Posted on 11/13/2010 10:11:12 AM PST by llotter
eedom is in crisis and in danger of disappearing along with all of its benefits. America had traveled so far and for so long down the ‘Road to Serfdom' that we have nearly lost sight of how far off the tracks we have strayed from our founding principles. Our current understanding of the Constitution resembles more the cradle to grave paternalism of Marx than freedom through personal responsibility that our Founders designed. This misunderstanding of our Constitutional Republic extends beyond the unwashed masses and well into the heart of the professional politician and bureaucrats within the federal government itself. It is patently obvious that the track we have taken is headed for a cliff but the Politically Correct world in which we live does not recognize any facts that do not comply with alternative reality that has been have fabricated. We can ride this train and ignore all the warning signs until we crash or we can take affirmative action to reverse our course.
To correct this dire situation before it is too late, the one indispensible agenda item that the new Republican Congress must undertake is to educate the public about the Constitution and why it is so important to our ultimate success as a free society. The most conspicuous way to accomplish that goal would be to create a standing committee to review the constitutionality of both new and existing law as requested by any one Member of Congress. Having ongoing hearings with both expert legal testimony and common sense testimony will bring the issues into the public for debate and that is exactly what is needed to awaken the citizens.
The Tea Party itself is evidence that much of the public is already aware that we are definitely on the wrong track and the new Members that they supported can use this new committee opportunity to turn their limited government agenda into a positive action. There is, of course, the very definite side benefit that as some laws are found to be unconstitutional, there could be significant budget savings.
To correct this dire situation before it is too late, the one indispensible agenda item that the new Republican Congress must undertake is to educate the public about the Constitution and why it is so important to our ultimate success as a free society. The most conspicuous way to accomplish that goal would be to create a standing committee to review the constitutionality of both new and existing law as requested by any one Member of Congress. Having ongoing hearings with both expert legal testimony and common sense testimony will bring the issues into the public for debate and that is exactly what is needed to awaken the citizens.
The Tea Party itself is evidence that much of the public is already aware that we are definitely on the wrong track and the new Members that they supported can use this new committee opportunity to turn their limited government agenda into a positive action. There is, of course, the very definite side benefit that as some laws are found to be unconstitutional, there could be significant budget savings.
Sort of a marathon Constitutional seminar reviewing our laws might be of some value, but there is a risk that people might get tired of watching pointy headed professors debate the constitution and people might suggest that more time be spent on improving the economy.
Pointy headed professors...yes, you are probably correct. However there are many entertaining ways to present the Constitution and our Constitutionally Republican form of government. Americans love educational cartoons.
Here is a current, extremely informative educational cartoon regarding the current QE2 of Bernanke, the Fed, currently in derision by the rest of the world and poorly understood by the average citizen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTUY16CkS-k&feature=player_embedded
Such a format for understanding that our country is NOT a democracy, is a Constitution Republic with wonderful, unprecedented rights in the history of the world, would be VERY helpful, and infinitely more effective than using pointy headed professors.
If Republicans were serious about having a citizenry educated about the Constitution. They would all work ( at every level) to SHUT DOWN government K-12 schools.
If our nation's children attend collectivist, socialist-funded, godless, compulsory, government schools managed by fellow comrade collectivist school boards then we will get the following:
**Citizens comfortable with collectivism and collectivist boards ( Death Panels anyone?)
**Citizens comfortable with taking money from their neighbor to pay for a service they want for “free”. Well, Gee! If the government can use police threat to give them “free” school, why not a thousand other free services?
** Citizens comfortable with government compulsion.
** Citizens comfortable with government ownership and management of goods and services.
Obviously I have no problem with the improvement in education level of the population wrt the Constitution or anything else, for that matter, as long as it isn’t Saul Alinsky.
The problem I see with this “one track” approach is, assuming it is successful; is that the more people are aware of the Constitution and its principles, the more they will see they are not ruled nor is the country run by the application of the Constitution. Instead, the country is run by a cabal of banking interests who have the ability to undermine representative government to their own benefit.
In other words, the end result of this approach is we’d have a lot more pissed-off, hungry, and bankrupt people whose national economy has been asset-stripped and destroyed.
The original constitution as submitted to the states, before the Bill of Rights, has a clause that limits the laws passed by Congress to those that are “necessary and proper” to implement the enumerated powers. The texts of at least several early congressional debates regarding these limits are available.
If nothing else, the American people will learn much by listening to radical Leftists attempt to justify their assaults on our liberty.
Imagine a Mark Levin confronting a Nina Totenberg over funding for NPR. Entertaining and educational.
As you point out closing the government schools is the surest thing to take back our country and re-enforce the true meaning of the Constitution and the limited government the Founders intended.
I absolutely agree! What I find amazing, distressing, and EXASPERATING, is how few conservatives understand this.
Too many conservatives fail to understand that simply by attending collectivist, socialist-funded,godless, compulsory, government schools, children learn to be comfortable with collectivism, socialism, godlessness, and government compulsion. This is true for ALL ALL ALL government schools ( the good, the bad and the ugly!)
The very foundation upon which government schooling is corrupt and can NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT be fixed!
I think if I hear, "My child's school is 'different'!, I think I will have a melt down.
Yes, I am shouting, jumping up and down, and having a fit. Government schools are literally DESTROYING OUR NATION! Can you tell that I really am exasperated with my fellow conservatives. :-)
Congress does not educate, the States educate, Congress must obstruct this monster jam up the gears and bring this beast to a halt.
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