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This column reflects the opinion of the writer. Learn about the differences between a news story and an opinion column.

A civics lesson

Among the many, many things Donald Trump does not know or bother to understand is this:

In America, the president is not a monarch who is allowed to rule by fiat. We are still a democracy where the three, co-equal branches of government (the Judiciary, Legislative (Congress) and the Administration) must negotiate in good faith and cooperate in order for our government to function properly.

Trump is not a boy king who can make unilateral demands on a $5 billion whim, then break the throne room when he doesn’t get his way. Maybe that works in China or Russia, but not in the USA. We don’t trust monarchs and kings here.

Besides, a “wall” is antithetical to our way of life. It baffles me that the GOP is ignoring the words of their esteemed leader, Ronald Reagan, who, during a visit to West Berlin, demanded, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Patrick Conley

Colville, Wash.

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