“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.” (Ronald Reagan)
“The nation has entered an age of post-constitutional soft tyranny … in which the president proclaims the authority to rule by executive fiat toward his goal of fundamentally transforming America.”
(Mark Levin: The Liberty Amendments)
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution)
“In questions of power, then, let no more be said of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” (Thomas Jefferson)
“It is time to return to self-government, where the people are sovereign and not subjects.”
(Mark Levin: The Liberty Amendments)
* * * *
Turning the Page: Measuring a President
Yes, it’s done, another relatively peaceful transfer of power. At the same time, it’s just beginning, with the inauguration of a new president whose vision for America stands in sharp contrast with the record of President Obama for the past eight years.
But how do we measure two very different Presidents? If it’s by popularity, President Obama is the clear winner — according to recent polls.
But if it’s by policy, the picture is less clear. With Obama, a majority of Americans believe we are headed in the wrong direction. With Trump, the jury is still out, since his policies are unproven.
The Constitution: Separation, Checks, and Balances
But might there be a measurement that stands above and apart from popularity and policy. What about their adherence to the Constitution and the clear limits it imposes on them?
The Founding Fathers were keenly aware, as Lord Acton so famously said, that: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
They were also familiar with the Biblical teaching about the depravity of man, that “The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
As a result, our Founders devised a government with three separate branches and a finely tuned system of checks and balances designed to prevent any of them from dominating either of the other two. It is all laid out in Articles I, II, and III of the Constitution.
In addition, to prevent the federal government from becoming too powerful at the expense of the states and of the people, they made clear that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (The 10th Amendment)
It all came together during the summer of 1787 in what some have referred to as the Miracle at Philadelphia. That Constitution has served as the Supreme Law of the Land for 230 years.
The Constitution at Risk
Unfortunately, there are those who believe the Constitution, like the Bible, is outdated. They think they know better and should be able to do as they please. As a result, they do things they should not do and refuse to do what they should.
That was particularly true of President Obama, who took on powers that did not belong to him, making “laws” by executive fiat rather than through Congress. In so doing, he repeatedly violated his oath to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” and often refused to “take care that the Laws be faithfully executed”.
For example, he refused to enforce work participation requirements for welfare recipients. He also refused to enforce congressionally mandated immigration laws for entire groups of people who had entered the U.S. illegally.
In addition, he refused to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act and instead actively worked to overturn it. Related to that, he repeatedly refused to honor and enforce First Amendment protections for the exercise of our religious beliefs.
Most recently, in what has been referred to as the Bathroom Edict, his administration directed public schools across America to allow boys who “feel” like girls to use girls’ restrooms and locker room facilities – or risk the loss of federal funds.
A Call to Action: Article V Convention of States
Against that background, what can we do to rein in this runaway government?
For starters, we can and we must elect leaders who honor our Judeo-Christian heritage and who respect the Constitution as it was written, not as how they would like it to be.
In addition, however, Article V of the Constitution includes a provision for the states to call a convention that would consider how to restore the Constitutional design of the Founders.
For example, they could consider how to impose fiscal constraints on the federal government, which has already run up a national debt of nearly $20 trillion. Perhaps most importantly, they would consider specific ways to prevent this continued abuse of executive power.
Why does all this matter? It’s very simple. The Founding Fathers intended for the government to be our servant, not our master, and the more powerful the government becomes, the less freedom we have to make our own decisions.
Crossroads: Why It Matters
To find out more, please join Rita Dunaway, who is also staff counsel for the Convention of States initiative, and me this weekend on one of the following Valley radio stations: WBTX (1470) at 4:00 p.m. today and again on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., WSVA/AM (550) and 92.1 FM at 8:30; and WNLR (1150) at 11:30. You can also listen online HERE anytime.
In addition, for more information about the Convention of States and how it works, go to www.conventionofstates.com.
We deeply appreciate your prayers, your encouragement, and your financial support. All donations are tax-deductible and can be sent by check to Crossroads at PO Box 881, Harrisonburg, 22803.
From the Crossroads Team, for God and Country!
Dean