SEPTEMBER 17TH

This fine date is proclaimed Constitution and Citizenship Day. Many will now herald the virtues of that venerable eighteenth-century document. Not I. Instead, I offer an opposing view for those who understand that The American Constitution was not handed down on stone tablets.

I concede that the 1789 instrument was revolutionary in its era and likely the best that could be achieved in its political environment. However, a twenty-first century American government that provides cradle-to-grave services and regulates every aspect of life in between would be beyond the imagination of our “Founding Fathers”. They sought to initiate a national government capable of serving the common good, (i. e., powerful enough to do so), but I believe they would be shocked at how much authority has been drawn to the center.

Some years ago, I sat down to review the actual language of our foundation document — from a contemprary vantage point. I soon recorded over two dozen shortcomings. The most serious of these are detailed below. Our present constitution:

— fails to specify the core functions of a federal government (e.g., preserving our national sovereignty), nor the functions that are reserved exclusively to the states.

— neglects to set forth the pre-requisites for obtaining citizenship.

— even with ten initial amendments, sets forth an incomplete set of rights for all citizens.

— allows elected legislators to set their own level of remuneration, adjudicate their own misconduct, and manipulate the legislative process to partisan advantage.

— acknowledges that sovereignty resides with the Citizenry but prescribes no meaningful role in their own governance. It confers rights but levies no commensurate responsibilities.

These two sentiments, I believe, are shared by a majority of citizens today: (1) The American system of government is broken, and (2) it is incapable of fixing itself, or at the very least, unwilling to do so. I see no departure from this destructive path until an outraged Citizenry demands the sovereignty they were promised so long ago. Without this upgrade, we remain subjects of a ruling elite that considers us a tedious inconvenience.

Given over two centuries of advancement in literacy and communications technology, it is time we insist on a direct and binding voice in determining the national policies that most affect our lives. The mechanisms to do this in an orderly manner are outlined in the novels of The Democracy Saga. Once we obtain a substantive role in our own governance, as the Swiss have enjoyed for decades, I see the American people rising to that challenge, creating a more perfect union, and then proudly reclaiming the title of “World’s Leading Democracy”. This is America’s true Manifest Destiny.