When the President does not get his way with Congress, he uses executive orders to implement his policies.

To some this will seem a viable alternative to legislation. To others, including myself, it can be deemed a misuse of presidential powers.Several months ago the Dream Act failed to pass Congress. This legislation was intended to offer amnesty to illegal aliens who snuck into this country, defied our laws, worked illegally or went on welfare. Many of them also abused hospital emergency rooms because they did not have medical insurance.Congress failed to pass the Dream Act because of the constituent backlash to this legislation. Many of us wrote letters and e-mails, placed phone calls, or met with our congressmen to let them know that We The People vehemently opposed this legislation.The President was disappointed when the Dream Act failed to pass. Last week, he used his executive powers to implement a policy change that grants temporary amnesty and work permits to illegal aliens. In an attempt to placate those of us who are opposed to amnesty, the President limited the amnesty program to those who are 30 years old and under, and who came to this country as children.This policy change will permit 800,000 previously illegal aliens to live in the country and apply for an endless stream of two-year work permits. There is no limit to the number of work permits extensions that these "undocumented" workers can apply for during their life here in the United States.President Obama implemented this policy change when almost twenty million Americans are out of work or underemployed. In the past, I believe that illegal aliens often took jobs that Americans did not want. Contrary to what the Administration claims, the job sucking recession has not ended. As many Americans run out of unemployment insurance benefits, they are taking any work they can find. This includes jobs previously performed by illegal aliens.Last week as I was driving through farm country I was surprised to see Americans picking strawberries! We are in tough times. Our citizens are taking whatever work they can find to feed their families. They do not need employment competition from the 800,000 amnesty recipients who broke the law when they entered this country. Americans want jobs not more illegal aliens.As cruel as this may sound, people who entered this country illegally need to be rounded up and deported. We should expand Immigration, Control and Evaluation (ICE), so that they can improve their enforcement efforts. If we need to appoint more judges and open more courts to provide due process to illegal aliens, then we should do so.Each day, we should load up buses with deportees to Mexico and run them across the border. Illegals from other countries should be placed on planes and sent back to their country of origin. There should be no exceptions. These people broke the law when they entered this country and they must be forced to leave.Once they return to their homeland, I have no problem with them applying for legal immigration to the United States. They must start the process from the beginning and, when approved, line up for immigration to the United States. We must also strengthen our borders to ensure that illegals are captured when entering the United States and immediately sent back across the border. Those that engage in the business of human smuggling should be captured and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.In addition, ICE should increase raids against businesses that hire illegal aliens. The business owners should be fined for a first offense and incarcerated for a second and subsequent offenses.As a person who entered this country legally I am angered by the President's new amnesty program. He is rewarding people who break the law with work visas so that they can take the jobs of American citizens.This week, the President also used his executive powers to prevent Congress from receiving documentation relating to the "Fast and Furious" boondoggle. In my opinion, the President would only intervene if there were something in these papers and e-mails that would jeopardize his reelection. By using executive privilege to protect these documents, the President is ensuring there will be a lengthy court battle.If the documents are ever released, it will only be after the next election. Representative Issa must be onto something! There must be some very damaging information in the "Fast and Furious" documents that implicate the President in a gunrunning scheme that resulted in the deaths of many Mexicans and an American Border Patrol agent. Unfortunately, we will not find out what is in these documents until long after the November elections.The American people do not like it when our government deliberately hides information from us. We suspect a cover-up and are usually proven to be correct. Clearly, there is much to be learned about the "Fast and Furious" program. The requested documents will shed light on whether laws were broken. The documents will also determine if the President authorized illegal activities. It is also possible that these documents might indicate that the President was purposely kept in the dark about "Fast and Furious" so that he could officially deny it. Both Republican and Democratic presidents have used this trick in the past.The American people do not like political games. They will evaluate the effectiveness of the President's administration before they vote. Any more incidents like "Fast and Furious" and the President's reign may be over.If President Obama continues to make faux pas like those mentioned above, Mitt Romney will not need a campaign platform. All he needs is to say the he is not President Obama and he will not repeat the President's mistakes. That should get him at least 51 percent of the vote. If he adds in lower taxation and increased enforcement of existing laws, then he may get 53 percent of the vote.Based on the events I observed this week, I now believe that President Obama's campaign is in trouble. I'm sure that his election handlers recognize this as well. Over the next five months we can expect to see a series of Obama boosting campaign ads on television. I also expect to see money flowing from Washington into the pockets of the poor as the President's campaign seeks to purchase votes. With enough government money, the President may be able to buy his reelection.I expect that the presidential horse race will be very interesting. Each candidate will have their peaks and each one will experience setbacks. In the end, we will elect a president for the next 4 years. I sure hope that we elect the best candidate as our country is approaching perilous times.We need a strong leader to ensure that America continues to be the best country in the world and that our country remains strong and free.© 2012 Gordon Smith - All Rights Reserved