The Fears of Our Forefathers: The Modern Presidency

The modern presidency has evolved into a detrimental body of government for the American People. The precedents established by Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon B. Johnson have eroded the system of checks and balances and strengthened the executive branch beyond an acceptable level. Both presidents have neglected the sanctity of the government envisioned by our founding fathers. The president's relationship to Congress was originally designed to be at a distance; today, Presidents are expected to propose legislation, speak on the house floor, and are allowed to circumvent Congress and enter a war without a war declaration. One man's opinion on domestic and foreign issues has shaped the policy of our government since the beginning of the 20th century-with disastrous results.

In 1913 President Wilson became the first president to address Congress directly in his state of the union address. In the Federalist Papers, defenders of the constitution specifically outlined the role of the president in legislative matters: to approve, or disapprove, of a bill put before him. In Federalist # 69, Publius compared the president to the King of Britain, who "on his part" had absolute veto over the Parliament. He reassured his readers that the president differed from this dictator. "Disuse of that power of a considerable time past does not affect the reality of its existence and is to be ascribed wholly to the crowns having found the means to substitute influence to authority..." (Federalist: 69)