In 1787, the founding fathers gathered in Independence Hall in Philadelphia to hammer out a new plan for our government which we now know became the Constitution of the United States.

This followed years of war (the Revolutionary War) with England ending in victory and independence for the brave colonists. They were exhausted from living under the tyrannical thumb of King George III and longed for a new form of government not ruled by one man. The preamble to the Constitution states in three simple words their belief: We the People.

Because they were so intent on not living under a monarch, they established three separate and equal branches of government: the Executive Branch (the President), the Legislative Branch (our elected House and Senate members), and the Judicial Branch (The Supreme Court and the other federal and state judges). Each of these branches was to serve as a check on the others; no one branch being more powerful. Sounds like a great plan, right?

Unfortunately, at this moment in Washington we’re seeing the undermining of this plan in regard to the legislative branch of our government. An unelected individual, Elon Musk and a group of 19-24 -year -old hackers have access to the personal and financial information, including the social security numbers, of every American citizen. Musk is running roughshod through the departments that provide crucial programs and support services for millions of Americans across the country. He is essentially deciding unilaterally which programs will get funding and which will not under the guise of what he sees as fraud and waste. By the way, we used to have extremely competent people who did this, the inspectors general, but Trump fired them.

Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1 in the Constitution clearly states that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.” This gives Congress (specifically the House of Representatives) the authority to control government spending. We often hear it called “the power of the purse”. What Elon Musk is doing is clearly unconstitutional. Richard Nixon tried this same tactic during his presidency which led Congress to adopting the Impoundment Act. At least Nixon was elected.

Here’s the big question: Why aren’t our elected representatives standing up to this man? When they take their oath of office, they pledge to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Why are they letting Elon Musk, a South African billionaire, make decisions afforded to the legislative branch of government?

Republicans have control of the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court and could make these changes legally through the legislative process outlined in the Constitution. Would this take time? Yes! Would the process be messy? Yes! But that’s how a democracy works. Will we all agree? No, but I think we can all agree on one thing, most Americans don’t want a king or a dictator. I urge all of you, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, to call Senators Capito and Justice, and House members Miller and Moore and voice your disapproval of what’s happening right now. We all know someone who could be dramatically affected by proposed cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, educational programs such as Title I, Head Start, and special education resources, not to mention important medical research. If you’re OK with one unelected person having access to your most personal information and making decisions that will impact your life and the lives of those you love, all I can say is you may regret sitting this one out.

The founding fathers fought too hard and sacrificed too much for us to stay silent at this moment. Ben Franklin once said in response to a woman who asked what form of government we have, “a republic if we can keep it.” It’s now up to “We the People” to make sure we protect that republic.

Cindy Stemple

Elkins