Do you think this pandemic has caused the United States government to have totalitarian tendencies?
To respond to @atamme, I do believe that the United States moved away from representative democracy, but did not move towards totalitarian tendencies. While during the pandemic we did find our presidents using executive orders at an increased rate. However, the ability for a president to exercise the executive order is a portion of our checks and balance system. It is our system of checks and balances that does ensure that the government does not be totalitarian. Nonetheless, it has not stopped the United States from taking an oligarchial approach. I believe that during the pandemic we have watched companies and CEOs increase in wealth and power. I find that as companies like amazon grow there is no anti-monopoly legislation attempting to be passed to limit the power of these corporations. With that, I believe that the power of these corporations and the government's lack of regulation is the cause for totalitarian tendencies. So rather than the cause of the tendencies in the United States, it is rather from corporations that continue to grow at an exponential rate. While oligarchical and totalitarian systems are very different, the similarities of power within a few or one still leads to an oppressive government. Every day the United States becomes less democratic and more oppressive.
Overall, I do believe that as we progress through the pandemic and with the next presidential election coming soon, we need to ensure democratic means through fair and representative elections.
