Things the President CAN do.

[MineralMan]

There are a lot of things a President can't do. But, the Executive branch has some considerable authority in several areas. Here are a few things the President could do in an emergency situation:

1. Immediately close all foreign military bases or as many as he wished to close. Fly everyone home and just close them down. He is the Commander-in-Chief.
2. Remove all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Same process, start flying everyone out of there immediately. He is the Commander-in-Chief.
3. Direct the Treasury Department to temporarily stop issuing payments to any number of federal agencies. They are under the Executive Branch.
4. Shut down any agencies he wishes to which are administered by the Executive Branch. Furlough employees and turn off the lights.
5. Direct the closure of all airports which operate under the authority of the FAA. The FAA is an Executive Branch organization. Since the FAA is not funded at this time, safety issues could be cited.


All of these things could be done on a "temporary emergency" basis using no authority other than what the President has over the Executive agencies and departments. If the government doesn't have the money to fund these, then shutting them down would eliminate the need to pay for them.

I'm sure there are many other possibilities.

Now, it's almost unthinkable that he'd do this, and it would mean a one-term Presidency for him, and probably impeachment, but he could do those things.

[TheWraith]

1. One of those is not true.

Number one. It would take a huge amount of money and time to shut down overseas military bases.

[MineralMan]

3. It would cost the amount to fly people home. I'm not talking

about an orderly shutdown, but an immediate one on an emergency basis. Same with the two wars. Just fly the personnel home. We'd have enough money to do that, I have no doubt.

[Renew Deal]

14. What about the equipment?

[MineralMan]

21. It's paid for already. Fly the planes back to the US. Give the

rest to the local government there. Immediate major savings on maintenance and operation costs. Load the nukes up and bring them home, of course.

[Renew Deal]

27. And then re-buy everything?

Your plan is ambitious but very short sighted.

[MineralMan]

29. Why rebuy it? If we close those bases, we won't need it.

The equipment on those bases is dedicated to those bases, other than the aircraft, which can be flown anywhere. If the bases will not be manned, that equipment is redundant. Since it has already been paid for, there is no additional cost attached to abandoning it in situ. We've done that many, many times.

I see the foreign base closures as a permanent thing. Permanent closures and permanent savings. A reduction in the size of the military comes with the process. Essential missions only. No foreign crap where we're not needed, and no adventures in nation building, either.

[Romulox]

5. LOL. nt

[Renew Deal]

11. Same with #2

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. Why would he?

Simply order the treasury to continue selling debt instruments and let the courts sort it out. He has to comply with the budget he's been provided by the congress and the constitution.

Shutting down government violates both.

[MineralMan]

6. I didn't say he would. I said he could.

Agencies and departments under the Executive branch can be run by the President. Although Congress provides the authority to pay for them in the budget, they cannot tell the President how large they must be or how many people must be employed there. All of that money does not have to be spent, even though it is authorized. The Treasury Department is an Executive function, as are many agencies and departments.

Again, he will not do these things. But, they are within his authority to do. I'm making a point here. There are many things he cannot do. There are many he can do.

[Romulox]

4. But Germany will be utterly UNPROTECTED~!!!1!!1!!

We can't risk it. There is NOT A DIME to be cut from the military budget--it'll have to come from Social Security!

/sensible

[MineralMan]

7. Right. Bring everyone home and tell the Germans,

"Have fun with these facilities and this equipment. You maintain it and pay for it. See ya!"

All that crap is already paid for. We're talking about stuff that has to be paid for now and down the road. Just give the crap to the Germans. They can buy parts from us to keep it working. And so on in all those other places where we have bases. Leave them. Just abandon them. I'd take the nukes home with the troops, though. That would make sense.

[Romulox]

8. To the extent that you are being sincere, I agree with you.

:toast:

[MineralMan]

10. I'm being very sincere. I've long thought that all foreign bases not being

used for immediate defensive purposes should have been shut down long ago. They serve no real military purpose and are there more as a State Department function than a military one these days. Incredibly costly. Impossibly useless.

[Romulox]

12. I've heard foreign bases put forward as "economic engines" for their host communities

which we must not close, lest we destroy the fragile economy of Glupenhöggen or wherever. It's a hard argument to stomach from here in Southeast Michigan.

[MineralMan]

22. Yup. That's a role the State Department should be in charge of,

not the military. Economic development in other countries is not their mission.

[MineralMan]

9. Naval General Order #2011-14

This order would order all Naval vessels to return to their home port forthwith. On arrival at the port, the ships would be put into standby condition and all personnel given indefinite leave without pay or an immediate discharge, at the individual's option. Immediate savings of billions, with more savings down the road.

[supernova]

13. Furlough all the Congressional staff

Everybody who answers the phone, does mail, constituent services, schedulers, leg. aides, all of them gone.

You would see Congress members heads spin.

[Renew Deal]

17. Those are working people.

There aren't too many rich people in that bunch. Many of them are young adults.

[supernova]

18. They aren't too precious

To be laid off like the rest of us were. I know what goes on there on The Hill.

[Renew Deal]

28. Of course they're precious.

They're working people.

[supernova]

30. Not anymore precious

than those of us who were laid off.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for those mollycoddled babies on the Hill.

[Renew Deal]

31. That makes no sense.

[MineralMan]

23. Can't do that. Not under the Executive branch.

No authority.

[NNN0LHI]

15. You like Paraprosdokians too don't ya MM??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian

ParaprosdokianFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A paraprosdokian (pronounced /pærəprɒsˈdoʊki.ən/) is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists.

Some paraprosdokians not only change the meaning of an early phrase, but they also play on the double meaning of a particular word, creating a form of syllepsis.

[Ichingcarpenter]

19. That's why I love DU

I really did learn something new today
and I love that kind of stuff.


I think you nailed it

I thought I knew Greek culture, history, arts
but that was new to me.

Wait I need to do a search
Anyway back at it.

[MineralMan]

24. I use them from time to time, yes.

[Romulox]

16. Unilaterally increase the term of payment to all military vendors by 30 or 60 days.

This should save substantial money, while driving some of the more marginal suppliers out of business (hopefully).

[MineralMan]

20. Here is an official page, which lists every Executive Branch

Department, organization, commission, and agency. All of these are under the direct control of the President of The United States.

http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/Executive.shtml

Many of the listings on that page lead to new pages that actually list all of the organizations. It's an extensive list. Any of them can be brought down to a skeleton or temporarily shut down by Presidential order. The savings would be absolutely remarkable.

Again, President Obama will not do this, but he has the power to do so.

He doesn't have the power to raise the debt ceiling, though, not even under the 14th Amendment.

Have a look at the lists at the link. You'll be amazed at how many things the Executive Branch controls.

[BeFree]

25. What a great thread

Who is this MineralMan? By what authority does he feel he has the right to make such pronouncements?

<<grin>>

[MineralMan]

26. As always, I have no authority over anything, but I can

post stuff on DU. Stuff to think about. The President has great power over many things. It's important to understand what he can and cannot do on his own. Many seem to not understand that.