‘Murica: Still Doing Something Right

Old Bathos (View Post):

Will we generate enough malice, ignorance and sheer stupidity to undo that?

I hope not . . .

Old Bathos (View Post):

Looking the rest of the world, it is clear that we must have been doing something right. Will we generate enough malice, ignorance and sheer stupidity to undo that?

We already have.

Old Bathos (View Post):

Our Latin American neighbors have gone through 200 constitutions. Europe has endured revolutions, communism, fascism, multi-national governments while the agreed upon basis of our system of government has not changed.

We endured a brutal Civil War that devastated half the country and cost a half million lives.

I would also argue that while we are still formally under the Constitution, in practice the Constitution is in many ways a dead letter. We just reinterpret it to suit whatever it is the powers that be want to do.

We're not in danger of losing any of the technical, non-controversial elements of the Constitution, such as the length of term for a Senate seat or a presidential administration. The controversial items are typically limits on government power. Probably a third or more of Americans don't know or care what is in the Constitution, and don't see any reason that any law or executive order should be blocked just because it violates the words in some old relic. Among the people who do make constitutional arguments, how many consistently believe it restricts the actions of the government year in and year out? All too many people on the left and right will bring up constitutional limits on power when their side is out of power, but then dismiss constitutional concerns when their side is back in the majority. We'll take the word of some slippery lawyer who says there is a loophole that lets us get what we want. Sure, that so-called loophole has never been used before, but that's just because nobody was ever as smart as our lawyer friend.

The Constitution is only effective if the people demand that it be adhered to. It is not self-enforcing. If the people don't care and elect politicians who don't care, the Supreme Court is the only thing we've got left to enforce it. And a ton of Americans think the Supreme Court is garbage each time the court rules against popular legislation that violates the Constitution.

Old Bathos (View Post):

Looking the rest of the world, it is clear that we must have been doing something right. Will we generate enough malice, ignorance and sheer stupidity to undo that?

Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

We already have.

I second that, and allege that the Constitution is honored now pretty much only in the breach; it is virtually a dead letter. Our healthcare system is exhibit A. Now a fully centralized system run by government. And everything that is not permitted is forbidden. If Obamacare COVID benefits are extended,which appears likely, you will see the collapse of the "private"(employment based) health insurance industry which will be replaced entirely by Obamacare, with taxpayer subsidies for all, and you will have CMS and Obamacare. Nothing else. Until those and SS collapse the national fisc entirely. Apres' cela, le deluge.