The Principles That First Made Us Great And The Road To Get America Back There
Allan Erickson Op-Ed
Navigating the chaos on the way home
Historians tell us the rise and fall of great empires is observable, and inevitable.
Great civilizations follow the same pattern: formulation of the nation state in its infancy; growth by accumulated wealth usually through aggression; expansion and control; the promotion of principals upon which success is insured; consensus; doubt; confusion; dissent; massive dissent, a repudiation of successful principals; greater government control to suppress increasing chaos; full-flown police state; division, decline, destruction.
The American empire has followed this pattern even as it fights to avoid it, even as this unique Republic tries to rediscover the essence of its origins: liberty, the rule of law, prosperity.
Our American experiment in liberty is failing and it may be beyond saving. Most alarming is the growing repudiation of first principles. What are our Constitutional principles and do we generally agree with them?
SEVEN BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CONSTITUTION
Popular Sovereignty- the government’s right to rule comes from the people
Limited Government- the government has only the powers that the Constitution gives to it
Separation of Powers-the Constitution divides the government into three branches: Congress-legislative branch makes laws, President-executive branch carries out the laws of Courts-judicial branch explains and interprets the laws
Checks and Balances-each branch of government has the power to check or limit the actions of the other two
Federalism-division of power between the federal government and the states
Republicanism- citizens elect representatives to carry out their will
Individual Rights-The Constitution protects individual rights such as freedom of speech, freedom religion (Bill of Rights)
The establishment of these principles by agreed practice created the most successful Republic in history, one delivering maximum liberty and prosperity. Extremists in either direction dilute the potency of first principles, putting the Republic at risk. This is a straightforward truth we ignore to our own destruction.
The reality is we must choose a side. Either we rigorously embrace a return to strict application of first principles, or join the fate of all empires from yesterday, keeping in mind that if the American empire fails, the entire planet goes under.
In truth, success depends on rejecting all forms of extremism, returning to what works, constitutional moderation.