The Constitution, Part I

OK, now a topic that is near and dear to my heart, and has a great deal to do with why I started this blog. In recent years, the Constitution of the United States has been marginalized, discounted as "from a different era", misunderstood and misrepresented, and downright ignored. I believe that there are numerous reasons for this, foremost among them that American History and the founding documents are not properly taught in our schools - I could (and may) easily fill an entire posting on that subject alone. The reality is that our Constitution is one of the greatest works in the history of mankind and set the stage for all of the great things that have transpired in this country since it's adoption. The Constitution is the foundation of our system of government and the origin of all laws; it is the bedrock of what should be our guiding principles as a country and a people. Without it, we are adrift and subject to the political whims and theories of each passing political fad, and are in constant danger of the type of usurpment of power and abrogation of rights that it explicitly prohibits.

Although the Founding Fathers had fundamental disagreements on many subjects, just as folks do today, they all recognized the importance of the Constitution as the glue that bound the individual states into one strong nation and defined the rules, rights, and basis for law that enabled everything that followed. It was this recognition that enabled men with beliefs as diverse as those of John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison to come together and create The Federalist Papers in defence of it's ratification. The founders understood the need for a central Federal government; however, it was their experience with political and religious persecution that caused them also to have a great fear of it. This is the reason why the Constitution specifically limits the powers of the various branches, while just as specifically grants enumerated rights to the citizens, and reserves much of the function of government to the individual States. Unfortunately, I believe that the great men who founded this country would be absolutely appalled if they could see the state that it is in now, the way the Constitution has been distorted, and the unchecked, massive beaurocratic nightmare that our Federal Government has become.

In future postings I intend to explore this topic and it's many facets in much greater depth; I believe that right now we are at a very critical juncture in our country's history, and that the old saying is more true today than ever before - "Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it."