the year that President George W. Bush submitted his final budget), the president was a full week late submitting his budget only four times. Obama has now single-handedly matched that mark. In fact, Obama now holds the modern (1921-onward) presidential records for most times being a week late in submitting a budget (4, shattering the previous record of 1), most times being a month late in submitting a budget (2, breaking the previous record of 1), and most times being three months late in submitting a budget (1, breaking the previous record of 0).
Overall, Obama’s on-time rate in submitting a budget is 20 percent. In comparison, every other president from Warren G. Harding through George W. Bush had an on-time rate of at least 67 percent. Most had an on-time rate of 100 percent.
Again, this is a legal obligation that Obama is refusing to fulfill. Most Americans can’t get away with refusing to fulfill their legal obligations, or with considering themselves to be above the law. Of course, most Americans also can’t get away with having $7 and spending $11, which is what the federal government has done under Obama. |
