Letter: It’s time for citizens to take action!

Dear Editor,

In my life, the big events stand out. Growing old can give a person a perspective on what they have witnessed and lived through. Memories are tricky things, and looking back in time can be distorted by perception, values, and individual experiences.

Thinking back to the 1970s I remember the war, Nixon’s landslide reelection, and then Watergate, the investigation, and his resignation. I remember thinking, as I watched the announcement on television, that the system worked. Congress did its job! I felt good; proud even. The Congress functioned, and the rule of law prevailed!

In 1980 Ronald Reagan was elected President, defeating Jimmy Carter. Reagan told us that “the government was the problem” and that has been the theme of the Republican Party for the past 45 years. There is, I believe, a direct line from Reagan to Trump, although I think Reagan would be appalled with Trump.

However, Reagan worked within the Constitution, using the mechanism of our representative democracy to get his programs approved. The Republicans took control of the Senate for the first time since the 1950s  but the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Tip O’Neill Jr. He and Reagan worked together when possible and developed a close relationship, which is unheard of today. The system worked, and the rule of law was strong.

That brings us to today! We are now living in a country where the republic, or representative democracy, is in very serious trouble, in my opinion. Some say our system is not strong enough to stop the President! It was strong enough to stop Nixon. When Nixon was under investigation and impeachment was imminent, he resigned because the Republican majority in the Senate was set to send him on his way. A delegation of Republican senators, including Barry Goldwater, went to the White House and told Nixon he would be impeached if there was a vote because enough Republicans would vote against him. 

The system even worked to some degree during the first Trump administration, mainly because there were advisors that understood the importance of their position and knew they were serving the Constitution and not the President. However, there were many exceptions. Today, Congress is not working! The executive, over time, has been given too much of the power and authority that once belonged to Congress. That, plus Trump’s total ignorance of and disrespect for the rule of law and longstanding traditions of honor, has resulted in our first authoritarian presidency. The Republicans in Congress can stop this but seem afraid to do so. This is classic behavior of a person or group being bullied. The system is not working today, and the rule of law is in peril. It is time for citizens to join together and take action!

Sincerely

D.R.Conning Sr. 

Campville, Town of Owego, N.Y.