Let’s look at the pure number of Executive Orders written by some previous Presidents…
Teddy Roosevelt: 1,081 (2 terms)
Taft: 724 (1 term)
Wilson: 1,802 (2)
Harding: 522 (½ term, died just over 2 years into his Presidency)
Coolidge: 1,203 (Finished Hardings term, +1 term)
Hoover: 968 (1)
FDR: 3,522 (3) <– WINNER!! (Parts of the “New Deal” were enacted using only Executive Orders)
Truman: 907 (2)
Eisenhower: 484 (2)
JFK: 214 (½)
Johnson: 325 (1 + ½ JFK)
Nixon: 346 (2)
Ford: 169 (1)
Carter: 320 (1)
Reagan: 381 (2)
G.H.W. Bush: 166 (1)
Clinton: 364 (2)
G.W. Bush: 291 (1)
Obama: 168 (1 ½)

Executive Orders help officers and agencies of the executive branch manage the operations within the federal government itself. Executive orders have the full force of law when they take authority from a power granted directly to the Executive (President) by the Constitution, or are made in response to certain Acts of Congress that explicitly delegate to the President some degree of discretionary power. Executive orders are subject to judicial review, and may be struck down if deemed by the courts to be unsupported by statute or the Constitution. Major policy initiatives usually require approval by the legislative branch, but executive orders have significant influence over the internal affairs of government, deciding how and to what degree laws will be enforced, dealing with emergencies, waging war, and in general fine policy choices in the implementation of broad statutes.

So far, in my opinion, Obama has not over stepped his bounds and it’s literally the only way to get something done with this “do nothing congress.” To call this, the 113th, Congress bad is like calling water wet. It is harming the economy in the short term while running from serious long-term problems. Their approval ratings are stuck in the teens, with occasion dips into single digits. Having enacted 104 laws since early 2013, this Congress is on track to break the previous record low of 283, set in 2011/12 by the 112th Congress. Did I mention they “single handedly” shutdown the Government for a few days? What did that cause? Well, for one it closed all National Parks during the busy season, which lost upwards of $500 million (low estimate) in tourist spending nationwide, which not only hurt the parks themselves, but the surrounding communities who live off the backs of tourism.

Honestly, we’re better off when Congress at home… At least then we’re wasting less tax dollars on these idiots.