If we ignore the erosion of checks and balances we may find that our democracy is disappearing. Trump's firing of the intelligence watchdog who validated the Ukraine whistle-blower complaint is his latest threat to the rule of law. Also, the government changed its description on a federal website of the strategic national stockpile to correspond to Kushner’s description of it as being for the benefit of the federal government, not the states. The Navy fired a captain who blew the whistle on the scope of a Covid-19 outbreak on his ship, an example of apparent payback for truthtelling. Trump's attempts to rid the government of those who provide appropriate oversight & accountability for abuses & speak truth to power, to put in place loyalists who will look out for him rather than providing independent checks, and to empower relatives and disregard laws sets us on a dangerous trajectory.