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Drafting the Constitution of the New World
Ladies and Gentlemen of Ricochet, let’s assume as a thought experiment what some of our members already suspect. The Great American Experiment has failed. Our Body Politic is afflicted with a terminal disease. Whether death will come quickly or slowly is not ours to know, but we may safely assume that our best days are behind us, we’re fastened to a dying animal; our children will inherit a morally and economically impoverished land; alea iacta est.
What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find …
… another country, obviously. Not for us a bunch of wussy poetry about finding strength in what remains behind. All very nice if you’re Wordsworth, but we are Americans. Time to move to the New World. New America, here we come!
Where is it? I don’t know yet, but large tracts of real estate are out there, waiting to be claimed, and we’re an adaptable people. Here’s a map showing uninhabited land: Where should we move?
(I wonder if Australia would sell us half of that uninhabited land? I bet we could make them an attractive offer.)
Anyway, without worrying overmuch about where, for now, let’s think about the basics. The Federalist Papers, Our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and our Bill of Rights. We’ve got outstanding foundational documents, we’d all agree, but clearly they’re flawed, because it turns out that Franklin’s warning, “We’ve got a Republic, if you can keep it,” was correct. We couldn’t keep it, so now we have to start fresh.
But let’s not make the same mistakes twice. It would be a shame to have to up sticks and leave again in another 239 years. So how shall we rewrite the Constitution to ensure that New America lasts forever, or at least longer than the old one did? I assume the Constitution needs only minor modifications to prevent us from losing our new country, but of course, the modifications are essential: To lose one country may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.
Clearly, we’re all the descendants of men and women who had the fortitude to leave a dying Old World and undertake the voyage to the New. So let the ancient lands keep the storied pomp, and let’s decamp for New America, where we’ll lift the lamp beside the golden door. Our ancestors did it, so we know we’ve got it in us.
It’ll be great.
But let’s make sure it works. We’ll basically keep the same Constitution, of course. But let’s get it exactly right, and let’s learn from experience, so that we don’t have to do it a third time. Ideas?
Published in Entertainment, General, History
Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili had that problem, too, and decided to do something about it.
Yes they are — good and hard.
To flesh that out a little, yes, they are voting for what they perceive to be their self interest but are really only fooled by snake oil salesman and time share pitches.
Actually, they probably understand (or I hope they do) that the rich guy getting the tax break is the boss who can then afford some raises, or new equipment, etc — and the liberal voting for higher taxes is voting on those for other people. They presume they’ll have their carve out and will never actually have to pay, and they get to feel good about being so saintly and sacrificial, even at zero cost.
All that said, the root problem is human nature, and that cannot be legislated away or amended out of the citizenry.
I have this gut feeling – cannot explain but do others sense it? Or is it just me?
I hope the Patriotic are hunkered down. I wish GW Bush were back at the helm – some of you may not agree, but I felt a whole lot safer when he was in charge. Does it take another Texan? Scott Walker just threw his hat in the ring – my instincts say he is the one to watch as well as Ted Cruz, a supporter of Israel and has his finger on the pulse of what matters. This Fall should be interesting. Just sayin’.
On another note, I am wondering if Ricochet can put together a “book sale”, highlighting the talent that you have for editors and the books they have written?
I suspect many on Ricochet and newcomers do not know about the authors here. My favorite, Clair B, has 4 worth reading – (my husband is always hollering – get off that Ricochet – are you reading that Clara Binski column again??? :-)
I am sure there are more books…..that I would like to know about – thanks!
Thanks anonymous – I’ll be sure to check out these other reads!
PS – do yourself a favor and read Claire’s book on Thatcher – I didn’t know a thing about that woman – it’s a very inspiring and interesting read!
Here is the Member Feed thread I just posted on mine.
Your words resonated with me, very much.
Patagonia? Inhabitable parts of it might be had for cheap.