Rededicating Ourselves

Our nation was founded on the idea that the government should serve the people, not the other way around. In order to establish and protect that principle, our Founding Fathers established a Constitution which established a government structure unlike the world had ever known. Their plan to have a government of three branches – legislative, judicial executive - has stood the test of time and has served as the foundation of our Republic. This system of checks and balances is intended to hold each branch accountable. However, that balance has shifted in recent years - unfortunately at the expense of the branch most representative of the people, the Legislative Branch. The Executive Branch increasingly relies on executive orders rather than the normal legislative process, and the Judicial Branch too often legislates from the bench rather than applying the Constitution as the Founders intended.

The Legislative Branch is the only branch where each member is elected directly by the people. Therefore, it stands to reason that it most clearly reflects the opinions and aspirations of the American people. The Executive Branch has exactly one person elected by the people and the Judicial has none. And yet in the past several years we have seen President Obama attempt to implement blanket amnesty to illegal immigrants, impose gun control and allow unprecedented numbers of potentially dangerous refugees into the country, all in direct contradiction to the will of the people as expressed by their representatives in the Legislative Branch.

One of the most solemn responsibilities of the Judicial Branch, especially the Supreme Court, is to serve as an honest broker between the Legislative and Executive. They have at their disposal the most powerful document the Founders created - the United States Constitution. Despite this, we see increasingly a Court that is reluctant to enforce the Constitution when disputes arise between the other two branches, but at the same time not at all reluctant to create law from the bench.

This imbalance severely undermines the people's confidence and trust in their government. They know inherently that the Executive is overreaching its authority and that the Judicial is all too often complicit by standing on the sidelines until they decide to usurp the power of the other two branches. And they are irate that the people they elected to represent them seem to be powerless to do anything about it.

It is critically important that the appropriate balance between the three branches be restored - but it won't be easy. The politicization of the Supreme Court must end, and Justices, including the one who will ultimately be confirmed to replace Justice Scalia, must be an individual with a deep reverence for the Constitution. Our next President needs to commit to working with the Congress and stop the dangerous reliance upon executive orders. And individual Members of Congress need to understand that they can compromise on tactics and details without compromising their principles. We must return to being a nation of laws that understands and respects our founding documents and rejects the dangerous animosity that has creeped into our national political discourse.

The U.S. Constitution has served as the world’s best example as to how free men and women can govern themselves and create the greatest nation on earth. But we as citizens must rededicate ourselves to the timeless principles contained in that brilliant document.