American Principles Defined and Guaranteed by Our Constitution
For centuries, the nation-states of Europe waged constant wars for power and wealth. Fortunes were spent and countless lives lost as part of a perpetual game of chess played by arrogant monarchs to satisfy their adolescent whims and territorial quests. Absolutely no consideration was given to the plight of common men and women except for their usefulness, or uselessness, to the selfish desires of their rulers.
Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. The Natural Law Rights of each sovereign individual, divine in origin, were to be protected and secured by the government. An individual’s right to own private property was the basis for individual freedom. These American principles are defined in the written text of our Constitution and guaranteed to each of us by that document.
The Constitution was a legal contract between thirteen sovereign states and their citizens individually. The federal government was a creation of the Constitution and not a party to it. The body of the Constitution is the “owners’ manual” for the federal government, outlining the rules and procedures by which it must operate. The Bill of Rights is the contract by which the federal government is required to protect and secure the enumerated rights of each sovereign state and of each one of its sovereign citizens.
While we cannot know for certain the intentions of our nation’s founders, we do have abundant historical evidence, mostly in their writings and speeches, that the philosophy of the United States was based on individual sovereignty and freedom. Monarchy and titles of nobility were expressly forbidden as were the mechanisms of governance that would allow one single man or a small cabal to rule over everyone.
All Men are Created Equal
Equality of all persons creates the expectation that each of us will have rights and privileges not greater than nor less than any other. That extends to the legal and economic opportunities of life without guaranteeing equal outcomes. It most certainly prohibits the application of law or the granting of opportunity or privileges to favor one person over another based on unrelated factors. The unconstitutional expansion of the “General Welfare Clause” now includes the taking of privately earned money and property for redistribution to others to satisfy the political goals of elected officials. Clearly, our founders intended that the workings of government produce benefits for all.
Legitimate Government Derives Power from the Consent of the Governed
Everyone cannot be expected to agree with each law made by government, especially if his or her opinion aligns with the dissenting minority. That is precisely why we have the Bill of Rights. The majority must never be allowed to eliminate, alter, or otherwise prevent any individual from exercising their God-given rights necessary for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Consent further means the ability to petition our government to express our grievances and expect consideration and redress. The tyranny of the bureaucracy under which we currently live eliminates “consent of the governed.” Bureaucrats are nameless, faceless, unelected individuals who lack the constitutional authority to make laws, rules, and regulations that we must obey. Furthermore, We the People do not have any mechanism to elect them or remove them from office.
The concept was very simple – Live and Let Live. It was a recipe for the long-term survival of a nation of sovereign individuals.
The battle lines are now clearly drawn, and the nation is severely divided in an angry and hateful manner. One side, true patriots, demands that the federal government live by the rules, regulations, laws, and American principles set out in the written text of our Constitution and Bill of Rights by our nation’s founders.
The other side demands that the individual give up his or her Natural Law Rights, the constitutional dictates of limited federal power, and his or her individual freedom. They demand that we submit to the rule of an elitist oligarchy whose only interest is self-enrichment. They desire to return to the time when kings and tsars played their games of greed and power while the common folks paid the price in misery, subjection, slavery, and blood. They demand the destruction of the constitutional republic given to us 230 years ago and all of the God-given Natural Law Rights it guaranteed.
When we consider the lives of future generations, the choice is clear.
Dr. Dan’s guest on Freedom Forum Radio this weekend is self-described constitutional conservative, Colin McWay, author of the recent book, Constitution, Consent and Communism: A Modern Discussion about Constitutional Originalism and how Socialism is Illegal Under our Constitution.
Episode one of this six-part interview begins this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, January 4-5, on WJRB 95.1 FM and streamed live over the Internet.
All programs are available by podcast following airtime here.
