Pres. Trump has a duty to 'faithfully execute' U.S. laws

To The Daily Sun,

In response to Robert Joseph on his letter published February 25: while I sympathize with Mr. Joseph's health concerns, I disagree that the phrase "promote the general welfare" in the preamble to the Constitution establishes the right to a health care system that benefits all. Furthermore, I am unaware of any Supreme Court ruling that supports Mr. Joseph's claim. Perhaps he should read more of the Constitution and supporting sources.

Quoting from the Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States, second edition, Butler, United States v., Article I, section 8, authorizes Congress to levy taxes "to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States..." James Madison contended that "general welfare" purposes were limited to authorizations elsewhere in the Constitution, whereas Alexander Hamilton held that this language amounted to an independent power to tax and spend, provided only that the "general welfare" was served.In this case, the Supreme Court accepted Hamilton's view.

Personally, I believe that James Madison had the better view. Even accepting Hamilton's view, however, it does not confer a right, merely that Congress has the power to tax to fund such a program. I believe that was the basis for Chief Justice Robert's decision upholding the ACA.

Responding to Stephanie Vuolo's letter in the same edition: how exactly does President Trump declaring himself the chief law enforcement officer jeopardize the Rule of Law? Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States states "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." Article II, Section 3, states "...he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed,..." In that clause, "he" is referring to the president. I understand that to mean that the president does indeed have the constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. If President Trump wants to call himself the chief law enforcement officer, then I am glad that he recognizes his Constitutional duty. There have been times when I worried that he might not understand certain aspects of the Constitution, but this is not one of them.

If Ms. Vuolo were truly worried about a president taking undue power into his own hands, she should have been mortified by Barack Obama's DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) executive order, which was blatantly unconstitutional. The executive memorandum essentially created a policy that the executive branch would not faithfully execute certain laws duly passed by Congress, a direct violation of Article II, Section 3. Furthermore, President Obama previously acknowledged that he didn't have the constitutional authority, yet he went ahead and implemented the order anyway, Anyone who supported the DACA executive order but then complains about President Trump not adhering to his oath of office is a hypocrite of the highest order.

Steven Snow

Gilford