The president has passed more legislation than Congress.

America should be concerned about losing democracy on its soil

• Congress enjoys a degree of power similar to the president.

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• With the rise of Newt Gingrich in 1993, the leadership of Congress gained decisive power.

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Nearly a century ago, the United States abandoned its constitutional democracy that stresses the separation of powers and glorification of liberty, and turned to a quasi-monarchical administration that exercises more unchecked power than the king who sparked the American Revolution, King George III.

Presidents of the United States use their powers unilaterally as they wage wars, detain people indefinitely without trial, make or break agreements, legislate through executive orders or make decisions, monitor “not guilty” citizens without court orders, and run the government confidentiality, and transfer funds for purposes not authorized by Congress.

assassinations

The pinnacle of presidential power is the unreviewed power of attorney general, judge, jury, and executor that can strike any target based on unsubstantiated secret predictions that that target would constitute an imminent threat to US national security.

It is unclear how many assassinations may have been justified by this authority, because state secrets are prohibited from being disclosed.

We rely on our knowledge of this information leaked to journalists, and that issued by government officials.

For example, former Attorney General Eric Holder justified the power of presidential assassination in a 2012 speech at Norwestern University by using constitutional procedures designed to prevent wrongful Social Security benefits decisions, not wrongful executions.

Fidel Castro

These presidential orders are intended to keep the process secret from Congress, the country's legislature, and from the American people themselves.

The 1975 "Church Committee" of Congress revealed that investigations into the abuse of power by intelligence organizations revealed that the CIA was involved in plots to kill former Cuban President Fidel Castro and four other foreign leaders.

Although it did not confirm that the president endorsed them, the commission's findings challenge our belief that assassinations are isolated events.

Since 1981, assassinations have been expressly prohibited by Executive Order 12333, which states that "No person employed by, or acting on behalf of, the Government of the United States shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, an act of assassination."

The president may have unilateral power, but Congress has a similar degree of power, so much so that it has contributed to the democratization of the legislature.

With the ascendance of former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1993, the leadership of Congress gained decisive power.

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Committee membership and sessions, member voting, and legislative details are determined by the Speaker of the House, and the Majority Leader in Congress has similar power.

Members of Congress often get their 2,000-page bills a few days before voting, so they don't have time to review them.

When Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the Affordable Care bill in 2010, she said, "We've got to pass this bill so you know what it says," and in any case, what members of Congress lack in running experience can make up for it. Through their ingenuity in fundraising, especially their leaders.

Ordinarily, congressional leaders marginalize ordinary members, making it difficult for them to develop the professional and political prowess that would enable them to question leaders' programs in Congress.

Accordingly, they remain like “children in the jungle” in the eyes of the executive branch.

Return of the "Taliban"

Given the abdication of Congress, the executive branch spent about $300 million a day for about 20 years (the equivalent of $2 trillion) on the war in Afghanistan, which resulted in the return of the Taliban to Kabul more powerful, but no Congress session was scheduled To hold the executive branch accountable for its over-optimistic assumptions about victory in the Afghanistan war.

The Washington Post reported that the executive branch knew it had been in a vicious circle during all these years, but it was regularly expressing its progress toward achieving the desired goal.

The separation of powers in the Constitution is intended to protect the American people against dictatorship and prevent tyranny by requiring the agreement of competing electoral districts before any action is taken.

With all its partisan differences, it is not surprising that Congress' productivity is low (though bills are more comprehensive these days), and sometimes the executive branch can get around the deadlock;

It is therefore not surprising that over the last few years the president has issued more legislation than Congress has, through executive orders, and the power that Congress has conferred upon him.

American failure

In short, the United States may be shortsighted through its preoccupation with democracy in other countries, but it is naive about the demise of democracy at home.

During the opening of the December 10, 2022 Democracy Summit, US President Joe Biden called for the protection of democracy, which he said is "the distinctive challenge of our time." But perhaps the greatest threat to democracy is not dictatorships, but rather America's failure to set an example that can become a source of inspiration for others.

Armstrong Williams, American journalist

• The United States may be shortsighted through its preoccupation with democracy in other countries, but it is naive about the demise of democracy at home.

The pinnacle of presidential power is the unreviewed power of attorney general, judge, jury, and executor that can strike any target based on secret, unconfirmed predictions that that target would constitute an imminent threat to US national security.

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