The Constitution at a Crossroads

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are the core documents I look to as the base of my political philosophy.  But the Constitution - the original Contract with America – is the foundation of our governmental system.  It’s a binding contract between the American people and our government.  It recognizes our individual rights and freedoms and grants to government limited, yet specifically enumerated powers.

The Constitution came out of the searing experience of the struggle for independence from the reign of King George III.  Our Founders recognized the potential of centralized power to produce tyranny.  And they did an amazing thing - they gave up an opportunity to consolidate their own personal power and impose a big, centralized government.  Instead, they created a new form of government and crafted a divinely inspired document that’s a marvel of wisdom and balance.    

The Constitution separates power vertically between the federal, state, and local governments; and horizontally between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. With the addition of the Bill of Rights, we were given an effective governmental framework designed to protect us from too much power being concentrated in any one sector of government, or in the hands of any one person. 

The Constitution has made the United States unique in world history.  We’re a country of immigrants, drawn by the dream of freedom, and the opportunity to succeed.  We’ve developed a culture where individual citizens matter – and where individual rights are protected.   Where we’re free to succeed according to our talents and work ethic, but we’re also free to fail.  It’s no accident that over the course of our history, the United States has been the most successful country in the history of the world.

But freedom isn’t free. We must continually battle the corrupting element of human nature that craves power.  As Lord Acton said “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Unfortunately, we the American people outsourced our government to career politicians and allowed our federal government to drift from its constitutional moorings.  As a result, bureaucratic fiefdoms in Washington have grown in power while our personal liberties and our state & local governments’ power and independence have shrunk.  By wide majorities, Americans no longer trust their government.

As the Federal Government has grown, so has the intrusion and interference into the activities of law abiding Americans.  Our Federal Government now picks winners and losers in the economy, subsidizes special interests while they tax and regulate those who don’t have powerful friends, and transfers wealth from the productive private sector to the inefficient public sector on a truly massive scale. 

The Federal Government cannot pick the best energy alternative, any more than they can run an efficient and effective health care system, or mandate the academic excellence necessary for American kids to compete in the global economy.  Empowering “Czars” does not make things more efficient, but it does concentrate power dangerously in the hands of an ambitious but unaccountable ‘ruling class’.    

The United States is at a crossroads, and we have a decision to make.  Do we still trust ourselves to make decisions over our own lives or do we continue outsourcing power to unelected bureaucrats?  We can continue to follow our government’s current path towards a European-style Social Democracy – a government of, by, and for the bureaucrats.  Of course, we’ll get the associated baggage we see across Europe: an authoritarian nanny state, stifling business climate, confiscatory taxes, high unemployment, and imminent fiscal crises as the bills come due.  Or, using the Constitution as our guide, we can restore the proper role of government and trust the people once again. 

It’s time to choose which path you’ll take and what you’re willing to do about it.  My choice is simple.  I trust the people, and I choose the Constitution.  And in November 2012, I believe a majority of Americans, Washingtonians, and voters in the 1^st Congressional District will join me.