The Constitution is ‘Confusing’?


Sometimes progressives just can’t get out of their own way. Case in point, Washington Post blogger and Journo-List founder Ezra Klein, who commented on the Republican congress intention of starting the next session with a reading of the Constitution while on MSNBC.

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Now the first quote that many right leaning bloggers are using is,

it has no binding power on anything…

Let’s give Mr. Klein the benefit of the doubt, he may be saying simply that the congressional reading of the Constitution has no “binding power”.  While reading it aloud adds no more binding power, the Constitution IS binding Ezra. You should choose your words more carefully.

Is reading the Constitution aloud at the start of the session a gimmick? That really depends on the intent. If Republicans, as I suspect, are grandstanding by reading it aloud then to some extent it is a gimmick. Even so, if it reminds a representative or two of the principles they took an oath to uphold, then it’s a gimmick with a lot of value.

Now for the really troubling part of Mr. Klein’s comments.

…the issue with the Constitution is that the text is confusing because it was written more than a hundred years ago…

When someone like Ezra Klein says you can’t understand the text because it was written over a hundred years ago, many sheeple say, “Yeah, it’s like that Shakespeare stuff, ya need a translator to know what it means.”

That’s simply not true.  Here’s the preamble.

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.

Not sure you get much more clear than that.  Now let’s pick a random section and see if it get’s more complicated.  Here’s Article 3, Section 1:

The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

It takes a little thought but it’s pretty straightforward.

Now try reading a random page in the Obamacare bill, err.. Affordable Health Care Act.  Yeah. It’s purposely complicated and obtuse so the average American can’t understand it.  If  laws and regulations coming out of Washington and statehouses across the country were easy for citizens to understand, lawmakers couldn’t hide behind them or hide things in them, could they?   Those wise men that started this country crafted our documents clearly and concisely so every American could read and understand them  to prevent future power mongers from taking our natural rights away.

United States Declaration of Independence

Image via Wikipedia

Progressives like Ezra Klein believe they can buffalo people into believing these documents and principles are too complicated to understand because, honestly, when was the last time most Americans sat down and actually read the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence?   But why do progressives want you to be uninformed and ignorant of our founding principles?  It’s simple really.  They know that the Declaration and the Constitution set the stage to prevent almost every government policy they adore.  If you don’t read them, you may believe their propaganda and you won’t fight to keep your natural rights that are protected within those documents and principles.  Don’t be fooled, click the links above, read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and interpret them for yourself.  It’s the only way you’ll know what’s being taken from you unjustly by those that believe they know better than you how to live your life.

About Larry Downes

Son, brother, husband, father, boss, mentor & friend. Believer in unfettered personal liberty. Occasional host on 93.1 WIBC in Indianapolis.

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