“Have SCOTUS’ six conservative justices’ rulings portrayed them as coconspirators with the Republican-controlled Congress to facilitate the collapse of the separate branches of government and the establishment of an authoritarian government? John Johnson II 07/08/26
By John Johnson II
America’s greatest national security threats are not limited to foreign armies, cyberattacks, or nuclear weapons. Two dangers are quietly converging from within: a mounting national debt, and the gradual weakening of the constitutional balance among the branches of government. Together, these forces threaten America’s economic independence, democratic safeguards, and long-term sovereignty.
The United States has become the world’s largest debtor nation. Economically, this condition exists because the total value of U.S.-owned foreign assets is less than the total value of foreign-owned American assets. This imbalance creates a negative international investment position. Because foreign-owned investments represent liabilities, Congress must never dismiss them as mere accounting entries. They reflect financial obligations that can influence America’s economic flexibility and strategic independence. History reveals that even poorly run casinos will eventually face bankruptcy.
Fortunately, three-quarters of the federal debt is held domestically by American citizens, businesses, pension funds, the Federal Reserve, and other government institutions. Nevertheless, significant foreign ownership of U.S. debt should remind Congress that excessive borrowing can increase dependence on foreign creditors and reduce the nation’s flexibility during economic or geopolitical crises. Currently, Japan owns the largest share of America’s debt, ($1.21 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities).
Critics warn that history demonstrates a simple lesson: nations burdened by overwhelming debt become increasingly vulnerable to external pressure. Although creditors cannot simply seize a nation’s sovereignty, growing financial dependence may constrain policy choices, weaken negotiating leverage, and expose economic vulnerabilities. America, they argue, must never allow itself to become a metaphorical “puppet on a string,” increasingly dependent upon those financing its obligations. Severe debt crisis in Argentina in 2020, and in Greece, in 2012, wrecked their economies.
America’s Founders delibe-rately vested Congress with the power of the purse to prevent any president from exercising unchecked control over the nation’s finances. Critics argue that when Congress relinquishes vigorous oversight of spending, borrowing, and fiscal accountability, one of democracy’s most essential safeguards begins to erode. Why must Americans go hungry while the government spends money on monuments and spectacles?
Critics further contend that the Supreme Court and the Republican-controlled Congress have become principal contributors to this constitutional weakening. They argue that recent Supreme Court decisions have significantly expanded presidential authority while limiting traditional mechanisms of accountability. At the same time, they contend that the Republican-controlled Congress has too often declined to exercise its constitutional responsibilities of oversight and fiscal restraint, effectively turning a “blind eye” to executive excesses.
In critics view, SCOTUS and Congress have also weakened the separation of powers established by the Framers and increased the risk that America’s constitutional republic could gradually become controlled by concentrated executive power. Critics frequently ask, Why SCOTUS’ six conservative justices rule as partisan justices rather than neutral arbiters of the law?
America’s Founders understood that preserving liberty required both fiscal discipline and constitutional discipline. Critics contend that neither can survive if Congress abandons its oversight responsibilities or if any branch of government accumulates power without meaningful accountability. Voters want to know, “Why does the Republican-controlled Congress refuse to honor its Constitutional Oath to provide oversight?”
The survival of America’s republic depends not only on balancing its budget, but on restoring the constitutional balance among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Without both, critics warn, the nation risks surrendering not merely its economic strength, but the very constitutional framework that has safeguarded American self-government for two and a half centuries.
YOU ARE THE JUDGE!
