Could this time be different? Yes, says Yoni Appelbaum in a thought-provoking essay in the Atlantic titled “
How America Ends.” Appelbaum argues that “the United States is undergoing a transition perhaps no rich and stable democracy has ever experienced: Its historically dominant group is on its way to becoming a political minority — and its minority groups are asserting their co-equal rights and interests.”
Ezra Klein notes a related transformation: “Almost 70% of American seniors are white and Christian. Only 29% of young adults are white and Christian.”
That paragraph certainly nails the majority of folks and viewpoints on this forum site! Anyone who doesn't look, think and pray to the same mythical God as them is their enemy...even if those folks are US citizens by birth. In their minds, the words on the Statue of Liberty only apply to WASPs.
Minority groups are asserting their co-equal rights?
What rights to minority groups not have? While it's been true the there is a higher percentage of self-identified Christians in the United States than self-identified Jews in Israel, we are not a theocracy, not a "Christian" nation. If, and only if, we get back to following the Constitution, our nation will be fine. Whether the majority are white or Christian or not really doesn't matter to the nation's ability to prosper and thrive.
Your assumptions about WASPs and God are really just that - YOUR problems, not the problems of others. You just see it as the problems of others because, well, it appears your a bigoted idiot like that.
There is another concerning trend that threatens America’s constitutional character: the ever-expanding power of the presidency. Whatever you think of the charges against President Trump on Russia or Ukraine, his position of resolute noncooperation with Congress should trouble you deeply. If Congress cannot exercise its core oversight capacity, obtain documents and subpoena administration officials to testify, the essential system of checks and balances has broken down. The presidency will have become an elected dictatorship.
That paragraph also nails the majority of folks and viewpoints on this forum site! Actions that in the past would have caused the ignorati types to scream bloody murder are now met with orgasmic glee. The very same people who cling to their guns like a 2 year old's blankee because the evil government might try to usurp the power of the people cheer every time this President acts like a king, ignores the checks on his office and uses the office for personal profit.
WRT the "personal profit" thing, I don't recall you being upset when the State Dept ordered thousands of King Obama's books, directly lining King Obama's pockets. It seems ludicrously stupid of you to believe the guy who donates 100% of his salary, reduced the overall personal staff for the First Family, and literally is losing ground in profits on his businesses because he became president would somehow be using the office for "personal profit", but the guys who came into the office as thousandaires and left as multi-millionaires were not. But, "ludicrously stupid" and "you" could reasonably be seen in this context as redundant.
The position of resolute non-cooperation with congress does not trouble me deeply. I've searched and searched and find no "core oversight capacity" in the constitution for the Congress. Please correct me if I'm wrong by showing me which article and section that is in, because I just can't find it. It is true that there is a growing perception of power and authority in the executive; that is coming from the legislative writing laws (and the executive signing them) that forces the legislative authority over to the executive. The president is not acting like a king when he uses that authority, he's acting like the duly elected president following the laws of the nation. The problem is not the president flouting Congress, the problem is the Congress giving the president that authority.
Congress does not and should not have the authority to dig into the president's personal finances on a fishing expedition. The fourth amendment promises us this, because the president is, after all, a citizen. If Congress feels the president has committed a crime, they are free to conduct the impeachment proceedings as they are. However, that does not compel a person to actually testify unless under a judicially-authorized subpoena, and even then there are long-standing understood executive privileged conversations. We routinely use phrases like "pre-decisional" to bypass - and rightfully so - FOIA laws. Private policy discussions are not for congressional ears.
If you have a problem with the power of the Executive, see the Legislative that gave those powers to the Executive.
