The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework of the government dreamed up by our Founding Fathers. It is the foundation of our beautiful republic. Yet it is worthless.
This contract — a legally enforced agreement between willing parties — was signed in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention by 39 men who agreed to abide by its articles.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the last of these men died nearly 200 years ago. I neither signed nor agreed to the contract, meaning I have no legal obligation to accept its premise.
As Lysander Spooner, author of No Treason, so gracefully described the social contract, “[It is] one as no people can hereafter be expected to consent to, except as they may be forced to do so at the point of the bayonet.”
If people really think the government created by the Constitution is a good entity that will benefit their society, they’ll sign the contract voluntarily; others who find more peace and prosperity in a freer society won’t sign it.
Unfortunately, we’re not given that chance. The government and its assumed power, instead, come wrapped in the blanket of coercion, threatening everyone who doesn’t agree with its expected obedience.
And why do these attacks never stop? I’ll tell you.
The Founders, in their infinite wisdom, set up a system of checks and balances whereby the tripod government answers only to itself, instantly allowing for a self-realization that, as one arm grows bigger, the others are sure to follow.
Our monopolized court system — the one by which the government decides whether the government’s actions are legal — is what got us here in the first place.
It’s why corporate personhood was legitimized through Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad. I mean, come on.
Corporate personhood is the equivalent of suing a murderer’s gun in court.
In a free society, people would keep their own money, and irresponsible individuals would be held accountable for their actions.
These are logical decisions, but they were completely overturned by the government. And we’re supposed to be grateful for them.
We got lucky, so to speak, to be born under a Constitution that at least pretends to limit itself. You have to ask yourself, though, “If I were to have been born under a Constitution that permitted the government to take everything from me, would I still respect its authority?”
You can’t truthfully convince yourself that being born within the boundaries of the United States during this specific time period is what grants you freedom. With that logic, the 1936 Soviet Constitution gave Stalin’s government a legal right to steal everything from its citizens until the new Constitution was adopted 41 years later.
Being born is what grants you freedom, and freedom means respecting the acceptance of private law societies.
Reach Brian at brian.p.anderson@asu.edu
