Who voluntarily gives back power? The answer used to be every political figure who was either voted out of office or was term-limited out. Sure, some whine a bit and claim they were somehow cheated, but tenant of American government has always been highlighted by an orderly transfer of power between administrations and between legislatures.
Our leaders have been historically constrained by the people and were very limited in what they could do. And those who overreached tended to be put back in their place by the courts, were recalled or voted out of office.
But right now, we observe what a blank check on power can look like. I think I see this most in Michigan, where I grew up. The governor there has tasted her emergency authority and is using it to clamp down in authoritarian manner, trying to control the smallest facets of its citizen’s lives. That is one of the worst cases, but across the country, people are willingly submitting to give up their freedom in the name of public safety and health.
But will we get our freedoms back? Will those who have tasted complete power gladly hand it back? Or will they look for ways to prolong the crisis, or if they can, indefinitely extend the emergency powers?
At what point are these emergency orders subject to the will of the populace?
In Call of Kayden and Free to Dream the government took power and never gave it back. It all started with well meaning reasons but in the end, those who spoke against its actions were killed or silenced and fear of being the next person punished cowed the rest of the population into tacit submission.
These books are a story in seeing to what extent power can corrupt and the extent governments will go to keep that power once they see it threatened. They may label their actions as something just, but the reality is that they want to keep their power at any cost.
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