We are all taught the meaning of right and wrong. Our parents’ values are passed on to us, and we are influenced by our other associations. Normal adults rarely have a problem discerning right from wrong. Between those clear right and wrong issues, are grey areas that might require further analysis. Eventually, most people will agree upon accepted social behavior, best practices, and societal norms.
For final authority, we have laws which are codified. We have legal experts knowledgeable of these laws who act as abettors for disputes. These laws are established by governments upon common agreement and are enforced by our judicial systems.
In our Congress and elsewhere, we also have procedures which may not be formally written into law, that become customs, rules, traditions, or precedents. Such procedures often govern how legislative bodies function over time without ever becoming formal legislation. Such uncodified procedures are only enforceable upon common agreement.
In meteorology, a particularly violent storm may arise when a rare set of weather factors combines. We call such events perfect storms. The “perfect storm” analogy is also used to describe a critical states arising when a number of negative factors combine to create a more serious event.
We are currently enmeshed in a perfect storm of global importance. A man with just enough charisma bamboozled his way into the top leadership of our country. He is a man whose childhood obviously did not establish a normal set of boundaries. Right and wrong don’t exist outside his own wants and needs. Traditions and precedents are of no consequence as they are unenforceable under the law. He is also in a unique position to ignore written laws as he “shoots first and lets the chips fall where they may.” If you get away with it, then it's legal.
This is a long-time litigant who uses chaos, pressure, and confusion to get his way. He calls this “deal making.” For most people, a deal is defined as an agreement entered between two or more parties for their mutual benefit. In his perception of a deal, there are clear winners and a losers. A “good deal” means he wins and someone else loses.
He lives by eight rules:
1. Never apologize.
2. Never admit fault.
3. Always hit back harder.
4. Use fear to advantage.
5. Manipulate attention.
6. Treat lawsuits as weapons.
7. Reward loyalty over honesty.
8. Make cruelty look like confidence.
So, the perfect storm has arrived as a man with no scruples ascends to power and has no checks or balances. A country that relied for two and a half centuries on its principles, traditions, and laws, came up against a man who saw even the strictest of those laws, as nothing more than minor stumbling blocks that could be overrun by relentless litigation or blatant refusal to obey.
When the postmortem is written of this black stain on our democracy, it will hopefully prompt corrective action. We will see a need to codify process and procedure. It will be apparent that we need to have penalties built into our laws and that there will be some way to quickly enforce those laws. Even the president should be accountable. No president or member of the legislature should be exempt from prosecution for financial gains made from political power or conflicts of interest. Their finances should be open for review. Presidential pardons need to be restricted and reviewed independently. They should never be a tool for personal gain.
We need to restore the balance and separation of powers, the integrity of the Supreme Court, the independence of the Attorney General and other agencies that should be beyond party influence and loyalty, and most importantly—get unrestrained financial interests out of politics. Citizens United and related rulings must be overturned. The damage from this perfect storm will need to be assessed and we will need to Build Back Better.
No comments:
Post a Comment