Promises and the Rule of Law

by Errington C. Thompson, MD –

Everything was too expensive, and Donald Trump pledged to solve our problem. Since taking office, I have been unable to find one single administration policy aimed at fulfilling that promise. Every day, the Trump administration rolls out a blizzard of new policies, but none of them seems targeted at fixing our economy. None seems focused on helping the American consumer.

While Donald Trump has been focused on deploying the military to Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Chicago, and other American cities, inflation continues to rise. He has levied tariffs on every country in the world because everyone is “ripping us off.” But none of this is helping our economy. These tariffs are simply taxes on us, the American consumer.

We are in the middle of a government shutdown because Democrats are trying to save healthcare for millions of Americans. If the full effect of the Trump tax cuts takes effect, the average American will end up paying a lot more for healthcare.

The good news is that everyone has plenty of money. We have paid off our loans and our houses. We are flush … or not. Truthfully, the cost of living is increasing. We have less disposable income. Inflation is raising its ugly head, once again, and Trump is doing nothing to help us.

Experts

We need experts. Real experts. Just because you have a microphone doesn’t mean you are an expert.

One of the most prominent examples of someone who spouts medical information but is NOT an expert is Robert F Kennedy, Jr. We have to stop listening to people who have no expertise. Just because you can take a photo or video in a grocery store and read the ingredients of a food item does not make you an expert.

Just the other day, I saw somebody discussing the benefits of raw milk. What the heck? Raw milk! We pasteurize milk because drinking raw milk can be harmful. Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria are three harmful bacteria that can all be found in raw milk. The pasteurization process involves heating the milk to kill these bacteria. Simple process. Not complicated. By pasteurizing milk, we can prevent disease. The beauty of the pasteurization process is that it does not reduce the nutritional value of milk. This is what the experts say. But we—well, gullible people and those who are ignorant—can choose to listen to influencers on TikTok spouting nonsense—and get sick.

It is way past time for us to get control of our social media. We have to combat lies. We can figure out a way that Facebook, Twitter, now known as X, and other social media platforms can develop algorithms that spot blatant lies. Lies should be removed from the platform. People who are peddling supplements should have their videos listed as commercials.

The Rule of Law

What has become apparent in the last ten months is that democracy is relatively fragile. Democracy requires constant maintenance. Democracy is less about historical papers (the United States Constitution) and more about how we implement it on a day-to-day basis.

Donald Trump and the US military have been targeting boats off the coast of Venezuela. Once these boats get into international waters, American military drones have been blowing up these boats. What’s wrong with this picture?

There has been no trial. There is no public discussion about whether this is right or wrong. There is no evidence produced. In a democracy, everyone should have their day in court. But in this Trump autocracy, the president and his Secretary of Defense (who calls himself the Secretary of War”) are judge, jury, and executioner.

Yes, these may be drug dealers. If so, do they deserve the death penalty? Maybe, maybe not. But they certainly deserve an indictment, and impartial jury, and a judge to make that decision.

Donald Trump pardoned Changpeng “CZ” Zhao. He is the founder of a cryptocurrency exchange company called Binance. He pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. Yet, for no apparent reason, Donald Trump pardoned him. Oh! Now I understand. Donald Trump’s own cryptocurrency runs on the Binance platform.

Trump pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley (reality TV stars), who were convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion. And we cannot forget former Congressman George Santos, who lied and cheated at every opportunity. He actually pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft. Yet Donald Trump commuted his sentence.

I’m sorry, this is nuts. None of these people seems to be deserving of a presidential pardon. Maybe I don’t understand who deserves a presidential pardon. But, in my mind, it is someone who was railroaded by the system. A presidential pardon should be used to right some terrible wrong. Joe Biden gave general amnesty to thousands of Americans who were convicted of federal marijuana possession. He did this to correct the scales. Some Americans were harshly punished for simply possessing marijuana. I wish we could take away Donald Trump’s presidential pardon pen, but, unfortunately, we would actually have to change the Constitution to make that happen. (I can’t mention the fact that Trump pardoned the January 6th rioters who tried to overthrow the government because I get ill thinking about it.)

Democracy in a Nutshell

Democracy is about process. It is about us —the people —voting and electing Americans to represent us in Congress. It is about congressmen and congresswomen passing legislation that the majority of us support. There must be a compromise. Without compromise, democracy can not function.

Our democracy is about the president implementing legislation passed by Congress. It is also about the Supreme Court thoughtfully, fairly, and without bias deciding which laws are or are not constitutional. But when you have a Supreme Court that is biased, you have decisions that are not supported by the majority of Americans. The Supreme Court is willing to crown Trump king, even though it is not consistent with the Constitution. We have a Congress that is currently willing to abdicate its responsibilities.

The firing of tens of thousands of federal workers by Donald Trump is not legal. I know I’m not a constitutional scholar. I’m not an expert (I know I just argued that we need to listen to people with expertise), but I have read the Constitution. If Congress has established the Department of Education, for example, then Congress—not the president—can close it.

The president cannot change the White House. The White House does not belong to him/her. There is a process. The White House belongs to us, the people. This is a massive example of our government going awry. Let’s say that the president had the right to substantially change the White House (which he does not): then the construction should be financed by the American people. Not by wealthy donors. Allowing this project to be funded by wealthy donors is unethical. It will lead to corruption. Those donors are going to want something in return.

Fixing the Mess

So how do we fix this mess? We keep marching. We focus on electing progressives who will fight for democracy. We must figure out a way to address the Supreme Court. The current court is composed of six justices who believe the president can do anything. That’s not Democracy. The Supreme Court needs term limits. 20 years. That should be more than enough time on the Supreme Court.

We need to rethink our Constitution. We need to rethink our society. Do we really want billionaires running our lives? Shouldn’t we have paid family leave and universal healthcare? Shouldn’t a college education at a state university be affordable to all Americans? I’m just saying that now that Trump has disrupted all norms, we should take the opportunity to push to make America better for all Americans.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed here, as well as assertions of facts, are those of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Urban News.