A very cursory reading of the Constitution indicates that most of the vast power of the federal government, including the power to declare War, is given to Congress. Our very wise Founding Fathers deliberately wanted this power away from the clutches of one person. After all, we did fight a war to rid ourselves of a king!

This weak and timid Congress has allowed much of this power to be assumed by one person. Will Congress ever awake from this stupor? There is an old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. You could also say that you can lead Congress to the Constitution but you can’t make it honor it!

One last thought. There’s another old saying that you don’t miss your water ‘til your well runs dry. You could also say that you don’t miss your democracy ‘til it no longer exists. And once lost, a democracy is very hard to find!

Ben M. Petty

Tullahoma