Who is Running the Asylum and Who Gave Them the Keys

[Keith Broaders]

The Representatives of the states wrote a Constitution or rule book for the employees of the new government which they created in 1787. The people were to be the master and the new government was to be their servant. The primary role of the government was to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people. The Constitution was created to restrict and guide the government not the people.

They knew the Constitution was not perfect and that it would need to be amended from time to time, but they wanted these changes to be decided by the people. They gave the authority to Congress to propose amendments, but the ratification of amendments would require the approval of three fourths of the states.

If you had an employee who was stealing your money and giving it to their friends, would you allow your employee to propose changes to the rules that would punish him for misconduct?

Allowing Congress to write the laws which govern their behavior would be like allowing the inmates at the asylum to govern their own behavior.

The framers of the Constitution wanted to protect the people from the potential abuse of power by providing the states with the authority to propose amendments to the Constitution. They only granted to Congress the authority to call for the convention. They wanted the states to be able to organize the convention without Congressional interference.

Article V clearly states that when two thirds of the states request a convention to propose amendments, Congress must call for a convention. How the applications will be counted and who will be able to participate in the convention is not specified. According to the Tenth Amendment, "powers not granted to the United States or prohibited by it to the states is reserved to the states and to the people respectively."

In the Declaration of Independence it was established that it was the right and duty of the people to alter or abolish the government when it became tyrannical. If you agree with me that Congress has become tyrannical it is our duty to alter or abolish our government.

There are many people who think that dropping bombs is a good way to promote peace and that allowing Congress to write their own rules of behavior is a good idea. I believe those who embrace these ideas are either very ignorant and are likely to become useful tools in the hands of the oppressors.