(My Clovis News Journal column for January 27, 2012. Now, read it and tell me if the headline seems appropriate to my message. Sigh.)
I'm not a big fan of the US Constitution because, as has been pointed out by numerous observers for well over a century, it either established the criminal government we now suffer with, or it did nothing to prevent it. That doesn't mean it is worthless, though. I think it is very useful for illustrating which politicians and government employees belong in chains rather than on your payroll.
If a hypothetical politician or bureaucrat actually cared to stay legal and adhere to the Constitution, he would need to recognize that it would be safer to fail to do something that the Constitution authorizes than to do something it does not. I wonder why that never seems to occur to any of them.
I suppose the answer is that it is more fun to do things than to refrain from doing things. There is no rush of adrenaline in the power of restraint. There is no bluster and swagger in it. Scrupulously staying legal to the point of erring on the side of restraint would take away all the fun of governing for those drawn to that lifestyle.
Think of all the government activities that could not be justified by a Constitutional politician who knew that he would need specific authorization for each and every action he set in motion rather than claiming there would have to be a specific prohibition to stop any of his official acts.
Where specifically does the Constitution authorize the US government to prohibit the introduction of chemical compounds into one's own body? Where does the Constitution specifically authorize the federal government to regulate which crops are grown by private individuals, or what products people can manufacture and sell?
Where does the Constitution specifically authorize the government to run schools, interfere with travel, counterfeit money via the Federal Reserve, torture prisoners, or maintain "forts" in practically every nation on the globe? The answer is that it doesn't.
All those things are illegal for the US government to do- and since the adoption of the 14th Amendment, understood (at least by anyone less ignorant than the buffoons of the Supreme Court) to be illegal for any other government in America to do, as well.
But that's just no fun, and it's not as profitable, either. Which explains why the Constitution and Bill of Rights- which only applies to employees of the government by prohibiting most of their desired actions- will never be obeyed by government At least not voluntarily.
If a hypothetical politician or bureaucrat actually cared to stay legal and adhere to the Constitution, he would need to recognize that it would be safer to fail to do something that the Constitution authorizes than to do something it does not. I wonder why that never seems to occur to any of them.
I suppose the answer is that it is more fun to do things than to refrain from doing things. There is no rush of adrenaline in the power of restraint. There is no bluster and swagger in it. Scrupulously staying legal to the point of erring on the side of restraint would take away all the fun of governing for those drawn to that lifestyle.
Think of all the government activities that could not be justified by a Constitutional politician who knew that he would need specific authorization for each and every action he set in motion rather than claiming there would have to be a specific prohibition to stop any of his official acts.
Where specifically does the Constitution authorize the US government to prohibit the introduction of chemical compounds into one's own body? Where does the Constitution specifically authorize the federal government to regulate which crops are grown by private individuals, or what products people can manufacture and sell?
Where does the Constitution specifically authorize the government to run schools, interfere with travel, counterfeit money via the Federal Reserve, torture prisoners, or maintain "forts" in practically every nation on the globe? The answer is that it doesn't.
All those things are illegal for the US government to do- and since the adoption of the 14th Amendment, understood (at least by anyone less ignorant than the buffoons of the Supreme Court) to be illegal for any other government in America to do, as well.
But that's just no fun, and it's not as profitable, either. Which explains why the Constitution and Bill of Rights- which only applies to employees of the government by prohibiting most of their desired actions- will never be obeyed by government At least not voluntarily.
.