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Vanity: Free Republic Priority One: Defending the Constitution
Free Republic | June 10, 2003 | Jim Robinson

Posted on 06/10/2003 4:17:50 AM PDT by Jim Robinson

One thing I've learned during the last six years or so of hanging around Free Republic is that politics is a dirty game. It may qualify as a runner-up for the understatement of the year, but it seems to me that one of the worst things about politics is that it is made up of politicians. These guys seem to be desperate to get into office and once they've had a taste of power they're even more desperate to hang onto it. Doesn't matter what the Founders had in mind for our Republic and or what they wrote into the Constitution, if the elected politicians feel that they can create or expand another give-away program or cater to the demands of one special interest group or another, and it will help them get re-elected next time, well, why not? Constitution be damned.

The House represents the people. Sure, the Congressmen are supposed to be sensitive to the wants, needs, desires and demands of their constituents and they are and should be swayed by popular opinion and they should be passionate in their representation of the people. That's the name of the game and that's what the Founders intended. But when the people demand more than the Constitution allows, then what? Well, for one, you've got to get by the Senate. Then by the President, and perhaps by any Supreme Court challenges.

It's my understanding, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Founders established the Senate as the senior body of the bicameral legislature and set higher qualifications, higher standards and longer terms for its members. The Senators were to be experienced, wizened senior statesmen, insulated from swaying popular opinion, and the Senate as a body was to serve as a check on the hotheads in the House.

I also believe that one of the primary responsibilities of the Senate was to defend the Constitution and to guard over the longevity and continuity of the Republic. To this end, the Senate was designed to confirm judicial and high level executive appointments, ratify treaties and conduct impeachment trials--all highly essential elements to the maintenance of our constitutional republic, our national sovereignty and our Liberty.

To ensure that the Senators were truly insulated from swaying public opinion the Founders intended them to be appointed by the state legislatures rather than elected by the populace. It was hoped that only the very best statesmen, men of unimpeachable personal character, would rise to the top of the state legislatures and be considered to serve as U.S. Senators. Hmmmm... Hillary Clinton? Well, so much for high hopes.

I also understand that the three branches of the federal government were established as co-equal partners, with checks and balances designed so that no branch could control another and none could subvert the Constitution. The terms of the members of each branch were varied and staggered and the methods of election or appointment were different for each branch. The only members elected by the populace were to be the members of the House of Representatives. The Senators were to be appointed by the state legislatures, the President elected by the Electoral College and the Judiciary and high officers appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The members of the House serve for two years, the President four years, the Senators six years and the Judiciary for life. The number of representatives for each state is determined by the number of people in each state, each state was guaranteed representation by two senators, and the number of electoral college members for each state determined by the number of congressional representatives, etc.

The state governments were intended to remain sovereign and all rights and powers not expressly delegated by the Constitution were to be left to the states and to the people. The central government was restricted to only about a dozen and a half enumerated powers and functions and was never intended to be the absolute ruling authority over the states or the people that it is today.

The primary functions of the federal government was to defend our national borders, maintain the federal judiciary, run the post office, the weights and standards office, the patent office, etc., and to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and our individual rights.

Well, we all know that this is not how it ended up. What went wrong? For one thing, the balance of power was upset with the ratification of the seventeenth amendment. This amendment allowed for the popular election of the Senators instead of having them appointed by the state legislatures. At first glance, this looks like it would be more democratic. In fact, it is. However, as we conservatives love to point out, our Founders did not establish a democracy, they established a Republic.

With the popular election of both the House and the Senate, we are now one step closer to being a democracy where the mob rules rather than the rule of law. Also, the states essentially lost their representatives to the federal government and now, four-score and some odd years later, the result is that most of their states rights and powers have been eroded away. And we're now seeing where the democrats are wanting to do away with the electoral college. Al Gore won the popular vote in the last election, due mostly to the large highly populated liberal states, but President Bush obviously won in the electoral college. Thank God for the wisdom of the Founding Fathers! If Hillary and her mob have their way, the electoral college is history and so is the Republic. That's what happens when you allow mob rule and we're only one amendment and one step away from that sorry end now.

The liberals rule the land. They control the education systems. They control the media. They control the judiciary. Regardless of the party in executive or legislative power, the career liberals control the more or less permanent bureaucracy, the regulatory agencies and the courts. In defending the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic, I count the liberals (lumping in the greenies, the socialists, the anarchists, and other assorted un-American types, etc.) as our primary domestic enemy number one. I count the left-leaning moderates and RINOs as domestic enemy number two.

