Issue #1- War Dollars

The issue behind war dollars is whether Congress should be able to use their power to control the president's military policy. Although the president is commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, it is Congress that gets to approve the federal budget and the funding of the war. As of now, the president is spending billions of dollars on the war effort and people are wondering if Congress can step in and somehow stop it. More than $600 billion dollars was spent in 2008 for defense, including the money spent in Iraq and Afghanistan. This excessive spending on the war is adding to the already massive national debt and it is a heavy burden on the American people.

I think that Congress shouldn't have the power to control the president's military policy. The president may not do what the people want, but he is doing what he thinks is best for our country. I mean, he was elected by the people which is approval enough for doing what he feels is right. Although, I think that Congress should be able to limit the spending because it has gotten out of hand, the president ultimately should have the power to spend as necessary. James Madison wrote about the three branches of government, "should not be so far separated as to have no constitutional control over each other." I agree with this statement that there needs to be a system of checks and balances so that each branch can prevent or stop abuse from another branch.

Article Link: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Separation_of_powers_under_the_United_States_Constitution

Issue #2 Spending What We Can Afford- http://mayaseverson.blogspot.com/2010/02/issue-2-spendin-what-we-can-afford.html

Issue #3 Social Insecurity- http://anielsen10.blogspot.com/2010/02/social-insecurity.html