Philadelphia Woman: "Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?" Ben Franklin: "A Republic, if you can keep it.“
The Constitution stands as a monument to deliberate discussion and deeper dialogue.
In terms of government structure, the liberal Constitution is designed to overcome the separation of powers and most other checks and balances. Liberals consistently support the increased ability to coordinate, concentrate, and enhance government power—as opposed to dividing, restricting, or checking it.
Two Yale University scholars recently reminded us: “For all its flaws, the United States is uniquely equipped to unite a diverse and divided society. … “… Its citizens don’t have to choose between a national identity and multiculturalism. Americans can have both. But the key is constitutional patriotism. We have to remain united by and through the Constitution, regardless of our ideological disagreements.”
the doctrine of the Lord’s Church teaches us another eternal interest to guide us: the teachings of our Savior, who inspired the Constitution of the United States and the basic laws of many of our countries.
Originalism is racist. Originalism is sexist. Originalism is homophobic. Originalism is just a fancy word for discrimination.
Belief in God – fosters responsibility knowing we will one day be accountable for our actions and lays a tempering effect on the citizenry to behave. And without such, lesser beings vie to fill the role. ## Belief in God has dropped from 97% in 1965 to 80% in 2020. The downward trend is more pronounced among the young and the social science and philosophy professors who teach them.
Sovereign People – people sovereign over government rather than the reverse was truly revolutionary. A government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln described it, is critical to our success. ## When occupants of the White House of either party wield pens to issue executive orders linked by thin threads to generalized legislation, one begins to wonder.
Written Constitution – as the first written constitution in the history of the world, it contains permanent principles to guide the nation. It was not merely inspired by God, but established by Him “for the rights and protection of all flesh” through the hands of wise men raised up to that very purpose in preparation for the Restoration. Find in any population of 3.5 million people today the talent equivalent of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, et al. Random probability it was not. ## Satan’s minions heap scorn on it as an evil roadblock against progress. Thus arose the idea of a “living” Constitution whose underlying principles can and should be changed to accommodate the latest social engineering theories and schemes – a vehicle for change rather than a means of constraint.
Balance of Power – the power to govern must be controlled by separating power between branches of government, dividing power between the federal government and the states, and enumerating the powers specifically given to the federal government. In short, minimal centralization so problems are best solved at the level closest to them. ## What has happened instead is the Deep State – the power to legislate has come to rest among 2.1 million civilian federal employees who produce and enforce a Federal Registry of 70,000 pages of rules.
Bill of Rights – of the 20 or so freedoms identified in the first ten amendments to the Constitution, freedom of religion and freedom of speech are most critical to the survival and vibrancy of the nation. ## Religious freedom is under attack as some claim it’s a hide-behind for abusive patriarchy, racism and homophobic bigotry. It ties with freedom of speech as anti-religionists seek to banish from the public square opinions based on religious values. But instead of writing rules to force Catholic nuns to buy contraception coverage or bakers to decorate gay wedding cakes or to punish people who kneel during the national anthem, why not let the free market decide whether they should be rewarded, punished, or ignored? We note also the drive for more censorship of the Internet. Some have called for a reality agency to flag disinformation and root it out. Would such a Truth Czar be impervious to political pressures? Would freedom of speech survive? The right of free speech does not obligate others to listen, but don’t put it past certain types to try to mandate it.
Property Protection – the right to the fruits of one’s labor. Laws must be equally applied through due process regardless of one’s station in life. ## With hazy justification, civil-forfeiture laws, designed to deprive drug lords of their plunder, allow government to seize and keep property merely on the suspicion of wrongdoing without ever bringing charges, let alone proving them in a court of law.
“…the foundations of our National policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality.”
“…the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”
“From my childhood days I have understood that we believe absolutely that the Constitution of our country is an inspired instrument, and that God directed those who created it and those who defended the independence of this nation.”
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Never forget that we wouldn't be celebrating Independence Day today without civilian ownership of military rifles.
“And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.”
“Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.”
We should never forget the Constitution wasn't written to restrain the citizens' behavior. It was written to restrain the government's behavior.
Under a Democratic Constitution, the only individual rights that are legally enforceable are a product of majoritarian will…So under a Democratic Constitution, first comes government and then comes rights.
