It’s time to quell excessive partisanship in politics
read more recent story comments Reader comments| ronschoolcraft Monday, July 23, 2012: 1:43 am More from ronschoolcraft  | Now I have an anonymous poster telling me that my well reasoned and very defensible position is absurd... That is truly absurd. When you're willing to be associated with your ideas, I might be willing to waste more of my time with you. As it is now, it's like arguing with the wind. Where does that get you? |
| ronschoolcraft Monday, July 23, 2012: 1:52 am More from ronschoolcraft | Venezuela already has what you want. That's why I suggested you move there. Instead, you want to bring their failed ideas here and destroy this nation. I don't intend to let you get away with it. Besides, you're nobody important, right? Frankly, the founding fathers were a lot smarter than you appear to be. They put a great system in place that is timeless. It doesn't need your kind of ideas -- or Hamilton's either. |
| nobodyimportant Tuesday, July 24, 2012: 8:40 am More from nobodyimportant | I couldn't agree more that the founding fathers were smarter than me. From what I have read, they were pretty sharp. No news there. The Constitution is a living document. The framers knew that in order to get it accepted, a lot of compromises were necessary because of the great differences of opinions that existed among those at the table as well as the geo-political conditions of the day. It was inadequate and defective from the beginning but it was what would be accepted. The framers did what lawmakers do today, they counted votes and figured out who would get what in order for it to pass. No better example of that was the slave issue. There were those who wanted strong language outlawing slavery and then there were the slaveholders whpo sat at the table. The word "slave" does not appear in the Constitution. The framers consciously avoided the word, recognizing that it would set off a debate that would not have ended. So they did what had to be done. Slavery received important protections in the Constitution. On one hand, the provision that gave three-fifths of the slave population a measure of representation, was a concession to the south so that those states would have extra representation in the House and extra votes in the Electoral College. Thomas Jefferson would most certainly have lost the election in 1800 if not for the Three-fifths compromise. The Constitution also prohibited Congress from outlawing the Atlantic slave trade for twenty years. A fugitive slave clause required the return of runaway slaves to their owners. We look back on those things and say, "what were they thinking?" Well, the fact is, they were thinking like 18th entury men who has a tough job to do and the divisions that existed in the fleedgling nation and among theselves, were serious and had everyone stood on their convictions, our history would be much different. The Constitution is living because it is amendable. Without that provision, we would be stuck with eighteenth cebtury solutions to 21st century problems. It was the best they could do at the time with the conditions that existed. You can say that all the changes that have been made to it were liberal-leanings, but whether or not that is true (and it isn't unless things like giving women the right to vote is liberal hogwash) the amendments are no more or less important or sacred than the original words. |
| ronschoolcraft Tuesday, July 24, 2012: 12:12 pm More from ronschoolcraft | Now you're twisting what I said. That's pretty typical. The Constitution is not a "living" document. Words mean what they mean. It is amendable which gives us the opportunity to adjust as time passes. There is nothing wrong and everything right with that. What is wrong is this "living document" idea. What that philosophy allows is for activist judges to read new meanings into the document that are not there. It allows activist judges to write new laws from the bench (Row v. wade) which is a legislative function, not judicial. It allows activist judges to find ways to uphold laws that are clearly unconstitutional (Obamacare) by changing the meanings of words. We have a situation here where some laws are passed by congress and signed by the president that meet constitutional requirements yet get overturned by a judiciary that acts as an oligarchy. Other laws are passed and signed which clearly do not meet constitutional requirements and they get upheld. The job of the Supreme Court is to protect the people from an oppressive government (even Republics can become oppressive) based on constitutional principles. They have instead become the oppressors. Read the book Men in Black by Mark Levin. Words mean things. Votes matter. |
| Danny Stewart Tuesday, July 24, 2012: 3:30 pm More from Danny Stewart | Living document? That's funny. I had to pick myself up off the floor from laughing so hard. Nobody, maybe you should go back to Europe and see if that doctor that gave your wife the asprin for her headache and see if he can give you something to cure that liberalism disease you have.. |
| nobodyimportant Tuesday, July 24, 2012: 8:47 pm More from nobodyimportant | I'm really glad I could add some humor to your life Danny. I think it's better when I don't try. Of course it is a living document. I was never meant to be unchangable, and is why they had the foresight to provide for amendments, though an early draft did not. It is the ability to amend that gives it life. Live on Constirution. |
| nobodyimportant Tuesday, July 24, 2012: 8:48 pm More from nobodyimportant | An activist judge is one that decides against your point of view. |
| nobodyimportant Tuesday, July 24, 2012: 8:54 pm More from nobodyimportant | To take all the humor out of it, Danny, I refer you to: http://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq_q93.html Q93. "How is the Constitution a living document?" A. The Constitution has been termed a "Living Document," but whether you think it is, or rather should be, depends on your interpretation of the Constitution itself. Through out time, the Constitution has been interpreted by many people; Presidents, Congress people, Judges, Justices, and plain folk like me. The fact that we are able to do this at all is where the phrase comes from. Some believe that the Constitution is a whole document in and of itself, and that any further interpretation of its text is not only unnecessary but undesirable. However, my feeling is that the bulk of the people in the United States take a view that allows the Constitution to be interpreted to at least some extent. In interpreting the Constitution, it is said to grow, expand, adapt. In this way, it is like a living thing. It is able to take the external surroundings and change to suit them. These changes are most visible in the decisions of the Supreme Court. For example, at one point, the Court ruled that separate institutions for black and white citizens were perfectly legal and constitutional, as long as the institutions were equal in power and efficacy — the "separate but equal" doctrine. In this century, the Supreme Court turned this doctrine on its ear by declaring that separate cannot mean equal, and segregation was unconstitutional |
| Danny Stewart Wednesday, July 25, 2012: 9:05 am More from Danny Stewart | Those that think as you do take us the way of the Roman republic. |
| nobodyimportant Wednesday, July 25, 2012: 6:24 pm More from nobodyimportant | Glad you could return the comic relief Daniel. Maybe it isn't funny though. The thing is, I don't get it. |
| 58 comments found | |
| Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
Add a comment
Posting comments on this web site requires you to be logged in. • Create your account• Log in to your account
» more
TABLE OF CONTENTS »
NEWS
Today
Obituaries
Local
Police
Court news
Weather
Business
Property transfers
Area salaries & stats
Education
State
Nation/World
Photo galleries
Videos
SPORTS
Sports
MD-T sports
IU sports blog
Martinsville
Mooresville
Decatur Central
Eminence
Indian Creek
Monrovia
Tabernacle Christian
Fantasy racing league
BLOGS
All blogs
Quit Smoking...Do It
Sci-Fi Sojourns
The Hoosier Scoop
Hoosier Wine Cellar
Gaming Guru
Mellenblog