Pretty basic and simple so far, but here's where it gets tricky. Like it or not, we have a two party system. Our good friends, the Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Reformers, Buchananites, paleocons, and other right-wingers, etc., may have some pretty good ideas about constitutionality, freedom, Liberty, etc., however, they are weak numerically, and will probably never get much stronger. Let's face it. The general populace has been indoctrinated for decades (make that several generations) by the liberal state controlled education system, brain-washed by the liberal controlled media and conditioned by the liberal controlled judiciary to accept whatever mushy touchy-feely liberal policy or concept that comes down the pike.

Where are the libertarian, reformist or strict constructionist parties ever going to find enough voters to overcome the Democrats and Republicans? Answer is they can't. It's an impossibility. Perhaps they can draw from the conservatives or Republicans, but they can hope to draw almost no liberal or Democrat voters. So, even if they can draw away from the conservative parties, it will only serve to strengthen the liberals and we will only reinstall Democrats to the majority. Happens every time. We flop back and forth between the Democrats and the Republicans and we continue to make zero progress, but the head-long slide into socialism continues on.

My conclusion is we will never, ever regain constitutional government until we completely demolish the liberal stranglehold on the bureaucracy, the education institutions, the media and especially, the judiciary. How do we do that? The most straightforward way, IMHO, is to vote out the Democrats. Ensure that we maintain as large a Republican majority as we possibly can. Ensure that the most conservative judges as can be found are appointed by the Republican president and confirmed by the Republican Senate. Why do you think Daschle and the Democrats are fighting so hard to block Bush's judicial appointments? They see the handwriting on the wall. As we begin replacing the liberal judiciary. the socialist welfare state is going to fall. The socialist bureaucracy will begin to crumble. We will withdraw from the U.N. and begin rescinding international treaties not in our best interests. We will be defending America and America's interests first.

Who knows? We may even get to the point we can overturn Roe vs Wade, repeal the 16th and 17th amendments, abolish the slave tax, privatize social security and medicare, repeal the unconstitutional gun control laws, dismantle the welfare state and reestablish the American Republic. These are my dreams, my goals and my reasons for Free Republic. If sometimes my actions seem a bit odd, please remember that my ultimate goals are to restore constitutional government and I see the total destruction of the Democrat Party and liberalism in general as the only possible solution to the problem. I don't care if people call me a neo-con, a bushbot, a blind Republican, a statist or whatever. I've asked many times but there has been no Libertarian or Buchananite or Reformer or Rockwellian or paleocon who has documented and presented a better plan or one that has any prayer of success, so I'm committed to this one.

As we move forward into the next election cycle, the FR battle cry will be: Restore the Republic! Vote out the RATs!

See you at the Free Republic George Bush Second Inaugural Ball in January '05!

Jim



TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: adminlectureseries; copernicus9; jimrobinson
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1 posted on 06/10/2003 4:17:50 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
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To: Jim Robinson
A brave statement and one I agree with.Thank you for this forum!
2 posted on 06/10/2003 4:23:50 AM PDT by MEG33
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To: Jim Robinson
Thanks, Jim, and thanks for the forum. When we have enough of a majority, we can turn our attention to removing people like Olympia Snowe and Arlin Spector, who wield way too much power because of their needed votes.

Until then, we have to live with them, frustrating as it is.

3 posted on 06/10/2003 4:26:20 AM PDT by Miss Marple
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To: Jim Robinson; TigersEye; Travis McGee; MeeknMing; JohnHuang2; kattracks
Amen.

I thank God I was late to work this morning so I could read you again, Jim Robinson.

4 posted on 06/10/2003 4:27:09 AM PDT by .30Carbine
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To: Miss Marple
Sigh
5 posted on 06/10/2003 4:27:37 AM PDT by MEG33
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To: Jim Robinson
From your lips to God's ears.
6 posted on 06/10/2003 4:27:56 AM PDT by moneyrunner (I have not flattered its rank breath, nor bowed to its idolatries a patient knee.)
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To: PhiKapMom
Your list will want to read this, too.
7 posted on 06/10/2003 4:28:19 AM PDT by .30Carbine
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To: Jim Robinson
A BTTT for your words of wisdom.

Thank you, Jim.

8 posted on 06/10/2003 4:31:46 AM PDT by kattracks
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To: billbears; 4ConservativeJustices
bttt
9 posted on 06/10/2003 4:32:33 AM PDT by Ff--150 (100-Fold Return)
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To: TexKat; Carolina
This is from Jim Robinson.
10 posted on 06/10/2003 4:34:46 AM PDT by MEG33
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To: Jim Robinson
Beautifully written, Jim. And you are so right. (No pun intended.) This could almost serve as FreeRepublic's Constitution.

