A Republic, If You Can Keep It...

President Obama had a press conference today in which he explained that he delayed the implementation of a law because he consulted with "businesses". Here's the full quote:

With respect to health care, I didn't simply choose to delay this on my own. This was in consultation with businesses all across the country, many of whom are supportive of the Affordable Care Act, but -- and who -- many of whom, by the way, are already providing health insurance to their employees but were concerned about the operational details of changing their HR operations if they've got a lot of employees, which could be costly for them, and them suggesting that there may be easier ways to do this.

Great. So let me see if I have this correct. Congress passes a bill and the President signs the bill. Therefore, the bill becomes law. Everyone still with me? The ACA (Obamacare) is now the law. I also specifically seem to remember the White House reminding everyone that the ACA is now the law.

Now, part of that law (the employer mandate) is politically inconvenient to implement because it's a giant mess, and it would cause all sorts of chaos if implemented on the schedule that the law requires. Oops! So the President decided to delay that portion of the law.

How, you ask? How could the President simply decide to delay enforcement of a law that has been duly passed by Congress? Simple. He did it "in consultation with businesses". Presto! Laws can now be done away with by consulting with businesses. Congress? Whatever dude, I've consulted with corporations, and they're good with this. Relax!

Actually, I really like this precedent. As soon as a Republican becomes President (It's eventually going to happen) he/she can just "consult with some businesses" who may not like other provisions of the ACA and delay more provisions.

Taxes: Don't like paying your taxes? No problem, I've consulted with businesses, and I've decided to delay the collection of taxes over 20% this year. You're welcome.

Vice: Officer, I did not break the law by hiring a prostitute. I only took action after negotiating with her pimp consultation with businesses.

Nothing like the random, selective, and arbitrary enforcement of our laws for political ends. Yet no one makes a peep. Freedom and liberty? Yeah, it's going to end not with a bang, but with a slow whimper of being devoured by a leviathan administrative bureaucracy.

Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.

                                                         -Stuff Thomas Jefferson said, Vol. III