The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW.
Two years ago, our Post established the Freedom Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to four deserving high school seniors. The Freedom Scholarship Committee recently contacted career counselors in local high schools, to publicize this opportunity to their students. One of the application requirements is an essay in which students are asked to define what freedom means to them and to discuss how our Constitution establishes and maintains a culture of freedom in our country.
With the Freedom Scholarship requirements fresh in my mind, I was struck by a recent announcement that President Obama has delayed one more provision of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The President has repeatedly and unilaterally suspended portions of the law without the consent of Congress. While we have been constantly reminded that Obamacare is the “law of the land”, over 25 changes to the law have been made by Executive Decision, a clear violation of our Constitution. The brilliance of our founding fathers, when they wrote our Constitution, devised a system of checks and balances to prevent any of the branches of our government to abuse its authority.
Regardless of what letter follows the name of our elected officials, Americans who care about our freedom must be ever vigilant for instances of abuse of power or attempts to circumvent provisions of our Constitution. As concerned citizens who have already made a significant contribution to our nation’s efforts to defend liberty and freedom, it is our responsibility to express our feelings to and remind our elected officials of their responsibility to defend the Constitution and rule of law and to have as their primary objective, the well-being of their constituents. Regardless of the issue, I urge you to communicate with your elected officials on a regular basis and express your feelings. To contact your Senators and Congressional Representatives, you must visit their web sites:
Senator Patty Murray www.murray.senate.gov
Senator Marie Cantwell www.cantwell.senate.gov
Rep. Jim McDermott 7th District www.mcdermott.house.gov
Rep. Rick Larson 2nd District www.larson.house.gov
Rep. Suzan DelBene 1st District www.delbene.house.gov
The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW.