When
it comes to the concept of limited government, which is really at the
heart of the recent imbroglio over Obamacare, the Constitution has been
described as the law that controls the government.
The Constitution starts off with a preamble that states:
But think, for just a moment, exactly what the Constitution is. It is a "to-do" list from the American people clearly telling the government what things the government must do. It also clearly specifies what actions it is allowed to take to accomplish those things. If it's not listed as a power that We the People are allowing the government to exercise, then the government is not allowed to do it. For example, to pay for the work of the government, We the People have told the government that some taxation is allowed. On the other hand, bank robbery is not listed as an allowed government power, even if it would make life for senators and congressmen so much easier, at least for a short time.
Why was the document written in this form? First, after living under George III and his absolutist monarchy, the idea of putting some limits on what the government would be allowed to do was very appealing. But there is another way of phrasing that very same idea that does not sound as scholarly -- nor does it seem as polite -- but it is probably more accurate and truthful.
The Constitution starts off with a preamble that states:
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.This section of the document is not, in and of itself, a part of the Constitution. It simply describes the reason why We the People are defining what we are allowing the government to do and why we are bothering to do anything at all.
But think, for just a moment, exactly what the Constitution is. It is a "to-do" list from the American people clearly telling the government what things the government must do. It also clearly specifies what actions it is allowed to take to accomplish those things. If it's not listed as a power that We the People are allowing the government to exercise, then the government is not allowed to do it. For example, to pay for the work of the government, We the People have told the government that some taxation is allowed. On the other hand, bank robbery is not listed as an allowed government power, even if it would make life for senators and congressmen so much easier, at least for a short time.
Why was the document written in this form? First, after living under George III and his absolutist monarchy, the idea of putting some limits on what the government would be allowed to do was very appealing. But there is another way of phrasing that very same idea that does not sound as scholarly -- nor does it seem as polite -- but it is probably more accurate and truthful.
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