Day: September 16, 2011

It’s Constitution Day again.

I didn’t need the results of a June 2011 Pew poll to know that there is an ideological chasm over the interpretation of the Constitution.

I was reminded of this past summer when some House Democrats recommended that President Barack Obama should invoke a “little-known constitutional provision to prevent the nation from going into default if Congress fails to come up with a plan to raise the debt ceiling.” The 14th Amendment states that the validity of the nation’s public debt “shall not be questioned.” Could you imagine the drama if the President, THIS President, had invoked that clause, for which there was no historic precedent?

Meanwhile, there was talk by some House Republicans calling for a balanced budget amendment. It seems that, in every session of Congress, there are always Constitutional amendments suggested. Most don’t even make it out of committee, and not everyone that passes both Houses of Congress will be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Now here’s a Constitution amendment I could get behind; it too shall never pass in this political climate.

Anyway, I urge Americans to read their Constitution. It’s not usually filled with pretty words like the Declaration of Independence. In fact, people, including at least one running for President of the United States in 2012, have confused the documents. (Hint: the Constitution is NOT the one with “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”) But, if you’re looking for a shortcut, know that the 18th and 21st Amendments cancel each other out.
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Til the 19th Amendment Struck Down That Restrictive Rule from Schoolhouse Rock.