Bit of a long C&P from "the other 98%" on Facebook but worth a read. Scary stuff

"The Supreme Court is about to give Donald Trump the power to purge independent watchdogs — and crown itself the ultimate ruler over American democracy.

If you watched the justices during Trump v. Slaughter, you could feel it: this wasn’t a legal debate. It was the conservative majority announcing that the rules of American government are about to be rewritten — by them.

Here’s the setup. FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter was protected by a 90-year-old precedent that prevents presidents from firing independent regulators just because they don’t fall in line.

That protection has been rock solid since Humphrey’s Executor in 1935. But last week, the Court’s conservative bloc basically rolled their eyes at it. Reuters reported Chief Justice John Roberts dismissed the precedent as a “dried husk.”

And the conservative justices all but announced they’re ready to let Trump fire her — and by extension, cripple the independence of dozens of agencies that exist to protect regular people. Reuters and AP both noted the Court appears poised to hand Trump broad power to remove agency heads at will.

But the most alarming part wasn’t what they said about Trump. It was what they said about themselves.

Several conservative justices floated an idea that should chill every American, no matter their politics: even if they give Trump sweeping control over the federal bureaucracy now, they can always “step in” later and slap down a future president they don’t like. The Guardian reported that the Court is essentially preparing to grant Trump the power now — while reserving a veto over a Democratic president’s actions later.

Imagine that. A Supreme Court that empowers one president and restrains another, depending on the politics of the moment.

That’s not constitutional interpretation. That’s unchecked power.

And they’ve already tested the strategy. Over the past few years, the conservative majority created the “major questions doctrine” — a legal weapon they’ve used almost exclusively to kneecap Joe Biden’s policies on climate, student debt, and public health.

Now they’re ready to combine that power with a presidency they hope to make even more imperial.

And let’s be clear about what collapses if agency independence dies: oversight of monopolies, environmental protections, worker rights, consumer safeguards — all the tools that exist to keep corporations from steamrolling the public. Politico reports that overturning Humphrey’s Executor would put the independence of dozens of agencies on the chopping block.

Under Trump, that means loyalty over expertise.Under a future Democratic president, that means the Supreme Court can simply veto anything it finds too “major.”

This isn’t checks and balances; it’s a rigged game where the refs wear team jerseys.

This moment isn’t about one case. It’s about whether the public still gets a say in how their government works. Whether democracy is something we participate in — or something the Court manages like a private estate.

If people don’t speak up now, the balance of power won’t just shift.

It will snap.

And the next president won’t be the only one calling the shots — the Supreme Court will be calling them right over his shoulder."