Checks, Balances, Buying Bread and the Misnamed Mandate

The present federal executive and legislative branches are operating at warp speed under the supposition that they have a “mandate.” In reality, the party presently in power has a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate and a 217-215 majority in the U.S. House. Our current President received less than half of the popular vote last year and only 1.6% more votes than the former Vice President. 34% of eligible voters in the U.S. did not bother to vote. Assuming that one might view the 2024 election results based upon evidence rather than rhetoric, “mandate” looks like a misnomer.

Based upon the evidence, it looks like a continuation of America being “a house divided against itself,” as coined by President Abraham Lincoln. Our current brothers and sisters in control of our nation’s capital are obviously working in a frenetic manner to increase the authority of the current President. This may be an effective short-term strategy. The biggest problem with that strategy, however, is that it is just a matter of time before there is a President who belongs to the other party. The present ecstasy of the political party now in power can eventually turn into its worst nightmare.

Our founding fathers ingeniously created a system of checks and balances. One need not be Nostradamus to foresee that one political party will not be in control of America in perpetuity. History has proven over and over again that elected leaders who overstep their bounds are eventually punished by a majority of the voters.

For every potential voter observing (or ignoring) the present goings-on in Washington, D.C., at the end of the day, housing costs, the cost of everyday living, inflation, opportunity, and general quality of life will predictably be their main priority. The bottom line for most voters is, “What have you done for me lately?” At the end of the day, history has shown that voters prefer bread over circus. It is doubtful that this is the end of history.