The U.S. Constitution Works

Many in the United States believe our country has failed them. They are now working feverishly to eliminate or rewrite the U.S. Constitution, our country's founding document, viewing it as flawed. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The issue is not so much the Constitution. Rather, the real issue is how far we have strayed from the document's original intent. Unfortunately, our children are not learning the intent because our schools are loaded with teachers who similarly despise what the document stands for, and neglect to teach it.

Take for instance an issue like income taxes. When our country was founded, you kept ALL your money! There were no federal taxes. This meant you had money to do things or invest in things. Today, people struggle to make ends meet because the federal government steals nearly a third of everything you produce.

Briefly during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln enacted an income tax to help pay for the war, but it was later struck down as unconstitutional and eliminated. In 1895, the landmark case of Pollock v Farmers Loan & Trust Co caused the U.S. Supreme Court to officially declare federal income taxes illegal (Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. - Wikipedia).

Of course, politicians who cared nothing of the Constitution voted to circumvent the original law by passing Amendment 16 in 1913, which allowed a federal income tax.

The first income tax affected only the richest in our country, imposing a paltry 2% tax on income exceeding $4000. In 1914, fewer than 10% of households earned more than $4000 annually, and if you did make that much, the 2% tax on amounts over that were minuscule.

Today, the lowest income tax bracket is 10%, starting at $0, with most people averaging close to 22% tax.

Economically, we feel stressed because we strayed from the Constitution by allowing an income tax to steal and waste the wealth we produce.

Another area where we abandoned America's founding principles can be found in Article 1, Section 10 of the Constitution. It specifies, "No State shall.....make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts."

Put more simply, this means no state shall use anything but gold and silver coin as money. This clause in the Constitution is still valid. So how does the federal government produce a dollar bill and use it as money, especially when that dollar is not backed by gold or silver?

The framers of the Constitution wanted gold and silver money because they knew it could not be printed from thin air like the politicians do today. Excessive money printing is the cause of inflation (i.e. 'inflating' the money supply too much causes rising prices). From 1776 to 1913, a period of 137 years when on the gold standard, our country had no inflation! It wasn't until 1971, when we completely abandoned the gold standard outlined in the U.S. Constitution, that inflation became a problem.

That inflation robs your wealth. It is not the Constitution causing you to struggle economically. Rather is the failure to abide by what it says.

Let's also look at the 4th Amendment. This clause forbids the federal government from imposing "unreasonable search and seizure" of personal property.

I recently traveled by airplane. Like everyone else, I was strip searched at the airport, while all belongings with me were inspected by the federal TSA agents. I neither committed a crime, nor am I a suspect in a crime. How is it that such invasions of personal property rights are legal? According to the U.S. Constitution, it shouldn't be! Yet here we are!

Benjamin Franklin once quipped, "Those who give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Our attempts to create safety are essentially robbing our liberty, and our safety!

The people who committed atrocities with airplanes 24 years ago are dead. They are no longer a threat. Why is it that our liberty and property rights continue to be violated? This doesn't seem reasonable!

When I was a child, there wasn't even a scanner in any American airport! Most traveling adults today have no idea what it feels like to walk to a gate and not be strip searched! Getting strip searched is "normal" to them, whereas freedom is unusual. This lack of freedom is NOT American!

It also seems unreasonable that we constantly have to battle gun control advocates. Amendment 2 of the U.S. Constitution guarantees you the right to "bear arms". It also states that right "shall not be infringed".

According to Webster's dictionary, the definition of "infringed" is "to act so as to limit or undermine, or encroach on". In other words, there shall be no encroachment, limitation, undermining, or any such movement against your right to possess or lawfully use guns and other weapons (aka "arms").

In the past month, Colorado politicians passed sweeping gun control legislation limiting when you can buy guns, limiting who sells guns, and limiting the types of weapons/arms you can buy. While the new laws will certainly be challenged, this is definitely an "encroachment" on your rights and a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Other states have tried to pass legislation against the use of AR15s and other similar rifles. By doing so, they abandon the U.S. Constitution which will have ramifications far greater than the perceived problem they are trying to solve.

For most of United States history, we have been the greatest nation on earth. We have been the wealthiest nation, the strongest nation, and even the safest nation. As we stray further and further from the U.S. Constitution, it seems the benefits of our founding principles are diminished, making us poorer, weaker, and less safe. To fix this, politicians passed legislation causing us to stray even more. It hasn't worked! What works is the U.S. Constitution!

When we talk about making America great again, we are talking about grounding ourselves in the original principles of the U.S. Constitution. The faster we restore those principles, the faster we will restore prosperity, strength, and safety. I believe we are finally on the right track.

Constitution of the United States - Wikipedia