Real or Perceived?

Authority, that is. What authority is real, and what is not. Does it truly matter which is which if both work?

A person who asserts themselves and acts will be in control of the situation as long as nothing is done to counteract it. Con men rely on this. Pressure sales tactics depend on this. A string of decisions is made in a rapid flow of moments. An agreement is reached. Papers soon follow along with an exchange of value – cash, checks or loans. The deal is arranged as a done transaction.

At any moment in the string of time the deal could have been derailed. All that was needed was someone to stop the decision-making process and ask questions.

Like today, We The People are asking each of the three branches of government who has the authority to act? Our constitution is relatively clear. We have a tripartite form of government, and each part must agree with or veto the action of the other for the governance structure to operate.

Laws are made by Congress. They have their procedures and rules to follow, but they, too, can change the moments and the process in reaching an agreement, a deal. The Executive branch has a job of implementing and enforcing the laws made by Congress. Congress funds and the Executive spends those funds to support the legislation related to the funding. Management decisions are made by the thousands to operate the programs enacted by Congress, but if those operating decisions do not match the intent of Congress, either the Congress or the Courts can intervene and question the Executive Branch’s handling of the funding and programs. The Courts are enabled in specific cases when a lawsuit is engaged by the Legislative, Executive, or We The People. The latter is accomplished by a citizen, corporation or association of citizens bringing suit.

That’s it. The Courts make their determination based solely on interpreting the Constitution. The other parties of government press their position based solely on their intent and desire of meaning of the actions involved.

On the surface of his actions, Donald Trump acting as President has asserted his position. It is up to the rest of the parties, including We The People, to follow suit to determine the authority of the actions. Simple and direct in action, but not simple in meaning and interpretation.

The openness of the meaning is the arena of the Con. The Donald is well aware of this. He has operated in this fashion most of his adult life. To offset the con man, Congress, We The People, and the Courts must do our part. Are we doing that? Will we? Or, in the final analysis, will the con work?

March 12, 2025

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more