To The Reader’s Forum:

I am not a lawyer but I can read and understand simple English. The US Constitution says in Article 1, Section 8 :

“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises”. It does NOT say that Congress can delegate that power to any other authority or individual.

Where are the “Strict Constructionists” who claim to be conservative? There is nothing in the US Constitution that gives the president the authority to raise and lower tariffs up and down at whatever whim strikes him at the moment. Trump says that letting Congress set tariffs would take weeks of debate. That is correct. It is intended to be the result of careful consideration. It is supposed to be thoroughly debated and well thought out, the consensus of all sides of the issue.

It should not be the whim of a single person, even if that single person is the president of the United States.

There is nothing in the Constitution that allows the Congress to give that authority away to the president or anyone else. The Constitution says that Congress SHALL have the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.

When is our Congress going to step up and do the job they are being paid (handsomely) to do?

Daniel E. Olson

Jamestown