Once again NxNE member Michael Holmes brought us an excellent history program on the Origins of the US Constitution. First, the parts of this document:
I. Preamble: a mission statement
II. Main Body: How to organize the government
A. Congress: Major Power
Pass laws
Raise money (establish taxes, control trade)
B. Executive: President and Cabinet (approved by Congress!)
No legal power
Nothing about executive orders
Establish federal courts
C.Federal Judiciary: Extremely limited power of jurisdiction, appellate court
Disputes: state vs. state, states vs. individual, state vs. foreign power
Michael began by dispelling two commonly held myths by stating the truth: 1) The Constitution is of human origin, written by wealthy, old, white, men, many of whom were slave owners, and 2) The Constitution is what the Supreme Court says it is. The annotated (by Supreme Court decisions) version of the Constitution consists of 2300 pages! He made the point that our current worry about the Supreme Court is timely: does a President have a Constitutional right to ignore or overrule the Court? Some nuggets of truth:
Any power not given specifically to the national government resides with the states; States have the right to impose limits and regulations; National government becomes involved when an issues crosses state lines. It is imperative that we understand the original meaning of what the writers wrote. For example, the original intent of the phrase “right to bear arms” referred to the right of citizen soldiers to own a weapon when a member of the local militia. Another example: “commerce” in 1789 meant interstate trade, nothing more, whereas now it means much more! And a current issue: abortion. Whether one approves or not, this is a religious belief. The US Constitution states that the Federal Government cannot establish a state religion nor shall not infringe upon religious practices. Questions were many and answered in a calm and sincere manner. Thank you Michael!
I. Preamble: a mission statement
II. Main Body: How to organize the government
A. Congress: Major Power
Pass laws
Raise money (establish taxes, control trade)
B. Executive: President and Cabinet (approved by Congress!)
No legal power
Nothing about executive orders
Establish federal courts
C.Federal Judiciary: Extremely limited power of jurisdiction, appellate court
Disputes: state vs. state, states vs. individual, state vs. foreign power
Michael began by dispelling two commonly held myths by stating the truth: 1) The Constitution is of human origin, written by wealthy, old, white, men, many of whom were slave owners, and 2) The Constitution is what the Supreme Court says it is. The annotated (by Supreme Court decisions) version of the Constitution consists of 2300 pages! He made the point that our current worry about the Supreme Court is timely: does a President have a Constitutional right to ignore or overrule the Court? Some nuggets of truth:
Any power not given specifically to the national government resides with the states; States have the right to impose limits and regulations; National government becomes involved when an issues crosses state lines. It is imperative that we understand the original meaning of what the writers wrote. For example, the original intent of the phrase “right to bear arms” referred to the right of citizen soldiers to own a weapon when a member of the local militia. Another example: “commerce” in 1789 meant interstate trade, nothing more, whereas now it means much more! And a current issue: abortion. Whether one approves or not, this is a religious belief. The US Constitution states that the Federal Government cannot establish a state religion nor shall not infringe upon religious practices. Questions were many and answered in a calm and sincere manner. Thank you Michael!