A very basic civics lesson …
Today we had the three most powerful people in our government, Trump, Musk and Vance attacking the judiciary branch. They claim falsely, that the courts have no right to rein in a president. Oddly enough, one of the sharpest barbs tossed at the courts is that they aren’t elected by the people. Therefore their interference is bypassing democracy.
Federal judges are appointed by the president, investigated by the FBI and approved by the Senate. As of December of 2024, Musk had no security clearance. There isn’t a single person in the United States that voted for Elon Musk. He now has full security clearance, granted without an investigation or apparently, or any formal process. Here’s a weird fact … the average American pays $38.30 a year via taxes to humanitarian aid across the globe. That’s what Musk dismantled last week. Meanwhile, the average American pays $12 a month to Musk’s companies in their tax bill.
Musk is working fast because he knows court cases would pile up. That’s the idea. Overwhelm the judiciary then use that as an excuse to bypass the judiciary. Which is exactly what Musk proposed today.
The day that happens, our constitution breaks. Think of it as a three legged stool. One leg is the president, another congress, the third the courts. What happens when you kick one of the legs out on a three legged stool?
The founders knew there would be times when the president and congress would be in lock step, and unless there was a third branch, they could trample the constitution. Bypassing the courts is trampling the constitution. Once trampled, there’s no guarantee it can ever be restored.
Hank Maddox taught me that, almost fifty years ago. At times the constitution prevents something you want from becoming law. Sometimes it makes it possible. No single person gets to use it for their own gain. That’s why it’s worked for over two centuries.
It’s about to break.
For those on both sides who were shouting about an attack on our democracy, this is it. That should wake a person up, regardless of which political party you support. Now is when congress needs to step up and make sure the third pillar of our government is allowed to stand. Make no mistake, if it falls, our country as we’ve known it falls with it. Remember Humpty Dumpty.