Be Careful What You Wish For On Election Day

Author: J Michael Nelson

Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives, tea partiers, blue dogs, and RINO's. These are just a few of the principal brands associated with today's political machinery. With so much ideology tucked into a two-party electoral system, what average Americans really vote for has become lost in a sea of political spin. Politicians have perfected the art of aligning themselves within the two-party system and running on the ticket best suited to their personal agenda, while rarely giving clarity to what that is. As a result, voters may as well pull the handle on a slot machine in the ballot box, as their chances of getting what they expect are about the same.

The foundation which the United States was built on was the Constitution. The framers created the Constitution to birth an experiment premised on liberty, equality, and citizen rights. More than two hundred years later, the vision of these men has seen the United States grow into the most powerful nation the world has ever known. Currently the United States is at risk of losing this identity and the 2010 elections will be imperative in determining whether Americans are content with that. Yet, without first understanding that the foundation guiding all political ideology comes to one large Constitutional question, voters will be left guessing the fate of their futures and the futures of their children on Election Day.

The roots of all political ideology can be traced back to two factions, the Originalists and Non-Originalists, and they have been around since the Constitution was penned. Before the ink was dry, the fundamental question of interpretation between these two groups was being heavily debated and has since evolved into the political talking points we are bombarded with today.

Originalism respects the Constitution as a binding contract, and those who make and interpret the laws are to be guided by the meaning of the Constitution as it was originally written. Conversely, Non-Originalists hold the Constitution as a living document, with the flexibility to evolve and be massaged to serve an enlightened understanding of changing societal issues. Subsequently, Originalism substantially limits domestic powers of the federal government as was mandated in the Articles of Confederation and ratified in the 10th Amendment of the Constitution. Non-Originalism on the other hand, is an elitist vision for complete societal equality accomplished by interpreting the Constitution in a way best suited to specific ideology. This view has systematically allowed for bigger government, higher taxation, and increased regulation.

Republican, conservative, traditionalist, libertarian, tea party, and even most independent views carry the roots of Originalism. Democrats, liberals, and progressives adopt Non-Originalism in order to reshape Constitutional meaning to fit a utopian society not spelled out in the margins. Without Non-Originalism, liberal and progressive ideology would be virtually impossible under the language of the Constitution as it was written. Without a reinterpretation of the intent of Constitutional language, the government could simply grow no larger, tax no higher, and govern no more than what was originally laid out.

Our government is larger than ever, and the political climate in the United States is one of confusion and frustration. Politicians continue to make bad situations worse, and the voters just want it fixed. To love America is to love the Constitution, and hopefully voters will remember what that is on Election Day. Not a constitution in a country which does not exist yet, but the Constitution of the United States which has given us the freedom and liberty from oppression by government influence for the past two hundred years. It has made us great and it has made us strong. Now it is time for us to be strong back and defend what we stand for. This begins with a vote.

J Michael Nelson

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-on-election-day-3583112.html

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