America Needs to Return to the Basics

Common sense dictates that the founding fathers were intelligent men who knew what they were doing; after all they created the greatest nation on earth. They set up the government in a very sensible way. It is, therefore, senseless to stray from the path they put us on, yet this is what has happened. Our nation no longer resembles the nation that was started by our founding fathers. It is not the nation we once knew. To repair the damage that has been done, we need to go back to the basics found in the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 

Our founding fathers stated in the The Declaration of Independence, "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights," rights that are given by God and cannot be altered by law (versus inalienable rights which are subject to be changed by the laws of man) "that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This is frequently misinterpreted to mean everyone has the right to be happy. “Pursuit” is in there for a reason, everyone has the right to “pursue happiness” this does not meant that everyone guaranteed happiness.  The government is not responsible for your happiness.

The Preamble to the Constitution and article I, section 8 states "promote" (not provide) "the general Welfare." "Welfare" meaning "Exemption from any unusual evil or calamity; the enjoyment of peace and prosperity, or the ordinary blessings of society and civil government" (Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828 and is the same definition as when the Constitution was ratified). It does not mean that the government must provide everything for the people as supported by James Madison in Federalist Papers #41: "It has been urged and echoed, that… provide for the common defense or general welfare of the United States," amounts to an unlimited commission to exercise every power which may be alleged to be necessary for the common defense or general welfare. No stronger proof could be given of the distress under which these writers labor for objections, than their stooping to such a misconstruction."

Amendment I tells us "congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." This means national religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; The federal government should not be involved in religion, They cannot tell religious institutions what they can do or what services they provide and Congress will "make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion." Religious organizations are free to practice their religion as they see fit.

Amendment II says that "A well regulated Militia," meaning organized armed forces, "to the security of a free State," to protect one’s home, and one’s local area, and country "the right of the people," the individual, "to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed by the Government." Government cannot prevent individuals from owning arms (guns).

An outline of the responsibilities of each branch, legislative, judicial and executive is found in Articles I-III of the Constitution. No branch, including the executive branch (President) is more important than the other. Each branch has a purpose and a job to do and each is equally important. It is for each branch to fulfill its own duties. It is not the place of one branch to fulfill the job of the other or to take on the jobs of the states. The rest falls, as relayed in Amendment X, to the states "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people" as clarified by Madison in Federalist Papers #14 and Federalist Papers #39 "...is to be remembered that the general government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws. Its jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects…leaves to the several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects." 

The federal government has taken over too much, pays for far too many programs that should be left to the state and local governments and to the people. Communities, should they choose to have these types of programs, would have to raise the money and provide the programs, thus taking the burden off the federal government. I guarantee they would also find a way to help the people become more self-sufficient. This would help everyone, including the federal government and their ever increasing debt problem. It is unlikely that the government would pay off the unimaginable debt it has incurred, at least not in my lifetime. Following the Constitution, as was intended, would, put the nation back on the right path.