Shall We Jettison the Rule of Law?

One of the things that separate us here in the US from the Third World backwaters presided over by tribal warlords is the rule of law; well that, indoor plumbing and hundreds of cable channels. Now by the rule of law, I don’t mean the knock on the door at 3 a.m. by the guys in the black trench coats. The rule of law embodies the idea that all men and women are subject to the laws of the land and that nations should be governed by predictable and enforceable rules and regulations that apply equally to all individuals. It operates to constrain governments as well as individuals. The rule of law is the bedrock of stability that gives us the confidence and ability to conduct our affairs without unnecessary fear of arbitrary governmental decisions. The deal goes this way. No one is above the law, not even the President or members of the legislature. Jettison the rule of law and we will have a ruthless and tyrannical government where might makes right.

Now all that to say this: A recent Rasmussen poll reports that 26 percent of likely voters think the President should have the right to ignore federal court rulings that seek to block actions he deems necessary for the nation. The same survey found that 43 percent of Democrats believe the President should have the right to ignore the courts. Folks, this amount of grease on a slippery slope need no explaining, our constitution, the supreme law of the land, was written to protect us from this sort of buffet bureaucracy. Handing the President that kind of power and allowing him to ignore the rule of law for personal convenience makes us just like the subjects of those tribal warlords. Just with better plumbing and more cable stations. We must demand more of our government. If we are to “Be the People.” We must insist on adherence to our Constitution which establishes the rule of law in our nation. The framers, to their credit, established a government where all governing officials, including the President, members of Congress, U.S. Supreme Court Justices, military officials, and political appointees are subject to the law and required to take an Oath of Office before they can assume office. We must insist that they honor the oaths of office they were sworn to uphold.