Presidents Who Used The IRS
President Obama has found himself caught up in yet another scandal this week with controversy over the IRS using their powers to attack the Tea Party. Whether you like the Tea Party or not, this behavior is not fair, nor should it be tolerated. However, this also isn't a new development. The IRS has been going against political adversaries for years and it is only coming to light because of our constant news coverage. Since the beginning of the IRS, several administrations have gone after their political rivals. While we do not condone this strategy, it must be known that the current leaders are not alone in this tactic. Is the IRS a political goon squad? It appears that they might have been used that way.
U.S. Worst Executive Actions
There’s been a lot of hoopla the last few weeks over President Obama’s use of Executive Orders and their legality. I’ve heard terms like “unprecedented” and “unconstitutional” and “abuse of power” mentioned by members of our Congress and I find myself shaking my head. The fact is: It is legal for a president to issue an Executive Order. An Executive Order grants the President the right to make major decisions, and even laws, without the consent of Congress. Don’t like it? Blame the Founding Fathers. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison all made Executive Orders. Not all of them were something you might agree with. Some of them were down and outright criminal, but they are legal, NOT impeachable, and are the law of the land. Here are some of the worst in history (and no, your gun laws aren’t in this list). As a side note, President Obama has not had the most Executive Orders ever issued. He’s not even close and, in fact, he’s made the LEAST Executive Orders of any President in the past 100 years. He certainly has not made the worst executive actions!
Categories: History, Politics Tags: abraham lincoln, barack obama, executive orders, franklin d. roosevelt, George W. Bush, korea, thomas jefferson, vietnam
Comparing Pearl Harbor To 9/11
Did you know that Pearl Harbor Day is December 7th? It's been over seventy years since it happened and there aren't that many people left around that remember this day "that will live in infamy." It was a terrible event in American history and many have been comparing Pearl Harbor to 9/11. People, for years after, would ask, "Do you remember where you were when you heard about Pearl Harbor?" Since most of us were not around, here is a list of five things you should remember about the heroes who fought that day and comparing Pearl Harbor to 9/11.
Categories: History Tags: 9/11, Afghanistan, FDR, franklin delano roosevelt, George W. Bush, homeland security, iraqi war, pearl harbor, Pentagon, war on terror, world trade centers, world war 2, world war two, WW2, wwII
Political Duels: Bad Ass U.S. Politicians
Unless you live under a rock, you might have noticed that there is some political turmoil in the United States, today. Things are getting pretty nasty, but nothing compared to what used to happen in the day, it is pretty minor. When men had a disagreement, they challenged each other to a duel. This would entail agreeing upon a weapon and fighting it out. These political duels weren't a shootout like in the days of the Old West. They were more civil affairs that often didn't end in death. Probably the most famous of these was the duel between Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of the Treasury, and Aaron Burr, the Vice President. Hamilton lost that fight and his life. There were other politicians that settled their differences with the prospects of a duel. You might be surprised by these names!
Categories: History Tags: abraham lincoln, Andrew Jackson, duel, duels, George W. Bush, george washington, Henry Clay, presidents
Five Presidents Who Were Boy Scouts
There were five Presidents who were Boy Scouts of America, which is one of the largest youth groups in the United States. Founded in 1910, it has had over 110 million young men, of various ages, in its organization. Every president of the United States has supported the work of the Boy Scouts of America since its founding and each served as honorary president of the BSA during his term in office. Each President, starting with William Howard Taft, has helped to further the Scouts, but there are only five Presidents who were Boy Scouts. Here is a list of those Presidents.
Categories: Education Tags: barack obama, Bill Clinton, boy scout, boy scouts of america, cub scout, eagle scout, George W. Bush, gerald r. ford, jfk, john f. kennedy, scouts
US Politicians With Criminal Records
We have all heard people exclaim that politicians are crooks. While we are usually just complaining about some of the unethical practices of our political leaders, in some cases it is true. In the past, we don't necessarily hear about some of the bad things that people in our government do because it was easy to cover up bad deeds. Some things that we do remember - such as the drowning incident that involved Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne - did not end in an arrest. The list below, however, did result in an arrest. Who would have thought there were politicians with criminal records?
