What our nation’s recent “experiment” by electing Donald Trump has shown is a confirmation of the reluctance the Framers of the Constitution had for any concentration of power in a single magistrate; they definitely did not want a government with a king.
But after suffering discord and instability under the Articles of Confederation, they begrudgingly accepted the need for an executive branch with what was thought sufficient safeguards in assuring a balance of power, primarily in the establishment of impeachment, as well as a four-year term.
However, these men of intellect and reason never envisioned the nation in which we now live; one with a “reality-agnostic media consumer” citizenry coupled with an insidiously potent and distortion-filled social media. This nation’s Frankenstein-like “experiment” can lead to only one conclusion: Time to strip power from the executive branch.
Such a mitigated form should be designed to put the emphasis back in the legislative branch where Hamilton saw advantage in that body’s “deliberation and circumspection, and serve to check excesses in the majority.” This correction should also make the position less attractive to megalomaniacs, narcissists and other miscreants; and attract those who are genuinely interested in public service.
Guy Fleischer
Brier
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