FOR CLASSROOM DISCUSSION
20. Would a single presidential term of six years be preferable to the present custom of electing a President for not more than two four-year terms?
21. Should the President be chosen directly by the people, without resort to the electoral college?
22. Does Congress exercise too little control over the choice of the President's Cabinet?
23. Advantages and disadvantages of the veto power. (See Munro, The Government of the United States, page 119.)
24. Should the President be permitted to veto separate items in a bill?
CHAPTER XLI
THE NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
520. DEVELOPMENT OF THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE.—The President is the head of the Federal executive, but in the performance of his numerous administrative duties he is aided by a number of subordinate officers.
No executive departments were directly established by the Constitution, but that document evidently assumes their existence, for it clearly states that the President "may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices." [Footnote: Article II, Section II, of the Constitution.]