As a student in elementary school, I learned about our system of government. I learned about our three branches of government. I was taught about an idea of “checks and balances” among the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of our system.

Now I think about what my grandchildren–bright, eager learners–will be taught when they’re soon in elementary school. Will they be taught about a concept that became obsolete during their lives? Will they be taught about an idea that their generation will continue to fight for? Will they watch their country fight (and vote) for the re-institution of our ideals from the 18th century?

What is it that our 3-branched system of government is designed for?
Why is the concept we learned about in grade school–checks and balances–embedded in our constitution?
Can our country survive as a representative democracy if two branches of our government simply do the bidding of the third?
Why would members of congress vote for something when they admit they don’t know what they’re voting for? Why would members of congress vote against their own constituents’ interests–local news outlets, for instance, who provide weather-emergency reports?
Is power so important to our members of congress that the executive branch’s insistence on something insidious, on something driven by malevolence, by spite, is supported because of a fear of losing their seat?

These past six months have been so upsetting, so hateful, so counter-productive to American’s citizens, to the national and world economy. Congress and the Supreme Court of the US are as aware of how negative these months have been, and yet they hop right on board.

In the era of Nixon’s criminal activity, I thought things couldn’t get worse. In the era of Reagan’s “trickle down economics,” which proved to be nothing but a boon to the wealthy, and an enormous boost to the US debt obligations, many thought things couldn’t get worse. In the era of GWBush, when the Vice-President’s and Sec’y of Defense seemed more motivated by animus and power than the benefit of country, we thought things couldn’t get any worse. When a complete incompetent was propelled into the presidency by an electorate that seemed blinded by promises that just made no sense, it seemed that 2016 was a bizarre move–paralleled by Brexit and right-wing leaders in other countries–that couldn’t be worse, and couldn’t possibly last.

And yet, here we are. It keeps getting worse. Alot worse.

Is there any way out of this?