Albacron is coming, Donald Trump is hastening its creation, and our children will suffer.
Before the election of November 8, 2016, we were all cozied-up under a warm blanket of security—the security that our democracy was forever a solid ‘Rock of Gibraltar.’ Everything changed after January 20, 2017, when the new President took office (truly a day that will live in infamy). We realized very quickly that the actions of our leaders, and in particular the President of the United States, were primarily guided by rules, protocol, and traditions not written into law. Donald Trump’s presidency led to the frightening realization that our democracy is a lot more fragile than we realized. We had no idea the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ was riddled with immense fissures.
Enter the administration of a narcissist. He disregarded rules, protocol, and traditions, introducing chaos in their place. During the first two years of his administration, most Americans came to the frightening realization that he had no regard for the law either. It became clear that he would do only what directly benefited his bottom line. People with critical thinking skills believed that the checks and balances among the three branches of government would prevent him from creating a constitutional crisis. They painfully discovered that checks and balances only work if the branches of government are willing to exercise them.
At the beginning of the Trump Presidency, only the judicial system stood between Donald Trump and complete control of the government. Judges blocked his attempts to demean and deface the Constitution while Republicans, in control of both houses of Congress, relinquished their checks and balances, rolled over, and exposed their underbellies to Donald Trump’s governing by slaughter. It became clear within the first twelve months that Donald Trump wanted to be King and rule the United States for life … pretty much like King George III had before our Revolutionary War with England.
With his greed, he hastened to place all power in the hands of the wealthy, an outcome the world was already edging toward, but at a much slower pace. Where will it all lead? Once again, people with the ability to exercise critical thinking skills believed it would lead to a world where only a wealthy few controlled everything while the rest of us served them, scratching the earth for scraps—a world in which a dictatorial, political entity controls everything for the benefit of a few—the world that may still happen even if the narcissist falls from power—a world culminating in the creation of Albacron.
So, what can be done to protect our fragile democracy?
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Write all rules, protocols, and traditions into law.
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Get rid of the party system. Force all members of Congress to represent their geographical areas.
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Limit terms in office, so career politicians cease to exist.
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Force all candidates to show the last ten years of their tax returns.
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Remove money from politics. No more campaign financing from individuals, small companies, or corporations. If necessary, fund limited campaigns through government sources.
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Shorten the campaign season to no more than six months (three for primary, three for general).
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Make the Department of Justice independent of the executive branch in every way. Maybe make it a fourth branch of government, co-equal with the others.
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Sever the FBI and CIA from the executive branch, making them independent entities.
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Make it possible to indict and prosecute a sitting president while in office. While under indictment, the President must relinquish his powers to the Vice President. A successful prosecution can effectively remove him from office without impeachment, and if found guilty, the President should go to prison without the benefit of a pardon.
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Make it impossible for a President to self-pardon.
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Make pardons subject to congressional approval.
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Change the Constitution to omit the Electoral College.
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Force presidential national emergency declarations to be subject to congressional approval.
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Limit the number of executive orders a President can invoke per year. Make the number low.
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If a bill makes it through committee, it must be presented to the chamber floor within thirty days of passage for a full vote.
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If a Supreme Court Justice vacancy occurs, the President must select a nominee, and the Congress should approve or disapprove NO MATTER HOW MUCH TIME IS LEFT IN THE PRESIDENT’S TERM.
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Fill vacant federal judgeships within sixty days.
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Prevent a President from taking office until all personal assets are divested.
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Make any conflict of interest against the law.
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Make nepotism illegal.
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End the practice of having “acting” officials. All positions must be filled and go through the legislative process within sixty days.
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The impeachment process needs to be spelled out in detail through new laws.