In a recent email, Congressman Mike Simpson warned that freedom is fragile and blamed the rise of socialism for threatening our democracy. I see it differently.

A working democracy relies on basic public programs to support its people. Roads, public safety, and social programs are standard parts of a free society, not a slide into communism.

The real threat to our freedom is not socialism. The real threat is a breakdown in our constitutional balance of power.

When a president ignores programs that Congress has approved money for and uses those funds to further a personal agenda, defies federal courts or tries to take control of elections that is executive overreach. We are seeing this directly as the administration attempts to use the United States Postal Service to interfere with states' rights regarding voter rolls and voting.

Furthermore, we are witnessing an unprecedented purge of our senior military leadership. Over the last 18 months, almost every top military official — including the secretary of the Army, secretary of the Navy, top generals and admirals — has been replaced. In almost every case, the only reason given is that their views did not align with the ideology of the administration. Never in the history of this nation have we seen a purging of senior military leadership to this level. Congress should not only be asking why, but they also should be demanding answers.

Freedom fails when Congress refuses to hold the executive branch accountable. We saw the correct path forward when Idaho’s attorney general joined 32 other states in court to protect our state’s sovereign right to run our own elections. Yet, while our state fought for local control, some Republicans in Congress pushed for federal laws to take that very right away.

If we want to protect our republic, Congress must stop pointing fingers at social programs. They need to stand up for the Constitution, demand accountability for military purges, protect states' rights and do their job. Maybe it is time for the voters to send the Republican Party a clear message: We will no longer put up with the finger-pointing game. You work for the people, not a party or the president.

Voters, when you vote this November, ask yourself: Are you voting for a party or for a person who supports states’ rights, the Constitution, and will work for you?

Clinton Dunn, Dayton