What our founders couldn't foresee

By Henry Lamb

This once-great nation is coming apart at the seams. Since the beginning, there has been tension between conflicting ideas and points of view. The genius of the system our founders created is the balance of power within the system that grinds this tension into agreement by the majority before any new proposal can become law.

This wonderful system has survived the rough and tough tumble of political discourse for more than two hundred years. It survived because, despite their differences, the vast majority of Americans were in absolute agreement about the purpose and goals of the government created by the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Our founders' purpose and goals are summed up in these words:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

Our forefathers held this belief so firmly that they were willing to risk all they had, including their lives, to remove the dictatorial government that stifled their freedom and prevented the exercise of their belief.

Our forefathers disagreed, bitterly at times, but their shared belief in the fundamental principles of freedom allowed them to find compromises that allowed the continued pursuit of happiness for all parties. Our nation is coming apart at the seams because today, our nation no longer subscribes to the belief system on which this nation was founded.

Perhaps the central point of agreement among the founders was that "just powers" of government derive from the consent of the governed. When the people of America gave their consent to accept the government proposed by our founders, that government was limited to very specific enumerated powers; all other powers were retained by the states or the people.

Only a handful of Americans are aware of these enumerated powers, or where to find them. Today, the federal government is as dictatorial as King George ever was, and those who seek to control government have little respect for the notion that government power arises from the consent of the governed.

Among the factions that want to control government are those who subscribe to the Marxist idea that government should provide equal access to the necessities of life by taking wealth from those who have it, and redistributing it to those who do not. People who accept this notion could not vote to ratify the Constitution were it put before them today. Pressure from these people is a major reason our nation is coming apart at the seams.

Another faction that wants to control government is hyphenated-Americans. These are immigrants who do not want to become Americans, but instead, want America to be subdivided into Black-America; Asian-America; Hispanic-America; Native-America, and the like — where documents must be printed in their language; where their holidays are recognized, where their cultural traditions are honored, and ultimately, where their particular vision of government is exercised.

America has always welcomed immigrants who come here to become Americans. Immigrants who come here with no intention of becoming Americans, or to become hyphenated Americans do not share our founders' belief system. Black nationalism rejects the founders' belief system, and curses the nation they created.

The seams of American society are further tested as Muslim immigrants re fuse to accept and integrate into American culture. Instead, Islam insists that America accept its veils, custom, and culture. America insists that government may not embrace any religion; this is a freedom retained exclusively by individuals. Islam, on the other hand, insists that religion is the foundation of all government; individuals are subservient to the state. This difference is irreconcilable and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world.

Most of the population growth in America for the last several decades has come from immigration. Policies such as multiculturalism, bi-lingual education, open borders, and failure to insist that they learn English and Constitutional values and government structure and procedures have created a society that is a boiling pot ready to explode. The various factions pulling at the seams no longer agree with the original purpose and goals of our founders. They care more for their own goals than for the values this nation was created to defend.

Fortunately, one of those factions is a dedicated minority — at the moment — of people who are determined to defend the Constitution and the nation it created. Even now, these people are organizing as never before, drawing recruits from every quarter. They are enlisting candidates and teaching people how to carefully choose only those officials who demonstrate their belief in the values inscribed in our founding documents.

If America is to be saved, it can be done only by putting into office, at every level of government, only those people who, like our founding fathers, believe so firmly in the principles of freedom set forth by our founders, that they are willing to risk all, including their lives, to once again remove the dictatorial hand of government, and keep the nation free for every individual.

© Henry Lamb