There it was on TV: Fareed Zakaria giving a rundown on the sad case (for the Venezuelan people) of how inflation produced by their Communist government’s controls have racheted the price of imports to an impossible level, forcing shortages of many items Venezuelans must obtain from abroad, including toilet paper! While here in the U.S., the first trap of government ownership of business: the takeover of the health care industry, has suffered a stunningly painful rollout reminiscent of Stalin’s disastrous first five-year plan that resulted in widespread famine in Soviet Russia in the 1920s.

The framers of our Constitution would be proud of how their handiwork has worked to bring those who — disregarding all historical and current examples of the disastrous result of socialist schemes — are trying to socialize America, but are being brought up short as the effect of the public’s outrage upon two of the three branches of government has proved to be decisive in alerting them to the truth that “We the People” still hold the ultimate power, just as the framers intended. (When the people’s displeasure reaches a certain point, just as in a steam boiler, the safety valve pops, and Congress and the White House quake!)

Our government was designed so that two branches would contend with each other if disagreement occurred, and then could only act in concert, with the third branch, the judicial, insuring that their actions were constitutionally appropriate. The real power was retained by “We the People” in our ability to make our combined satisfaction (or lack of same) known.

These past few days, boots shook in Washington as Congress and the White House were brought up short by the realization “We” are not happy campers. Now it is starting to dawn that in 2014’s election “heads could roll” as some of the bums lose their jobs, and the current White House occupant and his Senate like-minded majority in the Congress lose the realist in their base.

God bless America (and thanks to our founding fathers: Washington, Jefferson, Adams, et al).

Jack Pope

Thomasville