I Believe in the Constitution

When one says, "I believe in the Constitution,” what do they mean? Let me post what I mean when I say it.

1. I believe that Article I establishes the Congress as the lawmaking arm of the government. It is a co-equal branch with the executive and judicial branches. It consists of two bodies, the House and Senate.
The lower body is distributed by population and is elected every 2 years. It was design closely to reflect the will of the people.
The upper chamber, on the other hand, is more deliberative. It was designed to instill compromise. The terms of a Senator is 6 years and overlaps with other Senators so that cooperation and bi-partisanship can be built. All states have an equal voice regardless of size, population or economy.

2. The Executive branch is not the first branch established. The President is the chief executive and Commander-in-Chief. Members of the cabinet nominated by the President, are approved by the Senate and serve the people, not the President. This branch has no law making authority. It is not free from checks and balances and is not above the law.

3. The Supreme Court is the final interpreter of the Constitution. It is not supposed to be partisan. The Justices must be independent and willing to put aside ideology. Their appointment to life terms was meant to keep them from political pressure. Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate by a non-partisan majority.

We need to return to these ideas if our Constitution is to perform as designed.

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