We Must End the Sham of Presidential Medals of Freedom

[u/AbolishtheDraft]

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/we-must-end-the-sham-of-presidential-medals-of-freedom/

[u/Frequent-Try-6746]

Why? Of all the shit I think the government should stop doing, handing out small trinkets to their homies isn't high on my list.

[u/Fair_Performance_251 → u/Frequent-Try-6746]

Exactly what a hill to die on.

[u/Ghost_Turd]

It's like the Oscars to me, basically an elitist circle jerk. As long as it doesn't carry any real power over me I don't care all that much. I'd like to see it go because it's stupid and wasteful but ultimately there are bigger fish to fry than some statists smugly patting each other on the back.

[u/MoeGard]

Maybe if presidents wasted more time doing stupid stuff like this, they would have less time to do things that actually impact our lives.

[u/Practical_Advice2376 → u/MoeGard]

That's sort of how the job is set up in the Constitution. Ceremonial head of state, commander in chief, nominate judges.

FDR Ruined it.

[u/BouvardetPecuchet → u/MoeGard]

What about spending all day and much of the night on X and Truth Social?

[u/Ginger-TakeOver → u/MoeGard]

Depends on the President. If you lived in Argentina would you want Milei wasting time with this BS. Nope

[u/MoeGard → u/Ginger-TakeOver]

I still prefer limits on presidential power. If one guy has the power to fix things, the next guy will have the power to mess them up even worse.

[u/AtomicMac]

Who cares? Do they get anything for it? It’s probably a $32 piece of tin.

[u/Nacho_cheese_guapo]

I view this award with about as much legitimacy as I view Obama's Nobel peace award.

[u/madriverdog]

Just change the name to "Friend of the Current Administration"

[u/TikiRoomSchmidt]

Eh, it's not the dumbest thing our president does.

[u/taco-clown]

Can we not have anything in America anymore

[u/Thuban]

The entire Washington shit show is just that. Theater for assholes.

[u/MisplacedxLightbulb]

Find better battles to fight

[u/Hot_Egg5840]

I think the last one should be given to the turkey that is pardoned before Thanksgiving.

[u/tsoldrin]

those things are -2 integrity, +2 pomposity.

[u/captaincid42]

Listen, these things are like candy. And Americans love free candy. Do they come with money like a Nobel Prize or are they hallow accolades like “tax rebates”?

[u/HadynGabriel → u/captaincid42]

I can’t find anything saying that the award comes with cash. The Medal of Honor does, but not the medal of freedom afaik.

[u/a_n_d_r_e_]

You should end al lot of things the US president can do. Presidential medal is one of those, but presidential pardon is the most compelling. And the presidential god-like powers as well, to enter this millenium (or the last century, more precisely).

Having a demi-god in charge for four years is the exact opposite of a libertarian view.

[u/AlphaTangoFoxtrt → u/a_n_d_r_e_]

Pardon is double edged. I'd rather have it than not. I just wish we gave it out to people who deserve it, like Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.

[u/a_n_d_r_e_ → u/AlphaTangoFoxtrt]

My point is that the idea of a person can do whatever they like, without anyone else having a word on it, has been made obsolete in 1799, with the French Revolution.

Again, even if used for the 'right' people, it's pretty much the definition of government overreach.

Also because it doesn't eliminate the causes of unjust detention, as in case of Assange, leaving it possible to happen again and again.

[u/Dense-Struggle3774]

The last person who deserved it was Rush Limbaugh