One of today’s great Chicago architects likes to critique buildings by asking: “If this is the answer, what was the question?” It cuts to the chase. Imagine standing before this…thing and applying the above critique. The question becomes: “Can you build me a poorly lit maximum-security prison tower to live in? Absurd, right? Just like the result. Similarly, to properly understand the absurdity of the U.S. Government backing car warranties, we must ask ourselves what the objective is regarding the auto industry. Improved sales? Economic viability? Something along these lines, surely, …
On April 8, 1952, President Harry Truman ordered Commerce Secretary Charles Sawyer to seize and take over operation of most of the country’s steel mills. Truman cited no legislative authority for his actions. Instead, he cited the Korean War. Truman claimed there was a national emergency and his presidential war powers were all the authority he needed to nationalize the steel industry. The steel companies fought back, and in the landmark case Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer the Supreme Court found Truman’s actions to be unconstitutional. Justifying President …
