Simple and Easy to Understand

Have you notices how legislators in the House and Senate always seem to write long rambling laws filled with all types of legalese; rather than simply putting together short, to the point laws written in plain American English. This only makes sense if it is their intention to make it difficult for the regular citizen from understanding what they are really up too.

On the other hand, our founding fathers managed to lay the foundations for what would become the greatest most exceptional nation in the entire history of the world, based on relatively short documents written in simple, easy to understand language. Our founders understood something important. That being that if a people are to remain free, it is important for that people, to be able to know and comprehend what their government is up too and why.

Let's look at an example of how our founders wrote things, the preamble of our Constitution, which says…

*
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
*

Ths simple opening paragraph, written in plain English, sets out the what for and why of our Constitution and the limited government it was intended to establish. So how might this paragraph be understood by a regular working man or woman? I’m talking about the farmer, the blacksmith, or the merchant, etc. Let me tell you how I read it.


* We the People

Note it starts right out making it very clear that it is the people, the average citizen, who is to determine the structure and behavior of the government, not the government that is to determine the behavior of the citizen.


* of the United States,

It makes clear that this country is not simply a single homogeneous mass. It is a body, made up of several parts, the individual sovereign states.


* in Order to form a more perfect Union,

It sets out the simple idea that although the states are individual and sovereign, they are united together as a body, so as to more effectively perform tasks that are necessary to serve the citizens of all the states.

Also note that they were not trying to form a perfect union. Our founders were smarter than that. Unlike so may people today, they understood that human beings are sinners by nature, and easily corrupted. And that any body of people could never achieve perfection. So they set out only to create a "more perfect union".

I suspect, that if they had imagined that one day, people would view political office as a full time, life long career, they might well have written term limits into the Constitution. But at that time, office holders actually had real jobs and worked for a living, and the House and Senate only met in session a few times a year. Oh for the good old days.


* establish Justice,

To set out a system of controls upon the government that will prevent the kinds of misuse of power, and abuse of the citizenry, that was so common in the European countries that Americans had left behind.


* insure domestic Tranquility,

To establish methods and protocols by which disagreements and disputes between the various state, can be settled peacefully and as equitably as possible, thereby protecting and maintaining the unity oof the states.

* provide for the common defence,

Probably the most important responsabilty of the government. is to take the necessary steps required to insure that no outside force or nation can threaten the safety and security of the citizens of the United States, or their property, or their liberty, without paying a dear price for doing so. Too many politicians today have put their pet special interest ahead of this.


* promote the general Welfare,

Contrary to the apparent thinking of some in the country today, it does not say “provide the welfare payments to those who claim some misfortune. We all face misfortune in our lives. It is not up to the federal government to correct or reverse those misfortunes.

It is not the governments responsability to provide for every citizens needs. The government’s responsibility is only to encourage and maintain an environement that allows the citizen to provide for their own needs. It can also be argued that within limits, the government has a resposability to provide some assistance, generally in the form of manpower, in the event of some wide spread disaster.

Examples of how the government can promote the general welfare would include things like...
* Opening and maintaining trade relations with other countries.
* Exploring new territories that can be settled (in todays world, that might well include space exploration, and/or undersea settlements)
* Insuring the accuracy of maps and of weights & meassures
* Recognizing and protecting the rights of property owner, inventors, writers and those who make some new discovery
* Informing the citizenry of any known dangers that may exist; I.E. bad water, epidemic, dangerous weather conditions, flood dangers, etc.
* Establishing and insuring a dependable road system.

At the same time the government must not create or cause unwarranted and undue interference in the day to day lives of the citizens, their organizations & establishments or their way of life.


* and secure the Blessings of Liberty

To protect and defend the freedom of every citizen of the United States to do that which they know to be right and good, and which does no real physical harm to their neighbor’s person, property or liberty, or to the community in general.


* to ourselves

Those American citizens living at the time


* and our Posterity,

And all those American citizens yet to be born. Yes, that’s right, the Constitution was written not only to protect you, your friends and your family. It was also written to protect the life and liberty of those not yet born. All the rights and liberties that apply to you and me, also apply to the unborn. The Constitution prohibits the government from limiting or take away the right to life or liberty of any American citizen simply because that citizen has not yet left his or her mother’s womb.


* do ordain

Put our blessing upon


* and establish

Institute and confirm, set in stone so to speak.


* this

You would think that it should be obvious that the founders did not intend for the document they worked so hard on; to be twisted into something they would hardly recognize. But that is what has been done by the leftist in our country. They have used the courts to reinvent the Constitution, and overthrow the will of the people time and time again.


* Constitution

There are those who will say that the Constitution is the charter of the corporate body know as the United States of America. But this is not the case. The Constitution is not our nation’s charter, it is our nation’s bylaws. Our charter is the “Declaration of Independence”. That is the document we celebrate as our nation’s birth certificate every July 4th.

Interestingly, any corporate lawyer worth his or her salt will tell you that the bylaws of any corporate body (such as the United States of America) must be interpreted and enforces in accordance with its charter. I will have more to say on this point in a future posting.


* for the United States of America.

Not for non-citizens, not for enemies of the United States of America or enemies of U.S. citizens. We owe no equal recognition or treatment to non-citizens or enemies. We do generally treat all people with as much respect, and as well as they allow us to treat them, but only as a courtesy and a privilege, not because we are under any obligation to do so.


Well that’s how this regular American citizen reads the preamble to our Constitution. I will write more on this great document; including the Bill of Rights, and on the Declaration of Independence, as I have time.


If you do not already have a copies of the important founding document of this greatest nation that GOD has ever raised up on the Earth, may I strongly suggest that you get them as quickly as possible. Once you have them, don’t just let them gather dust. Read them. Study them. Keep them close to where you keep and study your Bible. No, I am not putting them on the level of the scriptures. But I am saying is that they are second only to the Bible in importance to any American Christian who wishes to remain free to worship and serve our LORD.


Useful Resources

* http://www.usconstitution.net/
* http://www.constitution.org/
* http://www.constitution.org/cs_found.htm


Find your state’s constitution

* http://www.constitution.org/cons/usstcons.htm