United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States is a document created by the US "founding fathers" and is said to establish a framework for American freedom. In truth, many modern freedom-oriented commentators would argue that there are precious few untrammeled freedoms left in America.

Fundamental to the Constitution was the idea that no outside entity (independent bankers) should have the power of money printing. Along with this perspective was a complementary belief that the federal government should never establish a graduated income tax. Both of these concepts have been violated; today a quasi-private central bank prints money on behalf of the US government and a gargantuan and invasive bureaucracy has been set up to enforce a fully functional graduated income tax.

When one closely examines the language of the Constitution one comes away impressed with the breadth and vagueness of the powers granted to the three branches of government. Here are two Articles that give a sense of how broad the language actually is:

Section 8, Article 1 gives Congress the right "To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof."

Then there is this:

Section 3, Article 4: The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

One can see that there are endless interpretations to be had in terms of interpreting these clauses. The Constitution also gives the federal government the right to "regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes." This has been interpreted so broadly that almost anything a state contemplates has become subject to federal regulation.

One of the great positives of the Constitution was that it created the three branches of the national government with checks and balances between each. Unfortunately the various prerogatives of two of the three branches of government (legislative and judicial) have been badly vitiated over the years. In a sense, the president of the United States now reigns as an uncrowned king with powers far beyond what were immediately granted by the Constitution.

There is also some question as to whether the Constitution applies at all in the early 21st century or whether – due to alleged federal bankruptcy – the US is being administered by an alien authority that does not respect the Constitution nor grant to US citizens whatever privileges it endowed.

The Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787 and is the oldest extant written constitution; but given what has happened to it and to freedom in America it is hard to make out the liniments of the initial Constitution or to reconstruct the vastly freer society that once existed in "the land of the free and the home of the brave."

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