This editorial was submitted by Arthur C. Donart, Ph.D.
“For Christmas, let’s get Dad a new power saw.” This may be an excellent suggestion, especially if he has some building projects. However, if poor, old dad hasn’t any tasks for which he really needs an electric power saw, he will get no use out of it. Maybe Dad just likes the old, familiar tools he has used in the past. He will get some things done, but not very much. This is the Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. dilemma.
Thanks to President Donald J. Trump and the Republican Party, our President has considerably more power. If our Senate disapproves his Cabinet pick, he can just make that person “Acting Secretary of Whatever.” If Congress subpoenas a document, he can say, “Screw you. You ain’t getting it.”
British historian Lord John Dalber Acton is famous for saying, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” During Trump’s term in office, we have witnessed pusillanimous Republican Legislators abdicate their responsibility–their duty–to uphold the laws they took an oath to uphold. They allowed the President to ignore Constitutional checks and balances.
Expect to see a sudden conversion as soon as Democrat Biden is President. The GOP did not worry in the least, that the Trump tax cut for the wealthy would explode the deficit. Now that Democrat Joe is soon to be in the White House, expect Republicans to transform themselves back into “deficit hawks.”
President Biden had better use the power the GOP has given to the Presidency to get things done. That will help make life better for the 98% of us, whom Trump and his mafia cared nothing about. If Biden doesn’t, that power will disappear.
This pandemic has shown that at the top of the list should be Medicare for All. This is vital to our National defense. As the deaths pile up, it becomes more obvious. Health is vital to our economy, but Health Insurance Company profits are not. Drug Company profits are not. We have a military to protect our people. We need a health care system that will do the same.
Medicare for All is that system. President Biden will need to use the power he has to get us there.