Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

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.

I shut down for a couple of days to reevaluate where this blog is going. I have to say I didn’t like the direction it was taking. During the last few days I haven’t watched or read any news except that which came into my view by accident. I liked it.

I hate politics. What I mean by that is that I cannot stand the process. It has been even worse than before during the last three years. Some people in this country can’t grasp that Bush was not selected by the Supreme Court, or are unwilling to admit he was properly elected for their own reasons. Things like, “He didn’t win the popular vote,” are common themes. They ignore the fact that Clinton didn’t get more than 50% in either of his elections, and received a lower percentage than did Bush in 2000. Yet he won by electoral vote, and his presidency was no less legitimate than Bush’s. Something else is at issue.

I think it is important for us all to be involved in society and culture. Those things do interest me. The problem with that is many in this country confuse the government’s role. It has none.

I put the Preamble to the Constitution at the top of this post for a reason. It is something I was required to memorize in elementary school. I don’t know if that kind of thing is still done. It appears to me that it isn’t. The Constitution was written in simple language and most arguments in its writing had something to do with wording. The writers and other delegates wanted it to be easily understood.

Our government was unique in the world when these words were written. For the first time, a government was established which did not control society. Rather, society controlled the government. The First Amendment was emphatic:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Federal Government has stuck its sticky fingers in many places where they don’t belong, with terrible results. And still, many in this country want it even more involved. Government is not a social organization. Our Constitution clearly outlines the responsibilities and authority of the three branches, and they do not include many of the issues being debated during this electoral season. In the next few days I will address two which are at the top of many lists. One, Gay Marriage, is not in the purview of government in any way. In fact, marriage itself is not a government issue. The second, Education, has only gone downhill with federal involvement. An argument can be made that it falls within the “promote the general welfare” mandate, yet promotion and control are not the same thing.

What I’m saying is that almost everything being discussed as reasons for voting one way or another this year has no reason to even be on the federal table. And this is not a Democrat/Republican issue. It is a government vs. Society/Culture issue, and a decision we all need to make whether we want to continue being the only country where society runs the government, or become like Europe where the government controls society. I want this election to be done with, and I want to see the Federal Government doing only what the Constitution says it can do. Yes, there are some things not covered by the Constitution which may need federal involvement, but society must agree this is the case by passing an amendment.

In the interim, check out our Constitution on line, and other documents archived at The Federalist website. One quick hint: The word “interpret” doesn’t appear in the Constitution.