Dear Editor,
Republicans talk about the Constitution like they know what’s in it. They don’t. Most think the Constitution explicitly demands implementation of their political agenda, things like tax breaks for the rich, freedom from masks, special policing for minority areas, and keeping immigrants out of the country. It doesn’t.
There are some things in the Republican platform that the Constitution does speak to, like religious freedom, freedom in the economy (but not a green light to oppress the poor), limited taxation, limited government, and fiscal responsibility. But Republicans haven’t been doing very well with any of this lately. They’ve been better at talking about freedom than actually providing for it.
The Constitution’s chief aim is to specify who makes the laws, and how and when they are to be made. It says the people of the states make most of the laws, and Congress makes some of them, all through their elected representatives. The president and the governors are supposed to implement the laws, not dream them up on a bad hair day and force them on the people.
If it’s any consolation, most Democrats don’t know what’s in the Constitution either. During the next four years it will be the pleasure of writers like myself to point out a few things about them, too.
Sincerely,
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross, Utah
