We have witnessed President Barack Obama, and his administration, issue edicts, work against and/or ignore the US Constitution and Congress, and be inconsistent when it suits him.  The question now becomes, "What will Obama do next?"

In August, 2011, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued a proposed regulation that would force all health care plans to cover sterilizations and contraceptives, including those that cause abortion.  On January 20, 2012, Sebelius announced that the final regulation would take effect for individuals and business owners on August 1, 2012, and for Catholic hospitals, universities and charities on August 1, 2013.

Also, because Obamacare mandates that all Americans must purchase health insurance, the HHS regulation will require Catholics to act against the teachings of their faith.  Obama is attacking the First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion.  To try to ease the outcry the HHS announcement caused, Obama, on Friday, February 10, 2012, he proposed a "solution," an "accommodation." 

So since Obama and his administration think they can ignore the US Constitution, particularly the first amendment, and mandate that Catholics go against their faith, the question now is, "What next?"

Let's turn our attention to the Second Amendment. Obama's most lasting impact on gun control is through the appointment of Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, both gun control advocates, to the Supreme Court.  While paying lip service to the second amendment, he told Sarah Brady, "I just want you to know that we are working on [gun control]. We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar."  What good will the second amendment be if/when all guns have been "controlled" out of existence?

As for the rest of the Bill of Rights (amendments 3 - 10), the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) took care of that.  The NDAA is an act that grants the US military the "legal" right to conduct secret kidnappings of US citizens, followed by indefinite detention, interrogation, torture, and even murder, and Obama signed it into law.

With his "We can't wait" campaign, Obama has declared that he will ignore the US Constitution and Congress when they don't let him have his way.  In December, 2011, Obama appointed Richard Cordray to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.   Also in December, 2011, he appointed three members to the National Labor Relations Board. They were all "recess appointments."  The only problem was that Congress had not recessed.  This attempt to circumvent the legislative branch is a violation of Obama's oath of office to uphold and defend the US Constitution.

On December 17, 2011, the Senate agreed to, as it can as outlined in Article I, Section 5 of the US Constitution, an order instituting "pro forma" sessions.  President Obama now claims that the Senate was actually recessed.  But on December 23, 2011, President Obama signed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut.  If the Senate was actually on recess, as Obama claimed, that day, it couldn't have passed the bill, and Obama couldn't have signed it into law.  Ever inconsistent and looking for situations to get his own way, Obama did not respect the Senate's own view as to whether it was in session or not.

In a radio interview on November 6, 2011, Obama said that if Congress is not willing to pass legislation he wants, he will do it himself in order to win another term.

We now have a clear picture of Obama's behavior.  With that picture in mind, we can now ask the question, "What will he do next?"  Obama ignores the US Constitution and Congress when it suits his purposes.  He issues edicts without regard to the US Constitution. He signs into law unconstitutional acts.  He is blatantly inconsistent.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said, "If that [ObamaCare] is held constitutional -- for them [Obama and his administration] to be able to tell us we have to purchase health insurance -- then there is literally nothing that the federal government can't force us to do. Nothing."

So again, I ask the question, "What next?"  What other edicts/mandates/surprises await us?   Since the government is the major shareholder in General Motors, is he, in an effort to reach his goal of having 1 million electric cars on US highways by 2015, going next to tell us that we must purchase Chevy Volts?  Is a declaration of martial law coming?  Is he going to try to suspend ALL civil rights?  Is he going to suspend elections and have himself declared king?

Martin Niemoller, a decorated U-boat captain in World War I, became a minister of religion and an opponent of the Nazis in the 1930s.  He said:

"When the Nazis came for the communists, I said nothing; I was, of course, no communist.
When they locked up the Social Democrats, I said nothing; I was, of course, no Social Democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I said nothing; I was, of course, no trade unionist.
When they came for me, there was no one left who could protest."

Was he prophetic? 

Dr. Beatty earned a Ph.D. in Quantitative Management and Statistics from Florida State University.  He was a (very conservative) professor of quantitative management specializing in using statistics to assist/support decision making. He has been a consultant to many small businesses and is now retired.  Dr. Beatty is a veteran who served in the US Army for 22 years. He blogs at: rwno.limewebs.com