The US Constitution may be one of the most perfect documents ever written. It's message: HAVE FAITH IN NO MAN! All men are corruptible. The three branches of government are the most vulnerable, and must be watched by The Press. Then, it's up to The People to get rid of the corruption and demand transparency. by Amy Kelly
(libertarian)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
HAVE FAITH IN NO MAN! That is the message of the US Constitution. All men are corruptible, driven by greed and competition, and when power is in their hands, they can't be trusted.
The US Constitution is quite possibly the most perfect document ever written. Why? Because it addresses the greatest danger to freedom and offers a blueprint on how to maintain it, and even correct it, if the holders are willing to be diligent.The Founding Fathers knew that man's greatest enemy was man himself. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. King George of Britain was the embodiment of destructive, abusive, oppressive power. It was his horrific treatment of the colonies that led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. In 1787, the Constitution was conceived, instituting the promises made in the Declaration of limited power and securing the rights that all men are created equal. The Forefathers knew that even they were corruptible and in a precarious position: now they were the men in charge who could either make the changes that would affect future generations to come OR take advantage of the roles they were thrust into and grab the power they held. They knew that at any moment they could become the very monsters they had just fought, so they sought to construct a document that would address every conceivable loophole that would be attacked by mans greed.
The idea was that when you had limited power spread out among different branches, no branch being more powerful than the other, AND you added the Free Press as a watchdog, the People would then have the ultimate power over the government. In the end, it would be THE PEOPLE who would have the most power. Man is fallible. That's a given. No matter the man, no matter his ideology, he can be corrupted. Limit the power of the federal government because the people can't trust them. When the government has power and money, no matter who's in charge, they will eventually become addicted, and that addiction will lead to corruption and oppression in order to keep it. This is the way of man; the writers had seen it firsthand. That's why the Constitution was written the way it was, to avoid that.
The branches of government must stay separate and weak. The Federal Government must have as little power as possible over the People. And they must fear the watchdog, they must fear exposure. That's where the Press comes in to play. The Press, hated by the government but, in their eyes, a necessary evil, would expose the corruption and keep the three branches clean. Freedom was dependent on the Press ferreting out corruption and revealing it to the People, who would then up rise and vote the corrupt person out. Leadership was no longer a divine right. Anyone could become a Representative, a Senator, a Governor, or even President. The politician could be cast aside, fired, or thrown out of office. The Press was their enemy, yes, and yet the government, in order to get re-elected, had to keep them around, allowing them access to things no civilian was privy to. The People relied on the Press to get the story and expose the corruption and this depended on the natural competition between the journalists. Even if some members of the Press became corrupt there was always another newsman waiting in the wings to make a name for themselves. The Press was the link between the government, their practices, and the PEOPLE. It was the only way to keep a moral government.
All of this depended on an intelligent People, an informed electorate, and an interested Press intent on getting the story and keeping the government honest. Without that, capitalism won't work. We've drifted so far from the conception of our Republic that we can't even relate to the oppression that beget her. To most Americans, the Founding Fathers and their enemies are just characters in a book. The Press, and all forms of the media, have now become more impassioned by their ideology than their desire to tell the news as it happens. They've become too powerful in shaping the ideas rather than simply relaying the story. Their power no longer comes from taking down the corrupt Senator or keeping each branch honest and getting accolades and money for their investigative skills. In recent years their power comes from molding the ideals of the nation via quick talking points and rhetoric because Americans now have such a short attention span. They've also been corrupted by the government, with only certain news organizations getting access to the White House or being labeled as "news". The country's too large, and the voting population is too young, uneducated, and uninformed. They are easily swayed by drive by media slogans and distractions of society. Our youth is indoctrinated by our schools with misinformation. Children graduate high school not even knowing how to read, never mind true insight into American history. All it takes to vote is to reach the age of 18 and be a citizen. This country wasn't founded on the idea that homeless people with park benches as addresses getting the privileged to vote. It was about moral, intelligent, well-informed people, who cared about this country going out there, working to make a living and offering up their services as voters, public servants, or newsmen.
Our leaders lie to us, extort money, and break every rule that the Constitution warned us about. Without the practice of the safeguards the Constitution put into place we end up with the chaos we have now.
It began as .."WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION, ESTABLISH JUSTICE, INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY, PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENCE, PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE, AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY, DO ORDAIN AND ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA." Now, it seems, it has an expiration date
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Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2010-03-16 19:30:02
Hi Amy,
 The constitution is nothing but a good idea without the continuous actions of good people to ensure their candidates respect and uphold it. The constitution is still the same good idea it always has been but the people have turned our government over to leaders who do not respect it. Without that respect, the Constitution is nothing.
Without productive and constructive actions by individuals the Constitution carries no more weight than the yak yak that goes on here at NolanChart.com. The power is in the actions, not the words.
Here is a excellent piece by Lysander Spooner on the topic:Â http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig4/spooner1.html
You absolutely get it with your theme. Yes, the constitution is a document created by individuals seeking to prevent each among them from "one upping " each other.
I am not sure that I agree with your premise that this was a reaction to the absolutism of King George, however. Our colonies were more disturbed by the actions of the British parliament than by the King, and initially sought his support in an effort to be able to send representatives to parliament. The interests of each of the colonies were distinct from each other as to why they so desired this result, but collectively, the stated goal seemed to be the best outcome to pursue for all.
The war that ensued, was mostly driven by interests of the colonies collectively, confronting an international situation that evolved their interests apart from the best interests of Great Britain. In no way were our founding colonies any less devoid of self interest than any other nation of the time. Toward that end, the republic was established to assure that those with the most to lose, would have the greatest say.Â
The constitution is indeed a wonderful document. But the constitution cannot stand on its own. It can only stand up if there are people who will stand up for it. Unfortunately there are very few who will. The average American knows nothing of the constitution or the rights it protects. Furthermore they resist any efforts to educate them. That fact may well be our undoing.
@J Fire Eater: I've enjoyed your columns and appreciate your comments. I agree with your sentiment.Â
@ David S. and J Fire Eater: Without the press being a watchdog and the voters being educated and informed, The Constitution looses it's ability to protect freedom. It's only a blueprint for freedom, it must be enacted and protected by man. When we lose sight of the spirit of things like the Bill of Rights (i.e. saying that the purpose for gun ownership when the Constitution was enacted no longer matters because we're not under a tyranny at this moment so we should ignore the 2nd amendment and enact gun control laws} is exactly the type of thing the founders were trying to avoid. We become complacent when things are too good and we ignore history. We want to feel good in the moment, so we allow the justices to interpret phantom rights in the Constitution (i.e. the "right" to an abortion or the "right" to health care) and ignore other "rights" when it bothers them (i.e. guns).
You'd think with a document so clear cut, with the 10th amendment making it even clearer, we'd be ok. But people can justify anything and spin anything. That's the purpose for an educated electorate. Not college educated (especially now) but at least a high school diploma and the ability to read and write English. At one time you had to be a land owner in order to vote. Voting is a privilege, not a right. If the electorate is ignorant and unaware of problems in the real world, they make decisions based on what will make them feel good right now rather than logic. Kind of like voting for high school president because this one says he'll get you ice cream Fridays and abolish detention, even though he doesn't have the power to do either. And with the quick media we have now, combined with an ignorant electorate, we have a powerful press that can shape opinion instead of just reporting the news. And that kind of power is too great for anyone.
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