Constitutional Issues

By Gail K. Lightfoot

Our government needs to return to the Constitution's original intent.

It is important to keep in mind what was in the minds of the individuals who were at the Continental Congress in 1987 who ended up, not amending but, replacing the Articles of Confederation written during the Revolutionary War to provide for governance after the war was won and the colonies were free of British rule. Their greatest concern was a despotic government. Their greatest goal, therefore, was to protect against such a government. Hence the enumerated powers and limits on the government formed by the Constitution.

The US Constitution is first and foremost a limiting document meant to check the power of the federal government and protect the rights of the states and the people individually. It was never intended to be 'interpreted' to suit changing mores or social conventions since government would always need to be restrained from its attempts to increase its power over the people. Our Founding Fathers and Framers understood that all too well.

When we fully understand the underlying purpose of the Constitution to be placing strict limits on federal power over the states and the people, we easily understand why it is not meant to be interpreted in 'modern' terms.

We then know how to read the words, understand the words and abide by the strict limits set by the Constitution.

With that in mind, our representatives in both the US House and the Senate can begin the hard work of rolling back the federal government to its enumerated powers by returning all unconstitutional laws and agencies to the states where the people can decide for themselves if they are needed, wanted and can be afforded by the people.