MORE CONSTITUTIONAL MURMURINGS

SOME POSTINGS NEAR THE TOP of the thread seemed to convey the notion that the U. S. Constitution is antiquated and should therefore be ignored. Quite a common viewpoint these days, particularly within all three branches of the Federal Government.

The Constitution is nowadays comparable to the British Crown. Theoretically all-powerful, but in reality the monarch is trotted out and curtsied to at the opening of Parliament, then otherwise ignored in matters of substance. We may still follow the Ps and Qs of the details, but the meat and potatoes of the federal system devised by the Founders has been quashed by an ever more powerful imperial government.

There have been bills introduced at the beginning of each Congress for the last decade or so that would require all legislation brought before the Congress to cite the specific Constitutional authorization for the purpose and contents of each new bill. Not surprisingly, this effort has never gained any traction. Those in control are not amused by any such check on their power and arrogance.

What the Founding Fathers envisioned as a useful tool for the common prosperity and security of the states has morphed from the organ grinder's monkey to an 800-pound gorilla that jerks the states around at will. The Federal government forgets that it was created by the states and that it (theoretically) exercises only delegated powers. The resolutions introduced in the various state legislatures are merely attempts to point out that fact and that Congress has greatly exceeded its authority in many areas. The states are not appendages of the Federal government and may not be coerced or dictated to.

Interesting comments by a poster named Mark. We are particularly inspired by the third rather telling paragraph.