Will the Dream End at 248?

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

Today, July 4, 2024, all real Americans celebrate the Birth of the New Nation, now 248 years old.. Our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. I can’t imagine the excitement Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and the others felt as their dream had begun.

The war with England was underway. The Revolutionary War began in Lexington and Concord in April of 1775, and would not end until September of 1783.

The United States of America has often been described as “the Great Experiment.” Most factors were against the success of a new nation, founded on freedom and equality for all. The two primary principles were the elimination of an autocratic form of government and prevent what happened in England, and the final reason our Founding Fathers came to the New World, religious persecution.

248 YEARS LATER, WILL OUR SECOND PRESIDENT’S WORDS BECOME REALITY?

“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” John Adams, Second President of the United States

I fear that President Adam’s words are exactly what is happening today. The innate desire of many men is to have power over others. With great power comes great wealth. Together, these two evils are always destructive and cause pain and suffering for the many.

Politicians who decide to seek a career in public service claim that their desire is based on a need to accomplish something of importance for the people of their country. Once they are elected and reelected, they become “professional politicians.” In most cases, their desire to serve is replaced by a need for more power, more money, and simply put, personal gain. This is the situation in America today. Without term limits, the old adage becomes 100 percent accurate: “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

This is interesting because no individual has greater power than presidents, prime ministers, monarchs, and dictators. In most situations, the powers of presidents and prime ministers are limited. This is why the worst decision ever made by the Supreme Court on July 1, 2024 immediately became the greatest danger to democracy in America.

THE INTENT OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS REMAINS CLEAR

I find it impossible for anyone who reads the Constitution of the United States of America not to understand that the primary purpose of our Founding Fathers when creating a Democratic Republic, containing three “separate but equal” branches, was to prevent any form of autocratic government. They believed that the people should have a strong voice in the governance of their nation.

This system of “checks and balances” is as close to perfect as humanly possible if the powers of each branch are preserved and used wisely.

The legislative branch has several powers, the most important being the creation of laws, the declaration of war, and overriding a veto of legislation by the president. The latter is a serious deterrent to the establishment of a dictatorship.

The executive branch has multiple powers and even greater responsibilities. First and foremost is the safety and security of the people. The second is to work with congress with the intention of passing legislation which will serve all Americans. Third is to work with the leaders of other nations to establish working relationships. Included in these discussions are trade, security, and for the United States strengthening the NATO alliance to prevent attacks by our nation’s enemies upon our country or those of our allies.

In the 21^st century a president’s role has changed. With the growth of domestic terrorism, pervasive anger, hatred and the acceptance of violence in the name of political leaders, he or she must find a way to reunite our nation’s people. However, this challenge has become increasingly difficult because of extremists on the right who have become obstructionists, and a politicized Supreme Court intent on destroying progress made over the last 60+ years.

The only purpose of the Supreme Court is to ensure that laws, regulations, and policies established by local, state, and federal governments do not infringe upon the Constitutional rights of the American people.

Unfortunately, this corrupted Court, with a 6-3 majority, is re-writing laws and creating their own. Sadly, the people have only one recourse: encourage the House to begin the impeachment process against these six biased justices.

My fear is justified. Trump did everything possible to overthrow our government in four years, including an attempted coup. What will he do now if he is elected? He will have nearly absolute power.

It’s fair to say, “if we can’t trust the Supreme Court, who can we trust?” Justices do not face reelection, they are appointed for life. Our Founding Fathers had undeserved faith in their assumption that without being forced to endure the lengthy election process, they would not become politically motivated. They failed to consider the evil which lives in the hearts of mankind.

We must rely on the efforts of real Americans in Washington. Unfortunately, that includes only three women on the Supreme Court.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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