Trump will be exactly what he says
Former president Donald Trump tells us that, if re-elected in 2024, he will act as a dictator on day one (though likely beyond). The public has now been forewarned that, in electing him, they will have given him the right to do whatever he wants unrestrained by the rule of law. What a dictator says and does is the law, and he would not, of course, allow himself to be subjected to criminal prosecution.
Back in 2016, Trump never suggested to voters that they would be electing a dictator. Thus people chose him assuming that he would act according to the rule of law, since every person in a democratic state, including the president, is subject to the rule of law.
While in office, for the sake of national stability and security, a president may enjoy temporary suspension of criminal accountability, but this protection from criminal prosecution is not permanent. Once a president leaves office, the suspension expires.
In the federal election interference case, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that Trump is not immune from prosecution for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. In her opinion, the presidency: “does not confer a lifelong ‘getout-of-jail’ pass . ... [His] four years of service as commanderin-chief did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens . ... [He] may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction and punishment for criminal acts undertaken while in office.”
Don Bell
Troy
I am among the many saddened to hear that The College of Saint Rose is closing.
Previous writers to the Times Union have suggested that the University at Albany or the State University of New York system in general should try to take over the Saint Rose campus and facilities. I second this suggestion.
One writer suggested that UAlbany’s Rockefeller College should expand into the space. My view would differ. The Rockefeller College is already well established on UAlbany’s downtown campus. I thought that a better use of the Saint Rose campus would be an expansion of UAlbany’s School of Education into the former college’s space.
Saint Rose was a major pipeline for the educating and training of new teachers.
Lori Van Buren/Times Union I think that this tradition should continue at that campus site.
UAlbany’s School of Education is exceptional and nationally ranked. An expansion of the UAlbany School into the Saint Rose campus would continue the tradition of excellence in education and teacher training. It would also save the city from absorbing the economic and social losses should The College of Saint Rose close and have no immediate use.
While I am saddened that The College of Saint Rose is closing, I do take some solace in knowing that the space might be used effectively to maintain a tradition of excellence in higher education and a great benefit to the city and people of Albany.
Dan Fitzgerald
Albany
the election was stolen from him, and millions of Americans will in all likelihood believe his lies, just as they did after the 2020 election. The
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