When people decide that Constitutional precepts are no longer of value or are sneered at – see here – all is lost.
And here.
The preservation of a free system is so difficult because it requires a constant rejection of measures which appear to be required to secure particular results, on no stronger grounds than that they conflict with a general rule, and frequently without our knowing what will be the costs of not observing the rule in the particular instance. A successful defence of freedom must therefore be dogmatic and make no concessions to expediency, even where it is not possible to show that, beside the known beneficial effects, some particular harmful result would also follow from its infringement. Freedom will prevail only if it is accepted as a general principle whose application to particular instances requires no justification.
-F.A. Hayek)
This is the exact similar thing applied to economics as to Constitutional Values. While the latter is a black and white document, its purpose is not just to outline a government’s form and function but to engender a particular attitude towards Liberty and Freedom along with the message that Government Power can be an evil thing unless constrained.
The Founders viewed it like a caged animal, ready to be let out. Only the minds and wills of those placed within reach of Govt’s Levers of Powers, knowing and accepting the trust that had been laid down to them, can keep that Govt animal caged.
We allow these Representatives to be elected because our electorate no longer has been educated as to the WHYs of HOW our Government was structured (for the compartmentalization of Power such that a single or a few people could aggregate that Power unto themselves).
Our Government was to be limited with very few enumerated Powers – where do Representatives believe that they can abrogate our First and Second Amendment Rights? How is it possible that a few can decide that they can merely dismiss the Constitution because “It’s for your safety!”? Or decide that they can decide what energy source you will use (e.g., fossil fuels vs “renewables”) or cars (gas cars or only electric cars – and in CA, an unelected and unaccountable set of bureaucrats making that decision because “it’s better for you”) or strictly public transit for just two examples?
Govt was supposed to be akin to a neutral umpire, enforcing a limited set of rules. Starting in the early 1900s, Progressives decided that they were going to change the game by writing more and more “rules” and micro-managing how you were going to play the game (instead of you deciding for yourself).
“Fight The Power!” used to be the battle cry of the Leftists in the 60s – now that they have gained said Power, their words of changed to “No Dissent”. It’s the dirty little secret of totalitarians everywhere – the only thing they want to change is who holds the Power – them instead of others. We, as a matter of course, don’t really matter at all. This is what happens when Constitutions are diminished to being words on a piece of paper instead of being written in your soul and mind.
It also generally happens hand in hand when Choice is removed from us in the economic realm as well. The Founders saw that Government was not the Economy and should be separate from it. Now we see how Progressives / Socialists have perverted that as well (as Hayek warned us).
HT | Cafe Hayek
