Trump is acting with little regard for laws and with no apparent accountability
Americans have been asking about some of the egregious actions taken by the Trump administration. As reported in the May 5 article 'Trump unsure on upholding the Constitution,' when asked during an NBC interview whether he had a duty to uphold the right of due process and the Constitution, the president replied, "I don't know.'
So apparently he wasn't paying attention to the words he recited while taking the oath of office — twice. I hope, for the sake of our country, that the job description is clear now: 'I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.'
Peggy Creer, Whitefish Bay
It's obvious this president acts with little regard for laws and with no apparent accountability. One man's decisions are tearing apart the matrix of our politics and our economy.
Why have institutions if office-holders will not abide by them? Why have a CEO if the rules of the office don't matter? Why have a congress and courts — our safeguarding system of checks and balances — if those institutions stand mute and brush aside their obligations? Why have a justice system that immunizes another branch? Why have a government if it doesn't work?
Letters: Trump silencing critics. Crackdown on 'fourth branch' paving way for autocracy.
On paper, our government is "of the people," meaning it derives its just powers from the consent of the governed. That's not what's going on. We are on the receiving end of executive orders. Our businesses, universities and the legal profession are caving to those executive orders.
The security of our unalienable rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — was embedded in a government created by our Founders. The authority of our government is solely with our consent — it is not divinely conferred on a king, a sovereign ruler or a benevolent dictator to whom the rules or an oath of office have no consequence. That is our evolution.
We need to get this train back on the tracks while it can still be done.
Gregg Kishline, Kenosha
Letters: Government of the people, by the people, for the people is under threat
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump not paying attention to oath he took when sworn in | Letters
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