The Dollar and the Constitution
It occurred to me the other day, as I have looked, as I often do, at the lack of correlation between the size and scope of the Federal Government and the limits imposed on it by the Constitution, that there is an interesting practical and philosophical parallel between the value of the dollar in our society and that of the Constitution.
We have, in this country, what is called “fiat” money. What that means is that the dollar is not attached to or backed by anything of real value. Once upon a time, this country operated on money known as “specie” or coins that had real value, mainly gold and silver. After the Civil War the federal government decided to standardize the great variety of paper money issued by banks or states with the dollar which represented a certain amount of gold. If one had a dollar one could trade that dollar in for an equal amount of gold. This is known as being on the gold standard. Using money that had real value worked for this country until Franklin Roosevelt decided to change the entire face and scope of the federal government and this massive grab for power included taking gold out of circulation. Theoretically, the currency was still backed by gold but gold could no longer be used in transactions because it was illegal to own. During the Nixon administration even this fiction was eliminated. The dollar is now worth.....what we think it’s worth. No longer anchored by anything “real” the worth of the dollar fluctuates based on a variety of factors and has, over the long run, declined in value...considerably.
For one hundred years the constitution was the anchor of our republic. The warnings of the founders about a powerful central government were heeded. President Jefferson said “In matters of Power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” Like the dollar being chained to gold, our federal government was restrained by the Constitution and by the values, assumptions and fears of the founders. It was the moral values of our Judeo-Christian heritage, the assumption that public service was to be just that, and the fear of a powerful central government that maintained the course of our country and bound men of ambition from “mischief”.
Power, however, is a great temptation for those with even the best of intentions and the attempts to break the chains that restrained our government increased in intensity over time. In the past hundred years Christianity has been attacked and removed from the public square, public service is rare and statesmanship is nearly unheard of as officials have been reduced to pandering to special interests to keep their privilege, and the fear of a strong and expansive central government has turned into an embrace. Every time the federal government expanded its power, every time it took on a new role, we, as a people, made the conscious decision to remove the chains and unleash the beast. Whereas the monster was once firmly secured to the rock that was the Constitution, we have now taken that role on ourselves. We now have a picture of a fire breathing dragon, flying above our heads as we, like the Lilliputians of Gulliver’s Travels, are holding onto the ropes thinking we still have control.
The problem is we have now taken a progressive view of the constitution, we treat it as a “living” document. It, like the dollar, now has whatever value we feel it does. In reality, by treating the Constitution as a living document, we kill it. By assigning whatever meaning to it we choose, we give it no meaning at all. By seeking the “penumbras” we make its clear meaning and intent irrelevant. Our government now takes on roles that even the majority of us wish it wouldn’t but once the beast is unleashed, its growth and direction eventually resist our power to control. It is now lobbyists and special interests that feed the beast, determining its shape, size and direction. We have been reduced to a helpless maiden, shrieking as the monster plunders and restrains us, hoping that occasionally our cries are heard, and the monster pauses, at least for a moment.
The good news is that in a democratic republic, we get the government we desire if we have the courage and the fortitude to slay the monster. Individually, there is little we can do. Collectively, “We the people” still have the ultimate power. We can say no to big government, no to excessive regulation, no to high taxes but we also have to have the resolve to say no to the largess we receive, we have to take back responsibility for our own lives, we must be brave enough to live as free people once again. We have the power to grab the beast and chain it again to the rock of the Constitution but only if we put off the garments of the helpless maiden and put on the armor of the bold knight. It is in our power to restore to this country the system of limited government that ensured our liberty as individuals and our greatness as a country. The only question that remains, are there enough courageous people left in the “land of the free and the home of the brave” to join the quest?
patricksamuels.com
We have, in this country, what is called “fiat” money. What that means is that the dollar is not attached to or backed by anything of real value. Once upon a time, this country operated on money known as “specie” or coins that had real value, mainly gold and silver. After the Civil War the federal government decided to standardize the great variety of paper money issued by banks or states with the dollar which represented a certain amount of gold. If one had a dollar one could trade that dollar in for an equal amount of gold. This is known as being on the gold standard. Using money that had real value worked for this country until Franklin Roosevelt decided to change the entire face and scope of the federal government and this massive grab for power included taking gold out of circulation. Theoretically, the currency was still backed by gold but gold could no longer be used in transactions because it was illegal to own. During the Nixon administration even this fiction was eliminated. The dollar is now worth.....what we think it’s worth. No longer anchored by anything “real” the worth of the dollar fluctuates based on a variety of factors and has, over the long run, declined in value...considerably.
For one hundred years the constitution was the anchor of our republic. The warnings of the founders about a powerful central government were heeded. President Jefferson said “In matters of Power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” Like the dollar being chained to gold, our federal government was restrained by the Constitution and by the values, assumptions and fears of the founders. It was the moral values of our Judeo-Christian heritage, the assumption that public service was to be just that, and the fear of a powerful central government that maintained the course of our country and bound men of ambition from “mischief”.
Power, however, is a great temptation for those with even the best of intentions and the attempts to break the chains that restrained our government increased in intensity over time. In the past hundred years Christianity has been attacked and removed from the public square, public service is rare and statesmanship is nearly unheard of as officials have been reduced to pandering to special interests to keep their privilege, and the fear of a strong and expansive central government has turned into an embrace. Every time the federal government expanded its power, every time it took on a new role, we, as a people, made the conscious decision to remove the chains and unleash the beast. Whereas the monster was once firmly secured to the rock that was the Constitution, we have now taken that role on ourselves. We now have a picture of a fire breathing dragon, flying above our heads as we, like the Lilliputians of Gulliver’s Travels, are holding onto the ropes thinking we still have control.
The problem is we have now taken a progressive view of the constitution, we treat it as a “living” document. It, like the dollar, now has whatever value we feel it does. In reality, by treating the Constitution as a living document, we kill it. By assigning whatever meaning to it we choose, we give it no meaning at all. By seeking the “penumbras” we make its clear meaning and intent irrelevant. Our government now takes on roles that even the majority of us wish it wouldn’t but once the beast is unleashed, its growth and direction eventually resist our power to control. It is now lobbyists and special interests that feed the beast, determining its shape, size and direction. We have been reduced to a helpless maiden, shrieking as the monster plunders and restrains us, hoping that occasionally our cries are heard, and the monster pauses, at least for a moment.
The good news is that in a democratic republic, we get the government we desire if we have the courage and the fortitude to slay the monster. Individually, there is little we can do. Collectively, “We the people” still have the ultimate power. We can say no to big government, no to excessive regulation, no to high taxes but we also have to have the resolve to say no to the largess we receive, we have to take back responsibility for our own lives, we must be brave enough to live as free people once again. We have the power to grab the beast and chain it again to the rock of the Constitution but only if we put off the garments of the helpless maiden and put on the armor of the bold knight. It is in our power to restore to this country the system of limited government that ensured our liberty as individuals and our greatness as a country. The only question that remains, are there enough courageous people left in the “land of the free and the home of the brave” to join the quest?
patricksamuels.com
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