Thesis: The executive branch is becoming too powerful.
Antithesis: If that ever happened, the white-collar desk jockeys at the IRS would rise in revolt against authoritarianism.
Synthesis: Democracies cannot be authoritarian as long as they pass the 
test.
That made me almost spit my coffee out. Using The Patriot Act as an example. Perhaps the most regressive and invasive piece broad piece of legislation ever. Legislation that was illegal and unconstitutional, but sailed through anyway. And not only that, but even in the immediate shadow of 9/11, it did have dissenters and opponents like Patrick Leahy... and then anthrax letters started being sent to them specifically.
...
The system works!