What does the Constitution mean to you?

[ThisIsMe]

I’ve been curious. It seems we have a very wide opinion of the constitution on this forum, which reflects what people generally thing of the cotus across America. It seems there are two prevailing opinions, one being its the law of the land, and the guiding document to constrain government and to keep everything in order, and the other being..it’s more of guide that can be interpreted as necessary to facilitate what we want, they ca this “living and breathing”.

Me, for example, I view the cotus like this:

When the cotus was created it was because the citizens at that time wanted a central body to handle things on a national scale, to help cover things that could help cover all of the states. These things were laid out by the delegated powers. They didn’t want a government that ruled every aspect of their lives so they listed everything they wanted the government to do, and and said all things beyond this are for the states and the people.

They never intended for Congress to be a full time job, which is why cotus says that they will meet on occasion to handle the matters at hand, which would have been all that was needed because the only matters at hand would have been the delegated powers.

I believe the cotus is the law of the land and that it is a restriction on the federal government. I believe the cotus should be interpreted by the intent of those who formed it. It should not be open to interpretation because many people can interpret things many different ways. Given the limited scope of the powers it delegates to the government, there really isn’t any need to interpret it anyway, it is very clear about what it wants the federal government to do and not do. It is only because we’ve gotten so far away from the original intent of the cotus that it needs interpretation anyway.

Should we determine that we need to change something in the document, it gave us a way to do so.

That’s a basic take on it. Your thoughts?

 

[Kondor3]

The US Constitution is what may be called a "living, breathing document", subject to interpretation as appropriate.

Disputes oftentimes arise over what constitutes "appropriate" in a given context but it is not a locked-in Napoleonic Code.

I'm all for "originalism" or "literalism" when practicable but the Founders intended it to be amended as time goes by.

Our next Big Constitutional Challenge may very well be to determine whether it is time to call a new Constitutional Convention.

Personally... "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"... the Constitution has held us together for 240-ish years... and it ain't broke.

Still...

There are some pressing society-at-large questions that may only be fixable by Constitutional overhaul rather than Amendments.

Tough call.

 

[Curried Goats]

To me it is a piece of parchment. I don't find pieces of paper or parchment to be more important than good results. So long as we get to a good result it doesn't really matter to me how we got there. Take abortion rights. Those were just created by the court. The right to privacy never extended to the right to privately injure another party so that standard should of never been applied to extend a right to abortion. But women having the right to choose was a good result so I didn't give a shit.

 

[rightwinger]

It created a Government of the people, by the people and for the people

 

[shockedcanadian]

Most.foreign citizens see it as.hope. A reminder that men can be free and reach their G-d.given potential. Those who desire authoritarian power despise your Constitution.

 

[JGalt]

It's a list of things the government can't get away with.

 

[Curried Goats]

It created a Government of the people, by the people and for the people

That's nothing but fairytale and propaganda. The constitution has been with this country the entire time and for most of that time Black people have lived under tyranny. That piece of paper didn't prevent that nor did it change that. Activists with violence and threats, physical, social and economic, changes attitudes which then changed the constitution. Let's not give a piece of paper written by slavers it's flowers before Civil rights heroes who put their bodies and lives on the line.

 

[MarcATL]

We know that Republicans don't give a damn what the Constitution says, they follow it when it's convenient and discard it when it's not.

 

[rightwinger]

That's nothing but fairytale and propaganda. The constitution has been with this country the entire time and for most of that time Black people have lived under tyranny. That piece of paper didn't prevent that nor did it change that. Activists with violence and threats, physical, social and economic, changes attitudes which then changed the constitution. Let's not give a piece of paper written by slavers it's flowers before Civil rights heroes who put their bodies and lives on the line.

For the first time in history, a nation was created that acknowledged it was there for……We the People

 

[rightwinger]

We know that Republicans don't give a damn what the Constitution says, they follow it when it's convenient and discard it when it's not.

Trump wants it terminated when it gets in his way

 

[initforme]

It's a way to keep corporations at bay from wreaking g havoc on the nation.

 

[Curried Goats]

For the first time in history, a nation was created that acknowledged it was there for……We the People

Those are just words. In reality nearly every developed nation abandoned slavery before the US did and then they didn't have a hundred years of terrorism and segregation under Jim Crow. I prefer to compare results than empty statements of intent.

 

[MarcATL]

Those are just words. In reality nearly every developed nation abandoned slavery before the US did and then they didn't have a hundred years of terrorism and segregation under Jim Crow. I prefer to compare results than empty statements of intent.

Terrorism that hasn't stopped by the way, just changed forms.

And no one bats an eye.

 

[sparky]

That’s a basic take on it. Your thoughts?

freedom

but we often can't grasp the concept that freedom is a collective , not individual construct

IE> if the 'powers that be' cut one of us, we all bleed

~S~

 

[Crepitus]

It created a Government of the people, by the people and for the people

And some of these freaks seem to have forgotten that.

 

[Crepitus]

It's a way to keep corporations at bay from wreaking g havoc on the nation.

Thanks to the conservative SC(r)OTUS that has largely been circumvented.

 

[Independentthinker]

We know that Republicans don't give a damn what the Constitution says, they follow it when it's convenient and discard it when it's not.

We know that Democrats don't give a damn what the Constitution says, they follow it when it's convenient and discard it when it's not.

 

[Independentthinker]

For the first time in history, a nation was created that acknowledged it was there for……We the People

Guess we went wrong about July 5, 1776 or somewhere there abouts.

 

[Independentthinker]

Trump wants it terminated when it gets in his way

He's too late. Democrats have already terminated it.

 

[Independentthinker]

Those are just words. In reality nearly every developed nation abandoned slavery before the US did and then they didn't have a hundred years of terrorism and segregation under Jim Crow. I prefer to compare results than empty statements of intent.

The democratic party has always been big on words, whether they translate into anything or not.