US-Mexican border-crossing apprehensions hit a 46-year low in 2017, but the American President is using his emergency powers to divert funds for his border wall project.
What sort of democracy gifts its already powerful leader emergency powers without defining what constitutes an emergency? But that’s what the United States did with the 1976 National Emergencies Act, which gives the president the power to declare an emergency at the drop of a hat without defining the term or setting out criteria that have to be met for that power to be invoked.
A classic example of the law of unintended consequences, the Act was conceived as a means of reining in a president’s authoritarian impulses. As the Watergate scandal unfolded in 1973-74, there were concerns that President Richard Nixon might resort to arbitrary measures as investigators zeroed in on him and his inner circle. The “Saturday Night Massacre” – the name given to a series of events on October 20, 1973, that came about after Nixon ordered the sacking of special prosecutor Archibald Cox, thereby triggering the resignations of the Attorney-General and his deputy – showed such concerns were well founded.
In practice, the Act had the effect of formalising the president’s power to declare an emergency, but the lack of definition means an emergency is any situation the president chooses to label as such.
The legislators probably figured that just about everyone knows what an emergency is and, for those who don’t or are a bit hazy, there’s always the dictionary. The Collins English Dictionary defines an emergency as “an unexpected and difficult or dangerous situation, especially an accident, which happens suddenly and which requires quick action to deal with it”.
THE SAME PANACEA
Denne historien er fra March 2 - 8 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra March 2 - 8 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
