THE Problem part 2

Last week I wrote a post where I proposed that while the economy, the attack on and erosion of the constitution, and other prominent issues of the day, while important, are actually symptoms and consequences of a larger problem.  That problem is the social issues.

The social issues influence public life.  They affect how people view the world, how they interpret it.  A person's idea of what the social issues are influence what laws and policies they favor, which ones they agree with and which ones they will work to get rid of.  They also affect who they will vote for.

Another aspect of this underlying problem of lack of understanding of social issues is Us.  "We the People."  The American citizenry.  And this is what I want to address.

Barack Obama has been disastrous for this country.  He has expanded government power racked up more ruinous debt, and divided the people more than any other preident in the past 50 years at least.  But he is still just a man.  He did not seize power at the head of a military coup.  He was elected by a majority of the population.  We the People put him in office.

Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have passed bills that have contributed to the over reach of government into our every day lives.  Over the past century they have helped the federal government consolidate power away from the states and the People.  They are still men.  They were elected time and again by The People.  Some of these congressmen have been in office for decades and have had the same views and agendas for all that time.

The judiciary may not be elected directly, but they are appointed by these official that are elected.

We are part of the problem.  Not only the people that support this kind of government action but the rest of us too.  I, and people like me, who have voted and spoken out against Obama and his Liberal cadres, may not have voted for them but it is up to us to inform and educate the rest.  We have been lax in this responsibility.

I, myself, am guilty of this.  Yes, I now have this blog where I air conservative views and opinions, at least how I see them, and yes I am not afraid to rise to the defense of my positions with vigor.  However, I rarely start the conversation.  Whether out of anxiety, laziness, or apathy it is rare that I walk up to a person that I know has a Liberal mindset and ask why they feel this way and ask them to defend their views.  Even with more moderately minded people have I rarely started a conversation.

We avoid the subject either because we do not want to offend, or just don't want the hassle that such a conversation would bring.  If we are unwilling to do this, how can we expect the country to change?

Elections are important.  They are vital aspects in a Constitutional Republic such as ours but they will always be hampered and crippled if the people do not know how they work and why they work that way.  If we get a Conservative president and legislature their priorities will be repeal bad laws and restoring the Constitution to its original function.  This will require new amendments and the repeal of old ones.  These will have to be voted on by the People.  Also, how long will the country stay on the path back to the Rule of Law if the people do not know the Constitution as they are the ones that will elect future presidents and congressmen?

We Constututionalists have been complacent.  When was the last time the Constitution was taught in schools?  I don't just mean the history of it.  I mean taking it line by line, every article, section and amendment.  How many people in this country know the enumerated powers given to the federal government?  Or that the Tenth Amendment gives all rights and powers not specifically given to the government in the Constitution to the States and the People?  Or the Seventeenth Amendment destroyed the voice of the States in the government by making senators directly elected by the people?

We must start educating the next generations as to the how's and why's of our system of government.  If the schools will not do it because they are funded and co-opted then it is up to each individual person to instill these values and knowledge ourselves.  If we do not, then whatever gains we make now will last only until the next generation.