The 14th Amendment Option?

      Section 4 of the 14th amendment to the constitution states that “The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payments of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.”  Many Democrats are calling for Obama to do invoke this and bypass Congress.  It is a tricky situation and one that must be handled with caution.


     The debt limit has always been raised in the past, even when the situation seemed dire.  However, the case this time is different.  Many in the Tea Party TRULY believe either that default is not possible or that it would be a good thing in the long run.  This is extremely worrisome.  They are very inflexible people.  They are not open to evidence, so experts telling them it would be bad does not phase them.  What happens if the Tea Party pulls us to the brink of default?


    This is where the 14th amendment comes in.  It is not clear whether it would be constitutional for President Obama to try this, but it would postpone a default while the question worked it's way to the Supreme Court.  If I were Obama, I would call the Supreme Court to the White House and ask them what they thought about the matter.  In any case, I firmly believe that if the Tea Party decides to hinder any attempt at a deal, this would be the only viable option to rescue the country.