A few of our stories and columns are now in front of the paywall. We at The Chief-Leader remain committed to independent reporting on labor and civil service. It's been our mission since 1897. You can have a hand in ensuring that our reporting remains relevant in the decades to come. Consider supporting The Chief, which you can do for as little as $3.20 a month.
To the editor:
Before Donald Trump's second presidential election victory, one of his supporters claimed he could not become a dictator because of the separation of powers. I said that only works if it's enforced.
Even before voters sent him back to the White House, Congress twice failed to convict Trump after impeachment. Republican senators considered their own selfish interests more important than freedom. Then-President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland dragged their feet. By the time Trump was finally indicted for the insurrection, he was the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Now, networks refusing to defend their First Amendment rights and caving into Trump's demands to fire his critics is no surprise. In the 1950s, networks caved into sponsors and U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy as they blacklisted those that were deemed "communists." So it's no surprise that today they cave in to the president.
We've been fed propaganda equating capitalism with freedom. But most dictatorships have capitalist economies. Freedom means workers can organize and demand decent compensation. Also, legally fighting for freedom costs money. Capitalists feel their only duty is to make as much money as possible. Don't expect them to save us from losing what freedom we have.
Richard Warren
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here