Devaluing The Constitution

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“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.”

| Thomas P. Rossiter's Signing of the Constitution |

| Painted between 1860 & 1870 |

| This work is in the public domain. |

The paragraph above is the preamble to the constitution of the United States of America. The purpose of the document was to establish the United States as a republic based on the rule of law, rather than the whims of those in power at any given moment. It failed.

When I was a child, I was a gung-ho flag waving all American boy. I loved the fact that I lived in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Being an American made me special, and I was proud of that.

As I grew older, and began to understand politics and vote, I didn't always agree with what my government did. Nevertheless, I always felt our leaders were doing what, they believed, was best for the country. I no longer feel that way.

We currently live under a regime which ignores the constitution when it suits them. Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, prohibits the federal government from granting titles of nobility, and restricts members of the government from receiving gifts, emoluments, offices or titles from foreign states and monarchies without the consent of the United States Congress. Yet, on a recent trip to Scotland, Air Force personnel were required to stay at one of Trump’s hotels, even though there were less expensive accommodations, closer to the airport, available.

The White House has ordered employees to ignore Congressional subpoenas with no legal basis to do so. Essentially, the President and his cronies do as they wish with no regard for the constitution.

As I’m writing this, Nancy Pelosi is on the air explaining that President Trump is violating the law by concealing a whistle blower’s report. She’s announced impeachment hearings. Of course, such hearings can only come to a conclusion if subpoenas are honored. Plus, even if the House votes to impeach, Mitch McConnell will never put it before the Senate.

In a day when our leaders do as they wish, with no regard for law or the constitution, America’s founding document has been reduced to just a piece of paper,