I haven't bothered reading three pages of responses, so forgive me if I repeat something.
You almost asked the right question. The real question is "why do you even need any protection?". I've always been fascinated by our system of government with it's basis of checks and balances. The Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms working both in unison and opposition to achieve the intended result of the best government in the world, ever. Our Founding Fathers were brilliant in their conception and construction of this system.
Only one problem. This system requires that it's members play by the rules. For the better part of 200 years, this largely happened. At least, when someone broke the rules, the system (and the honest people in it) reined them in. But then something happened. Someone with the intent of achieving complete power realized that there is no real check and balance if two of the three branches can be controlled, even to a small degree.
Without belaboring the point, we now have a situation where the Executive branch, 1/2 the Legislative branch and, arguably, 4/9 of the Judicial are either controlled by, or heavily influenced by, one group. Even that would constitute "checks and balances", all other things being equal. However, the Legislative branch has simply been gutted. Party, or more specifically ideology, now means everything. The Executive rules by fiat, which allows it to "regulate" law. The Legislative allows this by failing to exercise the powers given it by law. For all practical purposes, the Executive has come to realize there is no one to rein it in, and, so, it does what it wants as quickly as possible to solidify it's hold on power.
To answer your question - "No One!". To answer mine - "Because we allowed it!". We can be broken up into two groups. One group is that one that now asks these questions, including "What the hell just happened?". The other group is one that benefits greatly, at least in the short run, from fruits of the current crop of programs and supposed entitlements. The second group is led by the nose to the trough (and votes) and the first group sits on it's hands and asks "Why?".
You almost asked the right question. The real question is "why do you even need any protection?". I've always been fascinated by our system of government with it's basis of checks and balances. The Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms working both in unison and opposition to achieve the intended result of the best government in the world, ever. Our Founding Fathers were brilliant in their conception and construction of this system.
Only one problem. This system requires that it's members play by the rules. For the better part of 200 years, this largely happened. At least, when someone broke the rules, the system (and the honest people in it) reined them in. But then something happened. Someone with the intent of achieving complete power realized that there is no real check and balance if two of the three branches can be controlled, even to a small degree.
Without belaboring the point, we now have a situation where the Executive branch, 1/2 the Legislative branch and, arguably, 4/9 of the Judicial are either controlled by, or heavily influenced by, one group. Even that would constitute "checks and balances", all other things being equal. However, the Legislative branch has simply been gutted. Party, or more specifically ideology, now means everything. The Executive rules by fiat, which allows it to "regulate" law. The Legislative allows this by failing to exercise the powers given it by law. For all practical purposes, the Executive has come to realize there is no one to rein it in, and, so, it does what it wants as quickly as possible to solidify it's hold on power.
To answer your question - "No One!". To answer mine - "Because we allowed it!". We can be broken up into two groups. One group is that one that now asks these questions, including "What the hell just happened?". The other group is one that benefits greatly, at least in the short run, from fruits of the current crop of programs and supposed entitlements. The second group is led by the nose to the trough (and votes) and the first group sits on it's hands and asks "Why?".
