Funny you should mention that. I just listened to a Freakonomics podcast that discussed that very issue. You can listen to the poscast (about 47 minutes), or probably read through the arguments in the text. This is essentially a discussion between Stephen Dubner (Mr. Freakonomics) and Eric Posner (a professor at the University of http://freakonomics.com/podcast/u-s-presidency-become-dictatorship/ bp <part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com>
On 10/16/2016 11:08 PM, Forrest Christian (List Account) wrote: I think most people think the president is a dictator or something. As far as making real changes at home, you're right. My concerns specifically in relation to trump are more about his apparent volatility. We're putting this guy in charge of the nuclear codes and in charge of negotiations with (as an example) North Korea. I guess you could sum it up with "what is his excellent temperament going to get us into as a country?" On Oct 16, 2016 9:17 PM, "Chuck McCown" <[email protected]> wrote: Congress makes and changes law. Supreme Court makes a few important decisions. Regulators are who really run the country. Does it really matter who the president is? What did Obama do? Encouraged the ACA. Dropped the ball in Syria. But how did he affect me, my degree of wealth, my amount of spare time? Ditto Bush. They affect foreign policy. They have the ability to really mess up other people’s lives in other countries, but do they really have much effect on me? Granted, altering the make up of the Supreme Court changes things like can I choose to marry a dude or do I have to sell wedding cakes to gays. But that really does not touch me. My granddaughter having to cope with dudes in the bathroom at school hits a bit closer to home, but I trust congress will eventually settle on something a bit more common sense. I guess I am trying to convince myself that a president really doesn’t do much here at home. Congress does. The court does. Bureaucracies do. Now, if the president could get a whole truckload of cheese delivered to the Whitehouse and give it out to anyone that drops in for a visit, then we are talking about a real impact... http://history1800s.about.com/ od/19th-Century-Presidents/fl/ Andrew-Jacksons-Big-Block-of- Cheese.htm
