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During his inaugural speech on January 20, 1981, President Ronald Reagan famously said, "in this pres ent crisis, government is not the solution to our problem s ; government is the problem." In another speech he again criticized the government by saying, " Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. "
So he was, quite obviously, not a fan of the government, at least a big, bloated one. But then why was it that he did very little to nothing to present his own solutions to the many problems he saw in the government that he was supposed to be leading?
W ho knows? I guess he just wasn't up to the job. And now we have another president who, like Reagan, has little to no use for the government he is supposed to be leading. Y et one more president who is good at criticizing but seems to have no effective solutions for the problems he complains about.!!br0ken!!
The re is nothing wrong with criticizing your government; that is cal led dissent ing . In fact it is very necessary in certain situations. Thomas Jefferson often is quoted as having said, "honest dissent is the greatest form of patriotism", since by identifying serious problems, demanding change, and offering up solutions, one is being truly patriotic. False allegations, on the other hand, with no proof of serious governmental wrongdoing, do es nothing but create conflict .
good example of the government doing something illegal and highly disturbing took place in 2015 when the National Security Agency was caught in a wholesale collection of data on all telephone calls made in the US. After Americans became enraged over this violation of t heir privacy, a federal judge ruled that this was a violat ion the Constitution's protection against unreasonable searches and the process was ended. M assive dissent forced the change; not the ranting and railing from the president.
In a recent Newsweek, article , Mike Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, is quoted as stating that "NO PRESIDENT IN LIVING MEMORY HAS SHOWN LESS RESPECT FOR ITS (America's) TENETS, NORMS AND PRINCIPLES" than Mr. Trump.
He further stated that "Trump has assailed essential institutions and traditions, including the separation of powers, a free press, an independent judiciary, the impartial delivery of justice, safeguards against corruption and, most disturbingly, the legitimacy of elections."
Now, we know that, over decades, some government entities and agencies have, on occasion, done things that were highly questionable and, perhaps, less than legal or honorable. That happens because there are devious elements in most any organization and they need to be dealt with.
If this president has any proof of serious wrongdoing having been done by any important agencies then he should attack the problems he sees instead of attacking the agencies and their leaders. A competent president would work to institute reforms, not just attack and condemn what may be going on. When he does that he is, in effect, sowing the seeds of anti-government across this country.
So, Abramowitz and I are of the same mind on this matter with some differences in how we see Trump's policies and actions. Here is how I see it
Trump thinks he has unlimited presidential powers. He obviously has very limited knowledge of the Constitution and, therefore, doesn't even realize that he is violating various of its provisions. Likewise he has little to no understanding of the rules of the Congress. And so he acts like a bull in a china shop as he tries to run over anything that stands in his way.
He thinks the rule of law doesn't apply to him.
He raises the possibility of pardons to persuade witnesses to remain silent and not divulge anything about him to Robert Mueller. Someone could write a book about the many times he has said or tweeted things that are clear examples of the obstruction of justice.
He doesn't accept the Constitution's provision that calls for congressional oversight over the executive branch. He says Democrats on House oversight committees that are preparing various investigations involving him have no right to do do so, that Democrats are just out to get him.
He refuses to accept the fact that Mueller is simply doing the job Congress gave him relative to Russian meddling. Everyone is getting bored out of their minds as he rants and raves about this being nothing more than a witch hunt, a hoax, and a complete fraud.
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