When much is happening, thoughts are many. Here’s what rises to the surface on this last Friday in May. Surreal, the passage of time these days.
Governor Patrick Morrisey deserves credit for advancing transparency and accountability in the State’s foster care and child welfare systems. His proposed reforms are practical and rooted in best practices – measures that arguably should have already been standard procedure. Leadership tone matters. Without it, gaps form or widen. If these mandates prove impossible to execute with current resources, that challenge will shift to the Legislature in the form of increased appropriations. Secretary Alex Mayer now carries the burden of effecting meaningful change without new funding, and of making the case for dollars if more support is needed to meet Morrisey’s goals. Mayer’s results will face heavy scrutiny from the Legislature. That was invited when he turned away help in the form of a study sponsored by Senate Judiciary Chairman Mike Stuart. Godspeed, Mr. Mayer.
The Governor, at his Wednesday press conference on that same subject, avoided directly assigning blame but casually invited contrast. That opens the door to comparisons with the Justice administration, especially considering prior budget disputes that became quite public. Will Justice respond? Unknown. Should he? Probably not. He’s a two-term (former) governor, now a U.S. Senator, backed by overwhelming statewide support at the polls and a close relationship with Donald Trump – a coveted political asset in West Virginia. He’s weathered much, including personal criticisms over business practices. It hasn’t stuck. What’s to personally gain by engaging?
Meanwhile, the U.S. Court of International Trade blocked the President’s use of tariffs under emergency powers, a decision squarely grounded in the Constitution and federal law. The Trump administration quickly appealed, continuing a now-familiar approach: act first, dare the system to stop you later.
This pattern – be it on tariffs, immigration, birthright citizenship, DOGE, anything really – shows little of the institutional restraint observed by past administrations. The argument isn’t necessarily that Mr. Trump’s policies are bad. It’s that the method of their enactment matters. Presidents are not kings. Policy enacted through executive fiat is easily undone. Laws endure or usually prove difficult to change.
Today’s actions become tomorrow’s norms – regardless of who holds power – and great is the potential harm to unfold many moves from now. Precedent matters. The framers of the Constitution did not trust unchecked virtue, and neither should we. That’s why Americans, whatever their views on a particular president, should insist that policies be pursued within constitutional boundaries and binding judicial oversight. Otherwise, the next president has a new tool at his or her disposal. The president after that will enjoy it as well and version 3.0 is likely easier to use and faster. You get the idea. And the next president may have views unflattering to those citizens cheering on Trump’s policies today. Voicing concern only then about the means is easily defined in a single word: hypocrite.
Be well.