Can a president just change the laws?

You're right - the President doesn't make the laws, or set taxes, Congress does.

The point is, though, that we already have a Democrat controlled left-wing Liberal Congress. At the moment we have a Republican President, and that acts as a brake on the socialist dreams of the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein. If Obama wins the Presidency, though, we will have a socialist President, AND a left wing Congress. That means there's nothing to stop them imposing their dream of turning the USA into a Socialist State.

Richard

You are absolutely correct. The president can only approve bills that have been passed in congress and then they become law. What a president usually means, when they say they will do this or that, is that they will put pressure on congress to get these things done or recommend bills to congress. I guess what is interesting is that the president is responsible for enforcing the laws, so I guess technically if there was a law he didn't like he wouldn't have to enforce it.

In response to a previous answer...

What the Hate-Bush-First crowed does not realize is that if the president really did "trample all over the Constitution" he would have been impeached. And he didn't act like all three branches of government... that is just ridiculous.

Yes, the President can change policy and agency leadership from the top down (some distance), thus affecting millions of people who rely upon the hundreds of federal agencies. This will have a profound impact on agency rules and adjudications. For example, the Justice Department would decide it's pointless to prosecute certain types of murderers, or decide that drug interdiction is no longer a priority, and Congress could do little to change such a policy, effectively changing the laws, at least temporarily.

A president cannot change the Law. He (or she some day) can Ignore it, twist it and demean it. The President commands the apparatus that executes the laws. As such the President can have enormous influence on what laws are executed and which are 'forgotten.' Take the EPA for example, In more Liberal administrations it has been known to be a campaigner for many issues. On the other hand under Conservative admins, the EPA is more of a denier of responsibility. And it goes the same for all the other numerous agencies and whatnot.

None president can not make regulation you ought to probable use government orders this is not an analogous because of the fact the regulation and the Congress can substitute it in my view i think of Congress ought to get rid of the superb of government orders there unconstitutional As vp you are able to a minimum of vote for legislations president has much less rights than the vp whilst it incorporates making rules the two those with the main ability to make rules is Nancy Pelosi democrat from California and Harry Mason Reid democrat from Nevada

Well, President Bush seems to think that he can re-write the laws whenever he feels like it. For instance:

Torture

Wiretapping

Signing Statements

etc...

And then when Congress tries to hold him accountable he declares Executive Privilege

But the truth of the matter is that the Senate and the House of Representatives must pass a bill that would then either be signed or vetoed by the President. Furthermore, unless your income is in the top 5% of Americans you do not need to worry about your taxes going up. See Table 10 in the link below for a study showing the two candidates tax plans and how it will affect you

If he is elected, there is a very good chance that Congress will also be Democratic (there's a good chance of that either way, actually). Since politics is so partisan, if Obama wants something, he will get it.

Think back just a few years when Bush had a Republican controlled Congress. Do you think it will be any different if Obama has a Democratically controlled Congress?

No. Laws have to be voted on and passed by congress and the senate. The president can veto a law, and hang them up, but no, the president cannot independently change laws.

You are right. THe president presents his ideas and prospective laws to congress and the cabinet and they vote. So if they don't want it it doesn't happen.

Well in theory you can't, but president bush has trampled all over the constitution and basically acted as all three branches of government.