In response to
Government by Coup de Theatre or the Constitution?

It's very hard for people to pick their battles. Everyone wants to get involved in everything; no more so than in Washington.The president presented a budget plan to Congress. They voted on it. Obama's 2012 budget received a Senate vote of 97 against, 0 for. In less acrimonious times the president would have presented a budget just a bit more palatable. Ok, now it is time for Congress to develop a budget and that starts in the House.At this point the president can say; I gave it my best shot, now it's your turn. This places the onus squarely on Congress and the president can be above the fray. Today, however, we have a petulant president who insists that everyone do everything just exactly the way he wants it done. Our three branches of government were never designed this way.As the Chief Executive the president should say; this is what I need to administer the governmental functions that Congress has authorized. That's his proposed budget. Then Congress sets about authorizing expenditures as they see fit. That's the budget they send to the president and the president can accept it or veto it in which case the process starts all over again.The purse strings belong to Congress, not the president. Politically, the president would appear more of a leader if he were not trying to write every detail of the budget. He needs to let Congress own it, to let Congress decide what to fund, what to kill. Congress passed the programs, Congress needs to fund them, and Congress needs to take responsibility for the results.As it is, no one wants to take responsibility, and no one is taking responsibility. It's a win-win for all the politicians and a lose-lose for the people.The House passed a budget plan and sent it to the Senate. The Senate voted to not even discuss the House plan. It seems to me the ball is in the Senate's court. The Speaker shouldn't even be working out a new plan. The president had his plan, it was shot down; the House had its plan, it was shot down. The Senate has to step up to the plate. Right now the Senate is the problem.All the politicians want to blame the "other" party for the problem. Well, both are to be blamed, but at this juncture the Democratic Party controlled Senate seems to be the problem. The president needs to step back (and stop being so self-absorbed), the House needs to step back and the Senate needs to come up with their plan. When that is done the two houses of Congress can work out their differences and send it to the president.It's a real shame all the politicians in Congress seem never to have studied civics or political science. In the absence of that a reading of the Constitution seems to be in order.