Local opinion: We are reaching the limits of democracy

“If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time or die by suicide.” (Abraham Lincoln, Lyceum address, 1837)

For nearly 250 years this nation has endured as a beacon of democracy. Our cherished documents — our national treasures — are the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Adherence to these have served to keep us free.

But on a deeper level, we have endured and thrived because of an essential compact, an unwritten agreement of the people, that we would not despoil the basic tenets of that consensus: separation of powers, free and fair elections, equal representation, acceptance of election results as the will of the people and the peaceful transfer of power, adherence to the law and to the principle that no one is above the law, and faith in our fellow citizens and the democratic republic. The leaders we have elected, despite significant differences in beliefs and approach to problems, have all kept that faith that our founding generation placed in us.

Until now.

Donald Trump refuses to follow any rules, any standards of legality, veracity or decency in his quest for absolute power. This time, he has gathered around him staff and appointees who dare not oppose anything he does, no matter how outrageous.

He has reduced the Congress to rubber stamp status, by his bullying of the timid and co-opted sycophants who constitute what was once the Republican Party. He has weaponized the Department of Justice and the FBI into being tools of his spite and vengeance (hence John Bolton).

He has appointed judges to rubber-stamp his illegal acts, and when that does not work simply ignores judicial decisions. He has realized that he can do literally hundreds of illegal acts with impunity, as the innumerable lawsuits resulting will take years to be decided — by which time the case will be moot, the damage done.

He is overtly trying to destroy the free and fair election system that has been the envy of the world, first by lying constantly and inflaming his credulous followers into distrusting the electoral process itself, and now by overtly trying to cheat the majority who did not vote for him out of equal representation by making voting more difficult and cumbersome and by gerrymandering. It is telling that he told Gov. Abbott he wanted more seats, not more votes.

Regarding the legal system: it is said that the power to tax is the power to destroy (understood all too well by our Revolutionary ancestors and in part leading to the American Revolution). But it is also true that the power to sue and indict, endlessly and with the limitless power and funds of the national government, is also the power to destroy. This power is held in check only by the honesty and integrity of those who wield that power, but those attributes are not particularly well developed in Mr. Trump or his appointees.

He does not need to have actual facts; he can simply weaponize the Department of Justice and Trump-et the accusations to win. The recipients of even baseless accusations will still have to defend themselves in court and can never totally counter the damage to their reputations.

Worst, he has placed in positions of lethal power individuals who he trusts will not have any qualms about using that power against the people, should they oppose him.

Each “unprecedented” act that he takes, each outrageous overreach of his authority, when unopposed by those supposed to safeguard our freedom, drives one more nail in the coffin of democracy.

To Mr. Trump’s avid followers I would ask, are you willing to sacrifice your birthright of freedom on the altar of expediency?