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 by Jon Burras
The Seventh Branch of Government:
The Rogue Politician
2020 Spectator Ron - The Spectator All Rights Reserved
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     Imagine if you worked in a corporation where all of a sudden one single employee suddenly changed all of the rules. Instead of working eight hour work days you are now working ten hour shifts. Instead of lunch at noon you are now taking your lunch at two in the afternoon. That two week vacation has now been cut down to one week and you are expected to have a doctor's note anytime you cannot make it in to work.

     You would think that a fascist regime had taken over and you were now under siege. The entire office would be stirred up and legal action might be warranted. How could one single person have the power to disrupt the entire company?

     While it might come to a great surprise to many, government entities work quite different. While the aforementioned scenario is very unlikely in private business it is very likely in the public sector. One individual has the power to create or destroy entire sectors of government operations without the help or restraint from anyone else. For this reason the rogue politician an be considered the seventh branch of government.

     We were taught early on about the first three branches of government—the executive, legislative and judicial bodies. Then along came the fourth branch—the lobbyist and the corporation. Most recently we have witnessed the fifth branch of government—the deep state. This is where an individual working in government is actually working for his or her own political party and not serving the will of the entire American population. After the deep state we must include the activist judge who acts on his own to set policy. The rogue politician is the last of these bad actors all plying a role in government.

     The rogue politician can be a member of any political party and work at any level of government. What they do is to take their position to either change pre-existing rules or to create entirely new rules as they go. In essence they become their own ruler of the land and forgo precedent and gain favors with their single vote.

    For instance, in 2016 Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly on February 13th. President Barrack Obama quickly nominated his successor in Merritt Garland to replace Justice Scalia. However, the head of the United States Senate, Mitch McConnell, acted as a rogue politician and refused to put Merrick Garland's nomination up for a vote. McConnell said that this was an election year and there was some sort of precedent that during an election year Supreme Court nominees were often tabled. Even though the election was some nine months away, Mitch McConnell was able to single handedly block a judge from being elected to a Supreme Court position. Mitch McConnell used his position of power and made up his own rules to change how the game was played.

     In another instance the newly elected Governor of California, Gavin Newsom,  has single-handedly decided that he was going to write an executive order dismantling the state death penalty. This is after the people of California unanimously voted in favor of having a death penalty. The Governor acted in a rogue fashion and ignored the will of the people to block their votes and wishes.

    This same Governor recently signed another executive order absconding with funds that were intended to fix roads and bridges. The California voters recently voted to tax themselves even more at the gas pump so that those funds would be able to fix broken infrastructure like roadways and freeways. The Governor signed another executive order decreeing that he was now able to take those funds and apply them in any manner he wished, like to state pension funds or to public transportation projects. Subways, high speed rail systems, bike paths, car pool lanes and other public transportation projects were now using the funds that were allocated by voters to be intended to fix roads. A rogue politician  in a fancy Italian suit was now acting as his own warlord.

     The rogue politician is one who uses his position and power to undermine the will of voters and established policies. He or she acts alone and without consensus. Don't be alarmed when you are told that your vote matters. Many times your vote does not matter. Just because the majority of voters will approve something does not necessarily mean that a rogue politician will not reverse that decision for their own gain.

     We are naive to believe that when you vote your vote actually counts. We are naive to believe that established rules and precedents matter—they do not. We are naive to believe that one single person cannot take over and rule single-handedly.

    The rogue politician exists on all levels, from the top level of government to the local city council. This entity has at times just as much input in our lives as the Supreme Court or the Congress. The rogue politician will do whatever he can do to bend, break or ignore existing laws. He often gets away with his rogue behavior because he surrounds himself with others who benefit from his conspiracy.

     Isn't it time that we voters pulled our heads out of the proverbial asphalt and realize that things aren't always what they seem on paper. Gone are the days when you looked a man in the eye, shook his hand and trusted his word. Maybe it is time we returned to the good old days when an arm wrestle or a dual by pistols solved a conflict. At least you knew what your odds were going in. With rogue politicians you never know the extent of their harm until it has already happened.