Thanks for the forum and on with restoring the Republic!

11 posted on 06/10/2003 4:35:50 AM PDT by arasina (Thank God the White House now has plenty of CLEAN laundry!)
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To: Jim Robinson
Great post, Jim. You will be attacked, no doubt, but the truth of your post is crystal-clear. Thanks for being brave and right.
12 posted on 06/10/2003 4:38:51 AM PDT by Wait4Truth (God Bless our President!)
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To: Jim Robinson
Thank you for providing this forum. I don't think that you will ever appreciate just how big a difference you have made. Keep up the good work.

We also need to beat the liberals idea of 'hate radio' that they are pushing. They are seeking to make the expressing of ideas illegal by saying that it spreads hate.

We also need to beat back the liberal control of the child custody/child support arena. As long as they are free to pander to ensuring that women get sole custody and huge sums of money, the democracy is in danger because women are a majority of the voters. It sure would be nice to be able to to get fired from ones job without it also mean a life long jail sentence.



13 posted on 06/10/2003 4:38:54 AM PDT by Pikachu_Dad
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To: Jim Robinson
I'm almost in complete agreement. I'd like to simplify our goals:
  1. Vote for good Republicans. By good, I mean any who won't stop the restoration with corruption.
  2. Abolish gun control and banish its advocates from all office.
  3. Work on restoring the rest of the Constitution.
The rest will follow. I can't agree with 100% of your agenda, but I agree with all of its spirit. We'll have the freedom to debate it once these other critical things are in place! Debate will flourish, and so will the Republic!
14 posted on 06/10/2003 4:38:59 AM PDT by risk (Live free or die!)
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To: Jim Robinson
Hear, hear!

Who knows? We may even get to the point we can overturn Roe vs Wade

I believe this will happen no later than 2050 and, hopefully, long before that. The problem with Roe v Wade is that it's technology driven. The point of viability even now is much different that it was when Roe was written, and it's moving closer and closer to fertilization every year. When fertilization and viability become the same event in the not too distant future, it'll be awfully hard for liberals to maintain their killing machine.

15 posted on 06/10/2003 4:42:04 AM PDT by libertylover
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To: Jim Robinson
Restore the Republic! Vote out the RATs!


We are winning!!! Thanks for the forum Jim.

and a bttt.

RB
16 posted on 06/10/2003 4:42:05 AM PDT by Rightly Biased (<><)
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Down with Liberdopians!!!1
17 posted on 06/10/2003 4:44:17 AM PDT by toothless (I AM A MAN)
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To: Jim Robinson; A Citizen Reporter; ABG(anybody but Gore); Angelwood; arazitjh; b4its2late; ...
Thanks, Jim.

A vote the democrats out ping.

18 posted on 06/10/2003 4:44:28 AM PDT by lysie
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To: Jim Robinson
You identify the problem pretty well, but the solution is another matter. It turns out that the Repubs also increase the size, cost, and power of the government. They make some well intended moves in the other direction, such as tax cuts, but the overall trend each year is bigger, bigger, bigger.

Just as you say, they want to get elected and they see the need to spend and spend to do so. Look at GWB's farm bill, or the steel quotas....obviously measures for electoral interests. We just cannot expect the Repubs to get us where we both want under the present circumstances.

New Hampshire is a good example. In the early 1990's, we were 'the most Republican state' with big majorities in both houses, the governor, the entire Senate and House delegation, and all five Governor's Council members. What happened? Taxes went up, spending went up, government went up.

I don't propose voting for the third parties any longer. You are correct, they cannot and likely will never win. I'll vote for conservative Republicans, and maybe even some not so conservative, but the solution lies elsewhere....in somehow changing the culture and philosophy of the thinkers and leaders in the country. Until that time, all we can reasonably hope for is to slow the growth of the government.

For too many, most, on both side of the isle, it's about power and percs.
19 posted on 06/10/2003 4:46:42 AM PDT by RJCogburn (Yes, I will call it bold talk for a......)
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To: Jim Robinson
My conclusion is we will never, ever regain constitutional government until we completely demolish the liberal stranglehold on the bureaucracy, the education institutions, the media and especially, the judiciary.

Great writing and solid logic. Thanks for writing it, I agree %1000 with your conclusion.

20 posted on 06/10/2003 4:47:17 AM PDT by DeSoto
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