Mr. President, Raise the Debt Ceiling!

America balances governmental power by dividing it between three branches, the Legislative (both houses of Congress), the Judicial (Federal Courts), and the Executive (the President).  The Legislative branch creates rules and laws; the judiciary, judges the interpretation and application of the rules and laws, subject to the defining authority of the Constitution; while the Executive conducts the business and interests of the Nation, including the preservation, protection and defense of the Constitution.

The President has the authority to define national expenditures.  Toward that end, the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, requires that the President submits a budget request to Congress, each year,  for the following fiscal year.  The President's budgeting and spending power, is balanced by the power of Congress to deny funding requests. 

In the present debt ceiling debacle, Republicans are attempting to use their congressional authority to supplant the President's authority to direct national spending.  Republicans are attempting to coerce the President into developing a budget, of their choosing, by threatening not to lift the debt ceiling, thereby preventing the President from paying the national debt.

During the Civil War, the United States was, for the first time, confronted with financial obligations that they intended to repudiate, namely, financial losses and obligation incurred by the confederacy.

In repudiating the debts of the Confederacy, they distinguish the debts of the Confederacy, from "public debts." which they declared "shall not be questioned."  In effect, the Fourteenth amendment identifies the national policy on debts, namely, that they should be paid, "without question." 

The Fourteenth Amendment, section 4, is tantamount to a directive to the Executive branch, which is responsible for paying the national debt, to do so, without exception; thereby implying that the Executive is empowered to carry out that directive.

Mr. President, get out your pen, and execute an executive order to raise the debt ceiling!