The number of executive orders is irrelevant. (Some presidents wrote more, others less.) The question is why any president chose use the executive order. If the Executive Branch is using it to expedite a matter where time is critical, fine.

I am disturbed when any president uses the power of the executive order as a way to create de facto laws without legislative approval. Our Congress, however we may disagree with them, are our elected representatives. When a president bypasses them, he bypasses us; he bypasses the Constitution that he swore to uphold.

I sympathize with my president. Any one of us can relate to his situation, a man with a great idea but is bogged down in the system. He won't be the first or last president to feel that way.

However, the Founders deliberately designed an adversarial, three branch, check and balance system for a reason. That is what he signed up for in his second term.

I am most disturbed that my president seems to be throwing up his hands and buying in to the dysfunction of Washington, D.C., when we need more faith in our system.

-- MATTHEW RUANE, Richland