Why Laws Are Important

 

“Do you see any checks on your power on the world stage? Is there anything that could stop if you wanted to?” Katie Rogers, reporter for the NY Times

“Yeah, there’s one thing: my own morality, my own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. And that’s very good. I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people.” President Trump

            I chafe at rules, laws, policies, and the like. I always have. Laws govern my behaviors, curtailing some and requiring others. I’d rather be left to my own devices, my own morality; however, society…civilization…needs laws to keep me in check. Laws protect the weaker from the rapacious designs of the stronger. Laws make civilization possible. Without laws, it is truly a Darwinian world in which the stronger crush the weaker in a never-ending quest for more power and more riches. So, it gives me great pause when I hear President Trump, or any other president for that matter, evoke his own morality as a behavioral and policy guide.

            A casual examination of President Trump’s life reveals a lack of moral compass in his personal, professional, and political life. His public behavior and pronouncements reveal a man unrestrained to the norms of modern civilized behaviors. His moral compass is badly skewed away from honorable conduct or trustworthy decision making. Self-serving and venal, he has a tenuous relationship with the truth. Unfortunately, he is not unusual in his moral failure. A brief read of history or a quick look in the mirror reveals our own moral culpability. Sadly, all of us need constraints and guidelines, things to keep us from giving in to our baser instincts. This is why it is so concerning to hear our President claim the morality needed to shape and constrain his decision making.

            Of course, we want a national leader who is willing to make bold decisions when the situation requires; but, we also want leaders who understand that not every impulse is worthy of action. Leaders must understand that laws exist to protect us from our own malignant urges. Simply wanting to do something is not justification. Sometimes other priorities or principles take precedence over our immediate gratification. Over millennia we’ve developed a legal construct that helps guide us, restricting us when necessary.

            All men and women who aspire to high public office have the firm conviction that they have the drive, intellect, and ability to bring order out of chaos. I am much the same. That personal conviction is part of what drove me from being a Private to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army. I truly believed that I had what it took. Leaders need that kind of personal drive and belief to succeed; however, they also need to understand that laws constrains them for good reason. History tells us that left to our own devices, we tend to behave badly, making selfish and poor decisions. We need constraints and restraints. Our president is no different. He needs laws and politeness to reign in his baser instincts.