Taxation Without Representation

TexanStar

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Gonna start a thread and refer to it as what it is. The executive branch taking funds which were allocated by the legislative branch where are representatives are and using it for unauthorized purposes under the guise of a national emergency (if they even bother with that) bears little difference to the misappropriation of public funding for which we seceded from England.

This is intolerable.

The Pentagon’s Shell Game
The Pentagon is transferring money out of its own budget to pay for Trump’s wall. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.

On Monday, the Defense Department notified the relevant congressional committees that it was transferring $1 billion from its own budget to the Department of Homeland Security in order to pay for a chunk of President Donald Trump’s wall on the southern border.

Democratic Reps. Pete Visclosky, chair of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, and Adam Smith, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, both disapproved of the move, but acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said he was going to move the money anyway.

This $1 billion is in addition—and unrelated—to Trump’s executive order allocating $8 billion in “emergency” funds to the wall, over the objections of both the Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-controlled Senate
 

TexanStar

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englad

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I'm gonna have to be a pedantic arsehole. The USA didn't secede from England, England hadn't existed as a separate independent legal entity for 69 years by the point of the declaration of independence. England isn't shorthand for the UK.

This is a horrendous situation though, Trump's trying to circumvent the democratic process.
 

TexanStar

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I'm gonna have to be a pedantic arsehole. The USA didn't secede from England, England hadn't existed as a separate independent legal entity for 69 years by the point of the declaration of independence. England isn't shorthand for the UK.

This is a horrendous situation though, Trump's trying to circumvent the democratic process.

That's super pedantic, isn't it? It was Great Britain in 1776, not the UK. United Kingdom didn't come about until 1801 when Ireland joined.

We certainly didn't have a beef with Ireland considering that they were supportive of our revolt against Great Britain (of whom we were but mere colonies).

"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
 
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acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said he was going to move the money anyway.

Think this pretty much sums it up right here. This is why Trump had to get Mattis out of the way once he rode his credibility card as far as it would carry him.

This worthless corporate CEO turd (who also knows jack shit about government let alone national strategy) is nothing more than a rubber stamp sycophant.

The more I watch the bullshit this retarded fucking clown pulls, the more I am inclined to hope they put his ass in jail post presidency (not likely, but we can dream).

This is part of what fucks me up with my veteran peer group. How could you possibly buy into this twat making America more secure and building the military? How is this fucking worthless draft dodger so special you can suck up his ass with every tweet?

This fucking grandiose slum lord has never built a fucking thing in his life other other than a greater depth of hardship for his victims and the increased capacity of his slush fund.
 

TexanStar

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Think this pretty much sums it up right here. This is why Trump had to get Mattis out of the way once he rode his credibility card as far as it would carry him.

This worthless corporate CEO turd (who also knows jack shit about government let alone national strategy) is nothing more than a rubber stamp sycophant.

The more I watch the bullshit this retarded fucking clown pulls, the more I am inclined to hope they put his ass in jail post presidency (not likely, but we can dream).

This is part of what fucks me up with my veteran peer group. How could you possibly buy into this twat making America more secure and building the military? How is this fucking worthless draft dodger so special you can suck up his ass with every tweet?

This fucking grandiose slum lord has never built a fucking thing in his life other other than a greater depth of hardship for his victims and the increased capacity of his slush fund.

That is exactly right. He drives qualified people out of office so he can appoint wackjobs who'll do anything he wants without congressional approval. In Trump-world, this is a good thing. With respect to actual balance of powers and the proper functioning of our Republic this is disastrous.

Trump says acting cabinet members give him 'more flexibility'

...

Can Pat Shanahan Serve as ‘Acting’ Defense Secretary Forever?
 
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TexanStar

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Is there any potential legal recourse to block this move?

Not really, no.

There's recourse for retribution in next year's budget (congress can reclaim authority over this kind of movement of funds due to the Pentagon's abuse of it. That's not ideal, but when the executive branch starts abusing privileges they've been given it's the only option). With a split control of congress though that's likely to end up in another government shutdown as GOP scrambles to maintain the status quo of giving Trump anything and everything he asks for. It's hard to fight movement towards Authoritarianism when a major political party is supporting it).
 
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midwestrob

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Basically I’m in agreement with you. Trump’s broken or at least abused the rules. I presume that there was legislation passed by Congress which originally set up these rules? To that extent, it seems less taxation without representation and more like a president trying to thwart the popular will (as manifested by our congressional representatives). That would make the problem the president and the legislation allowing emergency redirecting of funds the problem, not the whole system, as the phrase “taxation without representation” would imply.