checks and balances

we have a 3-branch governmental system… these three branches are the executive, the legislative and the judicial. we have a system of checks and balances, whereby each branch of the system can override a certain action of one other branch… for example, the legislative branch makes laws… the executive branch can override this by deciding to either endorse or veto the law… if the law is vetoed, then the legislative branch can override *that* by a 2/3 majority… the judicial branch could then completly override the law by declaring it unconstitutional, if in fact, it is… there are many other examples of how our system acts to keep in balance by checking other branches, including going to war… now lets look at what this means in the real world. in the federal government, the legislative branch is Congress; ie. the House and the Senate… the executive branch is represented by the President of the United States of America… and the judicial branch is the Supreme Court…
after the last elections, here’s where the US stands… we have an extreme right-wing fundamentalist President in the White House… we have a Republican majority in Congress… and several members of the Supreme Court are looking at impending retirement or death, which means that the President will be able to appoint new members of his choice… so in terms of party politics, our system of checks and balances will be shot out the window… separation of church and state obliterated… politics will be based on “faith-based moral values” … is anyone else scared for our civil rights?

peace,
~jen