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Joe
Uecker
State
Representative
09/26/05
US
Constitution Birthday
Did
you miss it? I didn’t. I have a great tie that
commemorates it. What
am I talking about? About
two weeks ago, on September 17, 2005, with little to no
fanfare the 218th anniversary of our
Constitution slipped by.
This document that has become both the whipping
post and literal backbone of our society received no grand
birthday party and barely got so much as a couple of blogs
(for the non-internet folks, a blog is a sentence or two
on an internet bulletin board type of site).
One blog that I couldn’t help notice mentioned
“what a great living document for the ages”.
This just rubbed me the wrong way. This is just
exactly the problem we are experiencing with our Courts.
As a legislator, I can craft and scribe all the
greatest laws in the land but because they are held to
judicial review, on so much as a whim, the Supreme Court
and nullify it. The
Constitution is NOT a living document. It does NOT change
with time nor should it be “re-interpreted” as times
change. With
little exception, it stood as the Founders originally
intended for about 150 years.
For
the last several years, I have visited area schools to
talk about my role in government. I am happy to report
that I was elated to see our elementary school children
are well versed in government. Earlier
this spring, in a Batavia classroom, armed with lollypop
awards for correct answers to my questions, I came away
with all the awards issued. They got all my questions
answered correctly! See,
it’s not so tough. Even school children know that the
founding fathers meant for the Constitution to be able to
survive “progress”.
They also knew that if our nation wants to change
the words and meaning in the Constitution, it has to be
done by calling for a Constitutional Convention.
It cannot be changed simply by a group of people
who wear long black robes and decide one day that the
words in the document have magically changed meaning.
So,
trying very hard not to sound too politically incorrect,
nor too terribly insensitive, where in the Constitution
does it say that the Federal Government can offer charity
by spending $10, $20, or $30 billion to rebuild a city
that very well may flood again?
By the way, keep in mind that this is OUR money
they propose to give away.
Columnist Walter E. Williams (often the only voice
of reason in any given Sunday’s Opinion Pages) reminded
readers a couple of weeks ago that the father of the
Constitution, James Madison, chastised Congress after
hearing that they had appropriated an excessive amount to
assist French refugees saying that no where did the
Constitution grant them the right to spend taxpayers
dollars on “benevolence”.
In Ohio, after decades of helping to rebuild homes
that annually get flooded, they came up with the bright
idea of buying the homes so no one can get flooded in them
again. This
wasn’t charity, it was common sense. Everyone knows the
Ohio floods relatively often.
If the Federal Government has money burning a hole
in its’ pocket, I know of a few Ohio roads and bridges
that need upgrading, or a few schools that could use
remodeling and frankly, this list could go on.
Now
before you think of diving to your computers to email me
for being so insensitive, let me say this; even though I
scratch my head wondering how it can legally be done, I
really don’t mind giving away billions of dollars to
rebuild a city. But can we at least rebuild it somewhere
that it won’t flood out again?
By
the way, a belated happy birthday to our Constitution.
Joe
Uecker
State
Representative
Ohio’s
66 District
Representing
Batavia, Goshen, Miami and Union Townships as well as the
Cities of Loveland and Milford and the Villages of Batavia
and Amelia.(614)
466-8134
District
Office (513)-248-2565
Website:
www.JoeUecker.com
Email:
Joe@JoeUecker.com |
