My respect for George Washington, and his foresight that remains valuable today is known to those of you who read my blogs. His respect for the Constitution and his wisdom remains a valuable source for present-day understanding of our Constitution. He viewed the separation of checks and balances as essential to limit government power and prevent tyranny. In his farewell address Washington explicitly warned the nation on encroachments of those separate franchises. His concerns were valid. My examples of Presidents that avoided the Constitution are of past Presidents rather than making political comments about current Presidents.
Harry Truman deployed troops to the Korean War through the United Nations, avoiding Congregational authorization. Nixon conducted secret bombing operations in Libya without Congressional approval. Even earlier, Andrew Jackson ignored treaties in clearing the path of the Trail of Tears. Avoiding rules and agreements are not new.
However, that is not to say that the Founding Fathers overlooked establishing rules. The First Amendment established "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
More was needed to cover the protection of the Nation's Capital, and among them are The Capital Planning Act with the Comprehensive Planning 40 U.S.C. & 8722, and the Capital Improvements (40 U.S,C, &8723, District Zoning, Land Acquisition and Disposition, and more. There are more, but the point is that provisions exist to protect with checks and balances in making our Constitution function as it is intended.
It is the responsibility of those we elect to see that the laws and rules are followed. The Founding Fathers carefully protected against America becoming controlled by King-like power.
We are the ones who vote for the Legislative Branch and the Senate. We cannot be aware of all the things happening, but when we vote we are entrusting those men and women to protect our constitution for us. Our votes truly matter, but only if those we have entrusted with the responsibility of doing their roles wisely and independently does our constitution work.
The Executive Branch is the President's branch, obviously important. But, perhaps more important are those chosen for the President's cabinet. We do not get to vote for his choices, but the Senator we elect does. That is certainly as important as the votes we cast through the Senators we elect. We should pay attention to whom the President has chosen. If we disagree with his choice, it is important to let your Senator know.
That is where President Washington's concern is important. If we pay no attention to the President's choices. and their character or lack of experience, or if our Senators simply rubber stamp the President's choice, we are basically allowing our president to function as a King.
The Judicial Branch, or as we know it, The United States Supreme Court, is extremely important, and today's court often seems prepared to vote even before the arguments are heard. A split court, where the likely decision is anticipatable before arguments are even heard, is disturbing. As a young attorney, I had great respect for the court. I believed they truly respected the great responsibility they held and saw their role as protecting the Constitution and the wisdom of their processors on the bench. Reversing past decisions should be respected and reversing past decisions should not be based on personal preference. It should definitely be based on influence outside the court. Today, it often seems to me that the members of the court have decided their vote well before cases have been considered. That kind of feeling weakens the trust of citizens.
Voting has already started in some states, and although it is not a Presidential year, it is a very important year. Don't stay home because you aren't excited about any of the candidates. I am noticing that many of the promotional ads are more about hating the other candidate than describing their own goals. That approach fails to share their own positive ideas.
Just because this is an off year does not make it unimportant. This is an important year for many reasons, and it deserves the thoughtful reflection of everyone before we vote. Listen to a variety of news programs. If you have people you respect, discuss things with them. If you have a chance to hear candidates in person, go. It seems like a great many Americans are doing just that.
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