Letters to the Editor: An imperial presidency? So much for small-government conservatism

To the editor: No matter the degree to which our founding fathers were concerned about unlimited executive power and the constitutional need for checks and balances on the president, there is a much more significant conclusion to be drawn from the writer’s historical account. (“The American presidency is the most powerful job in the world. Too powerful,” Opinion, Sept. 11)

Namely, in comparison to any of the founders, the Federalist Society and their tied-at-the-hip think tank Heritage Foundation have recently made clear they have no concerns about a too-powerful presidency.

My, how things have changed.

Ted Rosenblatt, Pacific Palisades

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To the editor: Not only would the founders be frightened by our imperial presidency.

During Sen. Frank Church’s investigations into the abuse of power by our government in the 1970s, he said this during an appearance on “Meet the Press” in 1975:

“If this government ever became a tyranny, if a dictator ever took charge in this country, the technological capacity that the intelligence community has given the government could enable it to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back.”

And it would be much worse 50 years later

Paul Burns, Granada Hills