President Obama’s threat to push his agenda via executive order is nothing new. Every president, apart from one, has used the executive order as a means to establish law without congressional approval, without judicial oversight and without voter input.

More than 60,000 executive orders have been issued since George Washington issued the first eight. Tops on the list is Franklin Roosevelt, who issued 3,522. One was making gold illegal to hold. The Supreme Count ruled against that executive order. But, by then, it had achieved its purpose.

The U.S. Treasury paid $20 an ounce, then revalued it at $35 an ounce. A clever way to fund the New Deal.

Robert Denbow

Saco