The wrong answer to both the current spending and size of the federal government is the proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. Once again the lack of real leadership and principle has led to a wayward desire to again limit the voice of the people.
Franklin Roosevelt dynasty bore the legacy of the 22nd Amendment that limits a president to two four year terms because the people were not trusted to place an educated vote.
The 18th Amendment was enacted because the Temperance Movement held sway with legislators who once again decided in their king-like paternity that the people needed to be protected from themselves.The 14th Amendment is the most egregious of the post Bill Of Rights Amendments as it reacted to the Civil War and decided that the Federal Government should reduce the power of the States to act jointly against the federal authority. The argument that it was needed to ensure against “Black Codes” by southern States is sophomoric and more importantly redundant in that the original Bill of Rights and the 13th Amendment already guaranteed Constitutional protection for minorities.
The 14th Amendment re-wrote our forefather’s Constitution that envisioned a strong independent union of autonomous States with a small subservient centralized government to play a facilitator’s role. Instead the 14th Amendment gives the Federal government dictatorship over the states and renders powerless the 10th Amendment. Enter now the new constitutional proposed amendment called the Balanced Budget Amendment that would take the power of Congress to appropriate money out of the hands of the majority of Representatives and instead be vested in a piece of paper.
Looking beyond the current overspending of Congress what would happen if the World saw the coming of World War III? Would we look at the Balanced Budget Amendment and say that we are already at 18% of GDP and therefore we must wave the white flag of surrender to our enemies because we can’t afford to fight?
Handcuffing our Republic and transforming our Constitution’s stated enumerations is statism by those that claim to want to return to our founder’s original intent. Don’t be deceived that this is being proposed by conservatives and therefore it must be a right minded course of correction.If anything Americans wishing for a return to our historic freedom and independence should be looking to abolish Amendments beyond the Bill of Rights; not call and cry for more constraining Amendments.
A representative Republic is slow messy and always with opposition and debate. It is normal, natural, healthy and intellectually honest to hold differing opinions with others as one wrangles with decisions. I would rather be free and frustrated in the minority opinion than be dull-witted and trapped by an Amendment that excludes my voice.
DeMint and Rand Paul might be well meaning but they are ignorant of the most important part of why America’s Constitution is the most enviable form of self governance the world has ever known. It is individual liberty! Individual Freedom!
Individual rights are not an assurance that one’s choices are always correct, long-sighted, reasonable or unchangeable. Individual freedom does not require perfection, monolithic agreement or universal truth. It allows me to be wrong and not persecuted for it. It allows me to watch others jump on the bandwagon of current trends and decide to refuse acceptance.
Amending the Constitution to force fiscal compliance is taking away freedom. Freedom does not mean you are only free to be responsible, instead freedom means you are equally free to fail as well as succeed.
The Tea Party Movement must not support this new Amendment proposal no matter how frustrated they are about Washington spending. We have an election process in place to restore fiscal integrity by defeating the deaf ears in Washington. Stop taking away my rights because voters remain ignorant and continue to put socialist’s thieves back into office. We need to wake up the Sheeple and work harder to preserve every ounce of freedom citizens of this great country have left!
