Ruling by decree

Every man who has served as president has put his own personal imprint on that office. He has either expanded the power of the president beyond that prescribed by the Constitution, narrowed its scope or took the middle road, neither adding to nor taking away from its basic function.

As a result of this recent government shutdown, Donald Trump has accomplished something unique in presidential history: He has crippled the presidency. He has set a precedent in which he has shown that the president can make himself impotent.

It is becoming obvious that he does not realize that our government is based on checks and balances. The president does not rule by decree. G. Gideon Rojas, MNL

Santa Fe