(no subject)

I just want to recap the powers of the three different branches of government in the US.

Congress, the Legislative branch, makes laws. Putatively they are only making laws in regards to interstate commerce, but 'interstate commerce' is about able to be applied to homegrown and home-consumed produce, meaning as a term it's basically quaint and obsolete in legal terms. They make laws that are about interactions between states and activities that happen in the national interest and on Federal lands. They control the Federal purse-strings.
Congress may add new Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Said amendments must be ratified by 3/4ths of all states in the USA, then be approved by a 2/3rd majority of Congress.
Congress may override a Presidential veto of a law with a 2/3rd majority of the vote.
Congress used to be the body that directly elected the President according to the personal choice of each legislator. Nowadays they vote according to the wishes of the voters of their state, in accorddance with state laws and current custom.
Congress confirms or denies appointment of officials to the Executive and Judicial branches, meaning they can object to a President's choice of Federal judges, Cabinet officials, and diplomats.
Congress has oversight on the other two branches. This means they are supposed to investigate when it appears someone in the other two branches has stepped over the line, It also means they should censure or even impeach a Supreme Court Justice or the President to remove them from office if it turns out they have committed high crimes and misdemeanors.

The President, the Executive branch, enforces the Law of the Land. He (to date only men have been President) is in charge of all Federal law enforcement and intelligence (including spy) agencies, including the FBI (national), the CIA (international with some spying), the Secret Service (protective services for the Executive, currency issues) and the NSA, among others. He is also Commander in Chief of the combined Armed Forces of the USA, meaning he's in charge of all military operations. Additionally, as head of state he is also in charge of signing treaties, subject to approval and review by Congress, and is also in charge of the diplomatic corps.
The President is required to submit a proposed budget to Congress, who may modify it as desired.
The President submits candidates for vacancies on Federal courts, such as the various Circuit Couts of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. He also submits candidates for ambassadorships and top-level Cabinet members.

The Supreme Court of the United States, commonly referred to as the Supreme Court, is the final arbiter of law.
They may decide whether or not a law is Constitutional.
They may declare if a particular means of enforcement of law is Constitutional.
They are also the final arbiters of innocence or guilt in the United States.

This is more a reminder for myself than anything else; but if anybody wants to comment given current events please feel free to start a discussion. Also feel free to let me know if I've made a mistake, as I typed this from memory and did not consult any sites or books.

(no subject)

I don't know if anybody's given a few minutes recently to think about increasing inequity in economic class in the US, but it's something of a shocker to think about.

I want to point out that average wage increase has gone up at a rate of about 3-4% a year, typically a good 1-2 points higher than the rate of inflation the past several years.

During the Bush presidency, there has been a massive increase in the number of people living under the poverty line. Not only has the number of people increased, which you might expect with a growing population holding steady, but the percentage has increased by a full percentage point. We are talking about minimum-wage employees and people on public assistance. Considering how public assistance has been trimming its rolls, this means more people earning not very much at low, low wages. Guaranteed.

At the same time that the percent (and number) of people under the poverty line has grown, so have executive salaries. In 2004, several hundred CEOs saw their paycheck get a whopping average of 79% fatter. I'm sorry, Google doesn't seem to want to give me the link this time.

CEOs are not the only high-ranking officers who have received pay increases. Executive pay at many companies is absolutely staggering - just ask the Ford Motor Company.

So, just check the math: with more people under the poverty line, huge executive pay increases, and average wages - from clerk to CEO - going up faster than the rate of inflation, this means... that people at the bottom and the middle are seeing their wages either stay flat in numerical dollars or actually go down.

At the same time we are seeing more people have less money, and the money concentrating at the top, the US government is currently cutting money for programs that either benefit everybody, such as enforcement of the Clean Water Act or Clean Air Act, or the poorest, such as scholarships, school lunches and fuel assistance to name a few. This specifically means fewer resources for the poorest. And yet, more subsidies are going to various companies earning record profits and more tax breaks are going to the top earners, meaning CEOs of medium to large companies. This means those companies and sky-high wage earners get more resources and money.

Our current President is a CEO corporate raider. He raids the Treasury for the corporations and CEOs.