In fewer than 10 days, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States of America, and I can’t wait.
You read that right. I am disturbingly eager for the day to come when the Trump will be inaugurated as the leader of our land. Why, you might ask?
Because once he is in the White House, the citizens of our great country will have at their disposal a long-standing and potentially powerful implement with which to harness the worst of the Trump’s many harmful and outlandish plans to “Make America Great Again.” I speak of the checks-and-balances system conceived and designed by the crafters of the Constitution to maintain a separation of powers in which no one branch of government can usurp powers that belong to either of the other two. The first three articles of the Constitution, in fact, are devoted to the definition of the three branches of government (Congress, Article 1; the president and executive branch, Article 2; and the Supreme Court, Article 3). Therein are also described the ways in which each is dependent on the others to function.
Although I am far from a Constitutional scholar, I find the structure in which our government is created to give me some small comfort as I contemplate four years of the Trump in the White House. If the system works as envisioned, that is.
With that being said, I have some suggestions for the legislative and the judicial branches of the government as they start down the arduous path of keeping us safe and secure in the future.
First, they must demand transparency from one another. Long past is the time when a wink and a nod were acceptable ways of doing business because at the end of the day everyone was on the same page, if that were ever the case. Transparency is crucial to assure us, the citizenry, that our elected and appointed officials are at the business of carrying out their designated responsibilities and not some self-serving business of their own. Our government, via the Constitution, is tasked with the maintenance of unity, justice, domestic tranquility, defense, promotion of the general welfare of the citizens, and securing liberty for all. Nothing more, nothing less. To be clear, while it would be easy for me to enumerate the many ways in which the incoming president has failed the transparency test, members of the other two branches of government don’t have such a stellar track record on the issue, particularly our directly elected representatives of the legislative branch. Each branch demands transparency of the other, but we the people need to raise the bar for them.
Secondly, each branch must demand truthfulness in fact finding from one another and be hypervigilant in calling out lies and those who tell them. Governing in this day of global connectivity, cyber warfare and threats to the continued existence of our planet are already so complicated that the best minds of our world are running at breakneck speed to keep pace with change. Clouding the field with lies, half-truths, and distortions of the truth does nothing but distract all of us from the serious business at hand. Once again, our incoming president has demonstrated that he seldom allows himself to be swayed by fact, preferring to rely on his interpretations of the truth. It is incumbent on members of the other two branches of government, and us, to call BS when we smell it. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Say it loud, say it proud. Moreover, we must back our media when they attempt to seek the truth. We cannot stand idly by and allow journalism to be performed only when it is to the executive’s liking.
My third suggestion is that all players must be willing, maybe even eager, to consider all ideas and proposals on their merits. We cannot condemn them simply because they emanate from the opposition. I, for instance, am willing to go along with the Trump if he feels that a new Air Force One is too expensive. I like that he knows that sort of thing and is willing to speak out about it.
Finally, an admonition. We must, and I must, continue to hold the highest office in the land, that of the presidency of the United States, in the esteem that it deserves. To those who say the Trump is not your president, I would ask if you have yet denounced your citizenship. If not, in less than two weeks he becomes as much your president as he is the president of those who voted for him. We may not support the man, but if we continue to enjoy the freedoms and benefits that accrue to us as U.S. citizens, we must support the office. It is due to the structure of the U.S. government conceived of and articulated by the Constitution that we have the right to demand that the man who holds the highest office of the presidency behave according to standards of truthfulness, decency, and conduct becoming of our leader.
I have been among those who have said the Trump’s not my guy, but on Jan. 20, he becomes my leader, President Trump. And as far as I’m concerned, it can’t happen a moment too soon.
From me, no more name calling. No more, the Trump, the Donald, (T)Rump, and other flippant handles. Donald J. Trump becomes the president of my United States.
Hang on, friends. I think we are in for the ride of our lives.
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