Never did I think in my middle-aged-hood that I’d refresh what I’d learned in civics class. Over the years, I’ve learned that “innocent until proven guilty” only applied to the most privileged. Now, I’m relearning that this country really doesn’t have checks and balances despite the three branches of government. Even “due process” is an afterthought for this current executive branch.
The founding fathers would be amazed that a bullying, con-artist billionaire wannabe would blow past what we’ve held to be self-evident all these centuries.
In all the permutations about the second civil war in the U.S., who imagined that it would begin with a billionaire takeover of the White House? I figured that white anger would play a part, but, for once, this has not been primarily against Black people. Even our sole Black president didn’t take the U.S. to such a brink of collapse.
This may be the first time that white anger has worked for people of color. However long that exists since the last thing the powers that be wants is for the 99% to be united. They usually pit poor people of different races against ourselves, so that we’re too distracted to fight the power.
In DOGE’s chainsaw haste to cut out fraud/waste/abuse, both real and mostly imagined, it has mass-fired thousands of people, regardless of race, then quickly rehired those who should have never been on the chopping block due to security and health reasons. But, that’s not the totality of the terminated.
This is the first administration that, instead of boasting about job creation, gleefully celebrates adding thousands to the unemployed list. All for the sake of saving money, which in the end, will cost us more money to take care of people who no longer have the financial means to take care of themselves.
As expected, some of the angry masses have taken to graffiting and blowing up Teslas. Future Tesla owners have changed their minds about buying them, plummeting both sales and stocks. Now the White House and big wig GOP are whoring themselves to entice people to buy those cars, or at least the stock when higher ups in the company have dumped their shares.
Additionally, the GOP are extremely vocal when denouncing domestic terrorism when discussing the graffi/vandalism/bombings of targeted Teslas, but are deafeningly silent about the lack of due process under which DOGE operates.
Granted, two wrongs don’t make a right, but the federal government has to return to fair practices to stop fomenting negative, and sometimes violent reactions among its citizens. Plus, the other two branches must step up.
Some have questioned why one judge can block the executive branch. The easy answer is that the founding fathers set up our country so that one person in the executive branch couldn’t be a dictator.
Apparently, the legislative branch is waiting for more of their own to be elected in less than two years. In the past, midterm elections have been a reliable way to send a message to the White House. Just like during the Orange Menance 1.0 and we elected more women to congress than ever.
I’m praying that we’ll have a democracy still standing to accommodate the election process. Actually, I’m adding that to all the other prayers that I’ve found myself meditating on since 2.0. What would make me feel much better, though, is the return of due process.