I almost hate to burst the bubble, Rob.

But "check and balances" isn't one of the articles in the Constitution. Not even an amendment. I's just a metaphor for the Founders' hope that the three independent branches of government would naturally rein in each others' excesses, because of the natural ambitions of men. Especially politicians. But note that "checks and balances" doesn't just happen, it requires a lot of actions by ambitious and independent politicians.

The Founders were afraid of the power of political parties, and justly so. A strong, disciplined political party, when it gets hold of two or more branches of the government, essentially forms a conspiracy to nullify "checks and balances".

That's what we're seeing today, and that's what's so worrisome. The "system of checks and balances" won't work if Congress refuses to act to rein in the Executive branch when it gets out of line. This is one of the basic "norms" of American democracy that Trump and his Republican enablers are torching, thoughtlessly and stupidly.

"It can't happen here" is a dangerous faith, and a futile one in the long run. We have to actively resist tyranny, not just when it arrives, but when it's on the horizon. We have to act to force things back into balance, not trust in some supernatural force called "chex-n-balances" to come to our rescue.