b"POINT/COUNTERPOINTLeft and Right agree: President Trump'sauthoritarian leanings are a concernFOR THE LEFT RANDY A. FLEISCHER FOR THE RIGHT PAUL VISCOVICH There is little that is agreed on in this Point/Counterpoint format. But weMy learned colleague and I disagree on many things, but we concur that Presi-agree that Trump rules by edict. From his first day in office, Trump has ruleddent Trump is setting dangerously authoritarian precedents in pursuing his by edict. On January 20th, 2017 the first Executive Order was signed afteragenda. Even if you agree with what he wishes to accomplish (e.g. building the inauguration. The goal of that first order was to repeal the Affordable Carehis border wall) letting the ends justify the means is perilous. As Supreme Act. That attempt to reverse health care gains did not succeed, and neitherCourt Justice Louis Brandeis noted, Crime is contagious. If the Government have all of the attempts before and after. Trump has averaged 46.8 executivebecomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for the law; it invites every man orders per year, so far. The vast majority of Presidents have issued far fewerto become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. The following is a just a orders. The President with the most orders per yearFranklin D Rooseveltshort list of acts placing the President at odds with the Constitution and theaveraged 308 executive orders per year. Jimmy Carter averaged 80, Reaganrule of law. 47.6, and every President after that has had fewer than Trump.His recent executive orders making it harder for states to block oil and But the total numbers are not as important as what is covered by thosegas pipelines seriously infringes on state sovereignty, once a keystone of Re-Executive Orders. First it should be noted that the Trump administrationpublican policy. And while I am not against pipelines, they are vulnerable to came under some criticism as it did not correctly publish the Orders from theterrorist attack with potentially catastrophic environmental impacts, so it White House to the people. It seems that these orders are officially publishedis puzzling the Trump Administration recently shut down The Department in the Federal Register. But the administration would publish the orders be- of Homeland Securitys office that collects and analyzes intelligence on do-fore the register, and make changes before posting them on the Presidentialmestic terrorism.website. Sometimes it was just spelling and grammar mistakes. There wereThis administration takes nepotism to heights unseen since the Clin-two cases in which the original text from the White House referred to inac- ton presidency, with family members and trusted confederates of question-curate or nonexistent sections of the law. Were you aware that not everythingable qualifications filling numerous sensitive positions. Worse yet, the White issued by the Trump White House is accurate? I am not surprised. House Director of Presidential Personnel over-ruled his professional staff in Trumps latest Executive Orders are designed to help expedite oil andgranting high level security clearances to several such individuals despite seri-gas pipelines. One allows liquified natural gas to be shipped, changing De- ous disqualifying factors. Though not so potentially damaging to national se-partment of Transportation rulings to allow gas to be transported more easilycurity as Hillary Clintons previous use of a non-secure email server to handle and more dangerously. It could also limit how the states regulate air qual- extremely sensitive classified information, it is still troubling.ity, changing interpretations of the Clean Air Act. I doubt that allowing moreHis obsession with our southern border threatens not only Constitu-natural gas to be shipped and eliminating Clean Air restrictions is going totional separation of powers, but the nations economic welfare and military help many Americans. So unless you are profiting from oil sales, this willreadiness. His threats to place crippling tariffs on Mexican imports usurps a not be helpful to you. The Presidents next order takes the power to approveConstitutional power given to the Congress. It would cause massive disrup-cross-border energy pipelines away from the Secretary of State and gives thattion of supply chains American industry depend on and would result in higher authority directly to the President. I do not know how the President can justunemployment, hurting most those in his political base. Placing military forc-give himself more duties, but that is his edict.es on the border, where they are legally prohibited from making any arrests is In March an order was issued to coordinate resilience to electromagnetica waste of funds and manpower. pulses. This provides duties for cabinet officers to do research and develop- Directing the Department of Defense to reprogram several billion dol-ment on preventing EMPs from destroying national critical infrastructurelars to construct his wall further erodes military readiness and probably vio-and essential functions. There is no limit on spending by the cabinet to pre- lates Art. I, Section 8 and Art. II, Section 3 of the Constitution. His declaration pare for an EMP pulse. A similar action was taken to approve the Space Forceof a National Emergency on the southern border might provide a fig-leaf ofwhich will be used to militarize outer space. Whether there is some tinylegality to this act, except there is no emergency. A January article in Forbes chance that we could get attacked by aliens or suffer an EMP that disables allreports illegal entries from Mexico are down 90 pct since 2000 and Border electric equipment, President Trump has an Executive Order ready to combatPatrol apprehensions last year were the 5th lowest in the last 46 years. This is those potentially disastrous adversaries. Right. hardly the ominous situation the President claims. Is he now relying on fake In March of this year, Trump issued an executive order to improve ac- news similar to what he blasts the media for?countability at colleges and universities. The stated main purpose was toPresident Trumps relations with the Judiciary are also troubling. It iscontinued on page 38 continued on page 3810 #361MAY 201930TH ANNIVERSARY DRWMAG.COM"