This an article by a friend of mine, I feel it is important to share it.
Transformation or Restoration?
by Patrick Miller on Monday, May 21, 2012 at 10:47am ·
The “living Constitution” is a constitution on its deathbed. The Founders are dismissed as quaint or worse— ancients, slaveholders, and landed gentry. This is what our modern day progressives seem to think, for utopianism is bigger than history and politics. It is a break from the past. The progressives are impatient, anxious, and frenetic, for life is short, destiny calls, and a fantastic future awaits humankind if only man, with all his flaws and imperfections, would relent or get out of the way. Therefore, the earthly grind of societal transformation must continue without delay.
One hundred years after the publication of Wilson’s Constitutional Government in the United States and sixty-four years after Roosevelt delivered his Second Bill of Rights speech, presidential candidate Barack Obama declared, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” Five days later, he was elected president. The counter-revolution, which is over a century old, proceeds more thoroughly and aggressively today than before.
When the fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 at what became known as the Constitutional Convention, their purpose was not to transform American society but to preserve and protect it. In Federalist 51, James Madison later explained the decisive task this way: “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” Charles de Montesquieu’s advice guided the Framers. He wrote that laws “should relate to the degree of liberty that the constitution can sustain, to the religion of the inhabitants, their inclinations, their wealth, their number, their commerce, their mores, and their manners.…” (Spirit of the Laws, 1, 1, 3).
I personally do not want our President (whoever he may be) to TRANSFORM our nation. Obama appears to divide and transform it via a political revolution.
Our founders in their letters and writings shared their concerns about how our culture at the time of our nation’s founding was not perfectly in line with the values of Liberty; that all men are created equal. It is important to point out that many of the founders; including Franklin, Madison and Jefferson advocated for abolishing slavery from the founding of the nation. They knew that slavery was antithetical to the values in the Declaration, the Constitution and the forthcoming Bill of Rights. Realistically and politically they needed the nation fully unified to face the tyranny of England; the revolution would be a war that would require that the colonists have no reason or risk of splitting their allegiance. Tackling the issue of slavery would have risked such unity. In retrospect; they were correct as it took another 100 years and a civil war to abolish slavery. This is why we must not have The Founders dismissed as quaint or worse— ancients, slaveholders, and landed gentry.
The fact is – it is the great truths and principles within our Constitution and our Republican, Representative structure of government - with its checks and balances that has afforded the United States the accurate example of the most successful government experiment in the history of the world. It is nowhere else that free-men of every walk of life; whether they be poor or rich from birth; black, white, Asian, Hispanic – born here or immigrant – to achieve a fully liberated and prosperous way of life. There has never been and likely will not be a greater government structure for the common man.
While the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist at our birth disagreed on some things (it is apparent in their writings). However, they all agreed that a centralized government; whether a monarchy or elected leadership; would always be the greatest threat to liberty.
Our structure of government is not perfect, but it is the most ideal because it grants the greatest power to the States and limits the powers of the Federal Government. There is no intellectually honest way to read the writings of the framers; the Declaration, the Bill of Rights and Constitution and its amendments without coming to this conclusion.
Can anyone prove me a single example of any form of national ‘Centralized Government’ – anywhere in the history of the world; that has provided what we experienced as a nation in the last 200 years? Rhetorical question – the answer is no.
Our government is not perfect; nor will it ever be perfect – because it is administered by men who are imperfect and never will be perfect. The structure of our original and intended Constitutional Structure of government with its limited and divided powers; allows and recognizes this reality and proves the most ideal society for individuals. It is ideal but not perfect. Perfection is not attainable on this side of eternity; because mankind is not perfect.
So I ask you – Do you want more power to the Federal Government apparatus; which will be run by an all-powerful smaller group of bureaucrats? Or, do you want limited federal power where majority power remains with the individual states; their citizens and their locally elected representatives - as originally created by our founders?
Do you want America transformed as Barack Obama said 5 days before his election – or do you want it restored?
One hundred years after the publication of Wilson’s Constitutional Government in the United States and sixty-four years after Roosevelt delivered his Second Bill of Rights speech, presidential candidate Barack Obama declared, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” Five days later, he was elected president. The counter-revolution, which is over a century old, proceeds more thoroughly and aggressively today than before.
When the fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 at what became known as the Constitutional Convention, their purpose was not to transform American society but to preserve and protect it. In Federalist 51, James Madison later explained the decisive task this way: “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” Charles de Montesquieu’s advice guided the Framers. He wrote that laws “should relate to the degree of liberty that the constitution can sustain, to the religion of the inhabitants, their inclinations, their wealth, their number, their commerce, their mores, and their manners.…” (Spirit of the Laws, 1, 1, 3).
I personally do not want our President (whoever he may be) to TRANSFORM our nation. Obama appears to divide and transform it via a political revolution.
Our founders in their letters and writings shared their concerns about how our culture at the time of our nation’s founding was not perfectly in line with the values of Liberty; that all men are created equal. It is important to point out that many of the founders; including Franklin, Madison and Jefferson advocated for abolishing slavery from the founding of the nation. They knew that slavery was antithetical to the values in the Declaration, the Constitution and the forthcoming Bill of Rights. Realistically and politically they needed the nation fully unified to face the tyranny of England; the revolution would be a war that would require that the colonists have no reason or risk of splitting their allegiance. Tackling the issue of slavery would have risked such unity. In retrospect; they were correct as it took another 100 years and a civil war to abolish slavery. This is why we must not have The Founders dismissed as quaint or worse— ancients, slaveholders, and landed gentry.
The fact is – it is the great truths and principles within our Constitution and our Republican, Representative structure of government - with its checks and balances that has afforded the United States the accurate example of the most successful government experiment in the history of the world. It is nowhere else that free-men of every walk of life; whether they be poor or rich from birth; black, white, Asian, Hispanic – born here or immigrant – to achieve a fully liberated and prosperous way of life. There has never been and likely will not be a greater government structure for the common man.
While the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist at our birth disagreed on some things (it is apparent in their writings). However, they all agreed that a centralized government; whether a monarchy or elected leadership; would always be the greatest threat to liberty.
Our structure of government is not perfect, but it is the most ideal because it grants the greatest power to the States and limits the powers of the Federal Government. There is no intellectually honest way to read the writings of the framers; the Declaration, the Bill of Rights and Constitution and its amendments without coming to this conclusion.
Can anyone prove me a single example of any form of national ‘Centralized Government’ – anywhere in the history of the world; that has provided what we experienced as a nation in the last 200 years? Rhetorical question – the answer is no.
Our government is not perfect; nor will it ever be perfect – because it is administered by men who are imperfect and never will be perfect. The structure of our original and intended Constitutional Structure of government with its limited and divided powers; allows and recognizes this reality and proves the most ideal society for individuals. It is ideal but not perfect. Perfection is not attainable on this side of eternity; because mankind is not perfect.
So I ask you – Do you want more power to the Federal Government apparatus; which will be run by an all-powerful smaller group of bureaucrats? Or, do you want limited federal power where majority power remains with the individual states; their citizens and their locally elected representatives - as originally created by our founders?
Do you want America transformed as Barack Obama said 5 days before his election – or do you want it restored?
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