Some people think that the United States
is safe from dictatorship because the country is a democracy. It’s only
in totalitarian countries, they hold, that people are subject to
dictatorship.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Such people are confusing how a ruler gets elected with the powers that
the ruler has after being elected. A democratically elected ruler can
wield and exercise dictatorial powers.
Case in point: President Donald Trump. He
is the democratically elected president of the United States. He also
wields and exercises dictatorial power over the American people.
The system of government that the Framers
established with the Constitution provided for three branches of
government — executive, legislative, and judicial. The Constitution
delegated certain powers to each branch. The legislative branch was
charged with enacting laws, including laws that imposed taxes on people.
The executive branch was charged with enforcing the laws. The judicial
branch was charged with interpreting the laws and, if need be, declaring
them unconstitutional.
In a dictatorship, the dictator doesn’t
have to concern himself with legislation or judicial interpretation.
What he says goes. When he issues a dictate, it automatically becomes
set in stone as the law.
Trump’s conduct in his trade war with
China confirms how far the United States has gone in the direction of a
democratically elected dictatorship.
Notice that Trump initiated his trade war
all on his own, by unilaterally raising tariffs on products that are
imported from China. He didn’t go to Congress and seek a law that raised
tariffs. He just issued the dictate that raised tariffs. ........https://www.fff.org/2019/08/26/donald-trump-americas-democratic-dictator/
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