Of Conservatives and Kings: The New Monarchism Is an Abdication of Our Principles

The current tendency for conservatives to wish more power placed in the presidency is discussed, examining historical arguments for & against a strong chief executive as well as present-day relations between the President & the US Congress in regard to foreign policy & spending levels. Granting line-item veto power to the President is viewed as a usurpation of the spending power granted Congress in the Constitution after well-informed & deliberate decisions of our Founding Fathers. Congress's role in foreign policy -- including spending power, the authority to declare war, & the War Powers Act -- is conceived as a mixing & blending of power essential to the long-term preservation of freedom. Conservatives are reminded of their long-held principles of limited government, individual liberty, local control, & decentralization of power, & of the possibility that centralizing power in the Presidency might backfire if liberals gained control of that office. 3 Illustrations. D. Generoli