Opinion

We could evolve into a dictatorship

Posted March 23, 2014 12:01 am

Responding to a letter by Robert Chmela, in 1787, 55 delegates convened to revise the Articles of Confederation. But this did not happen. A national government was established - a Republic.

Edmund Randolph's seventh proposal was for our president to be elected for a one-year term, and could be removed for misconduct. He was essentially a figurehead. He was given limited power. This did not change when they passed our present method of electing our president. The power to govern was given to the Congress to avoid our republic from evolving into a dictatorship or a monarchy.

We have strayed far from the government they gave us. However, it did not start with our current president, which is what I think Robert Chmela believes. This happened because over the years, since our Constitution was written we had do-nothing Congresses that relinquished the power to govern, given them by our Constitution.

A prime example, when Henry Hyde was in office, was voting to give the president power to declare war. Robert raises the question for why do we need Congress? We do not need Congress because it expects the president to solve all of the nation's problems, because of our do-nothing Congresses, we could evolve into a dictatorship or a monarchy.

Chuck Coletta

Lombard

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