The President 's Formal Powers Essay

The Executive Branch of the United and States and the Missouri Executive Branch are much similar to one another, since they were created for the same basic objectives, to implement and enforce laws; however, they do have some differences. As the US president, the Governor of Missouri serves a four-year term and may only serve two terms, nevertheless, while the president must be at least 35 years old and a US resident for 14 years, the governor must be 30 years old and a Missouri resident for ten years. Both, the president and the governor have the power to formulate a government budget; to pardon, reprieve, parole and commute sentences; and both act as the Commander-in-chief of military force. The two of them have the power to veto laws, however,

The president uses informal powers to set and enact a legislative agenda, to do executive orders, send out troops without a declaration of war, make executive agreements, create and use bureaucracy, and make legislative proposals. Out of all the informal powers presidents tend to use the executive power the most.

The power of the governor of Texas isn’t as powerful as many other states. There was a study done by two professors, Thad Beyle and Margaret Ferguson, and it showed that Texas tied 39th with four other in the overall institutional powers of the governor. The Texas governor must share the budget making responsibility with others. The Secretary of State is the only official appointed by the Governor.

The Texas governor in compared to other states governors doesn’t actually have very much power this is because in the 1875 Constitutional Convention powerful interest groups like the Grangers were determined to eliminate big government so they deiced to limit the governors powers creating what is called a plural executive meaning no one holds too much power. In Texas the governor has the power to appoint, military power, and

1. The governor has several military and police powers. Firstly, the governor is the commander in chief of the state’s National Guard units when they are not under presidential orders. On top of that, the governor’s military power allows them to declare martial law, which suspends most civil authority and imposes military rule over an area. The police powers of the governor allow them to appoint a three-member Public Safety Commission that directs the work of the Department of Public Safety with Senate approval. Adding to that, the last police power that the governor has is the ability to assume the

The executive branch consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. Texas has a plural executive branch system, which limits the power of the Governor. Except for the Secretary of State, all executive officers are elected independently, making them directly answerable to the public but not the Governor. The executive branch also includes several boards and commissions that are made up of a mixture of elections and gubernatorial appointments confirmed by the Senate. In addition, there are many independent boards, commissions, and agencies that operate independently of the governor. Power is decentralized among many officials. Although the governor appoints over 3,000 individuals to 285-plus state boards and commissions, he has very limited removal authority and thus, has little control over the executive branch. Even with the Governor appointing several members of boards and commissions, the overall effect is a large network of administrative groups that neither the

persuade. He has many options in a lot of areas, though one of them is

There are many different opinions on how much power the governor of Texas should have than other states. Some people debate on whether Texas government should have a singular executive instead of plural executive. There are pros and cons of having a plural executive model and at times they believe that it can be more democratic than the single executive model. The governor’s power is debated about whether or not they have not enough or too much power with governing the state of Texas.

The most common Governmental figure in Texas is the Governor. This power is nothing more than that of a celebrity status. Although the Governor has the power to appoint independent boards and commissions, the senate has to confirm these appointments. This is called senatorial courtesy What is meant when this job is more like a celebrity is because of the Governor‘s ceremonial roles as acting as Chief of State. This increases the Governor‘s popularity and prestige, and broadens the image of the office. One important power or role that the Governor is responsible for is coordinating relations between Texas and other states. This can definitely be an important factor. For example, the need of federal aid during the time of an emergency can require the help of other states. The Governor also acts as the Chief Budget officer of the state. Even though the presiding officer presides over this office, the Governor does have some control.

The Lieutenant Governor can assign bills to committees in the Senate, as well as serving on important boards and casting decisive vote on the Senate floor (laits.utexas.edu). Although the Lieutenant Governor holds little responsibilities in the executive branch, the Lieutenant Governor handle operations in lieu of the Governor, as the title implies (laits.utexas.edu). The Governor, on the other hand, has the ability to veto bills, seen from previous Governor Rick Perry (laits.utexas.edu). The Governor is also appointed to see laws become “faithfully executed” (Beal 76). Powers also involve the position of commander-in-chief in state military forces, advising a budget for the next two years, and selecting Texans execute laws and policies of the state government (gov.texas.gov). Both Lieutenant Governor and Governor own and uphold extensive degrees of power, but the one more powerful lies in how that power is used and what it can be used for. Although the Lieutenant Governor is second in command behind the Governor, similar to vice president to president, these powers are more versatile. The Governor may veto the bills, but the Lieutenant Governor determines the order where bills are considered by the state senate and has the ability to argue and make a vote on all issues, breaking the tie when the situation arises (laits.utexas.edu). In a sense, the Governor holds more

First is the executive branch. The executive branch is often referred to as a “plural executive” because many of the offices in that branch of government are elected directly by Texas voters. The Executive Department of the State is composed of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Commissioner of the General Land Office, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State, all of whom are elected except the Secretary of State (who is appointed by the Governor). The current governor of Texas (48th) is Republican Greg Abbott, a former lawyer and former Attorney General. In order to be the governor of Texas, one must be at least 30 years of age, a US citizen, a registered voter, and must be living in Texas for at least the last 5 years. Being Governor is a 4 year term with no term limits and is a full time job with a salary of $150,000 per year. The Governor has powers including some law enforcement powers, some military powers, the title of “Head of State” who gives the State of the State Address, can appoint department heads like the department head of Park and Wildlife and Department of Transportation, and he

President has the right to deploy the military in most situations, but does not have the

The president also has the power of assigning the federal judges, and when to call Congress into session. Likewise, the president has the power to either sign or veto a piece of legislation from Congress.

Another very notable role of the President also outlined in Article II. Section 2. of the Constitution and reads, “He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court(http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html). It essentially gives the President power to make treaties with foreign nations however, two-thirds of Congress must be in agreement with the decision. Although the President, or the Executive Branch can be interpreted as the most authoritative arm of government, its powers are still limited and restricted by the process of checks and balances. Each branch of government has some governance over the other two divisions. For instance, just as it is outlined above, the President can nominate Ambassadors and Judges of the Supreme Court but the decision must be upheld by Congress. In other words, under the "Advice and Consent clause the appointed member must be sworn in by the Senate. Again, this is an example of how the system of checks and balances limits the powers of the President.

What if Texas voters love their Governor unconditionally, like Gregg Abbott and Rick Perry? In today’s political landscape, can Texas voters be easily manipulated using media technology and social media in making them aware when a beloved Governor oppose a candidate running for one of the administrative offices. Is manipulating the political system to their advantage against the constitution? I understand what the author is conveying as outlined in the Texas Constitution regarding the rights of Texas voters; however, in today’s political landscape are we able to think for ourselves with such technological influences available for politicians to convey their political messages? According to the Long Star News Review, “Plural Executive System: Pushing Buttons and Pulling Punches, Secretary Rick Perry was a prime example of a Governor who on many occasions heavily influenced the legislative and judicial branches power; therefore, never viewed by his critics as a Governor with limited power. Serving three terms as Governor, Forbes Magazine in the article “What Does Rick Perry Have to Do with Texas' Success?” calls out Secretary Perry’s critics and acknowledges