A Democratic Constitution is a living constitution whose meaning evolves to align with contemporary popular desires, so that today's majority is not bound by what is called "the dead hand of the past." The will of yesterday's majority cannot override the will of the majority today.
A Republican Constitution views sovereignty as residing in the people as individuals. If one views the views of We the People as a collection of individuals, a completely different constitutional picture emerges.
A Republican Constitution views the natural and inalienable rights of these joint and equal sovereign individuals as preceding the formation of governments, so first comes rights and then comes government.
Under a Republican Constitution, to ensure that these servants remain within their just powers, this lawmaking power itself must be limited by law. The Republican constitution then provides the law that governs those who govern us and it is put in writing so it can be enforced against the servants of the people, each of whom must swear a solemn oath to obey "this constitution."…In short, under a republican Constitution, the meaning of the written constitution must remain the same until it is properly changed - which is another way of saying that the written constitution must be interpreted according to its original meaning until it is properly amended.
It is important to recognize that the Democratic and Republican views of popular sovereignty and We the People are ultimately incompatible.
The fact that our Republican Constitution has democratic elements does not make it what I am calling a Democratic Constitution. The bare fact that a particular form of government has elected legislators or an elected president does not by itself tell us whether it is a democracy or a republic. Representative government is consistent with both conceptions of popular sovereignty.
Were the founders really against democracy? You bet. They blamed the problems in the states under the Articles of Confederation on an excess of democracy.
What Biden said is false. Republicans control the Senate and the White House and they are well within their constitutional right to move to fill the seats. Nothing that they are doing is unconstitutional and filling vacant seats is not the same thing as packing the courts. Packing the courts means adding additional seats to the court so that the balance of power on the court is altered.
Federalism is the dispersing of overall government power vertically with the States balancing our the Federal government.
"Separation of powers" is the dispersing of Federal government power horizontally.
This horizontal dispersion of powers involves checks and Balances on the three branches of government. The Framers and Ratifiers of the Constitution were so fearful of despotism that they provided for numerous Checks and Balances as additional “structural guarantees” throughout the Federal System. All these various “structural guarantees” is what makes America a Constitutional Republic. The addition of a Bill of Rights or “written guarantee” is simply further evidence of the seriousness of the Founders insistence upon safe-guarding our individual rights and liberties.
The Founding Fathers were well aware that no “written guarantee” or even “structural guarantee” without a moral or “foundational guarantee” underlying the entire superstructure would ever stand.
Our first ever President in his first inaugural address confirmed that any government policy rests upon private morality of the citizens. He also understood that all our liberties rest ultimately on the state of individual citizens. What this means is that our Constitutional Republic and Bill of Rights depend upon the moral character of the American people. Without a moral majority, no society is governable, not matter how many police you put out to enforce things.
Like our Founding Fathers, the Book of Mormon prophets, left us with both a promise and a warning. Notice the Conditional Nature of the promise. The promise is that as long as "We the People" are (1) a virtuous people (2) a vigilant people jealously guarding our liberties (3) a people who continued to revere our standard of liberty (The Constitution) as a divinely inspired document
However, herein lies the warning: Mosiah 29:27 If the time ever came when "We the People" ceased to be: (1) a virtuous people (strike one), (2) ceased to be vigilant (strike two), (3) ceased to revere the Constitution as a divinely inspired document (strike three), then, all would be lost. Ultimately then, a virtuous and principled Moral Majority of American citizens is the “foundational guarantee” upon which all our liberties rest — including our freedom of religion. In fact, the “foundational guarantee” could just as easily have been called “the land of promise guarantee” or the “Book of Mormon guarantee” or even “the Lord’s guarantee,” for it all comes down to the same thing. If the majority of the American people remain righteous, liberty and prosperity are assured, if, however, the majority of the American people are far more wicked than righteous, then we shall perish. * Those who know this are those who will know how best to defend political liberty and religious freedom in the face of an ever growing tyranny, as the best defense is—“the pure and immutable principles of private morality.”
Philadelphia Woman: "Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?" Ben Franklin: "A Republic, if you can keep it.“
Missing ReferenceMissing ReferenceMissing ReferenceMissing Reference
Missing ReferenceMissing ReferenceMissing ReferenceMissing Reference