Supporting the Constitution just Is Not that Cool

When Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner was taken aback by Michele Bachman's aggressive questioning about the role of the Constitution in governing today, he was clearly uncomfortable. The Minnesota Congresswoman was clearly "not cool" in his view. It seems that we are now lead to believe that "smart," "sophisticated," and "relevant" individuals might appreciate how wonderful the Constitution was, but it is not really that useful today.

I recently did a radio interview where I went to great lengths to cite specifics of the Constitution. According to the host, the audience loved it and you could see that by the number of questions we were receiving. One comment stayed with me though. One person said, "I agree with everything you are saying, but how do you convey your message without sounding nuts." "Gee, thanks," I thought, but at the same time I understood his point. He was simply trying to tell me that, if you stick too close to the Constitution, you are often going to be dismissed by the people you talk to on the subject.

I'm afraid he is correct. To believe in the Constitution in a manner that the Founding Fathers intended, is to be willing to have the same attitude they had as they wrote the Declaration of Independence and together they stated that: "for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

People like:

• Carter Braxton of Virginia, who was a wealthy planter and trader. He saw his ships wiped out by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in poverty.
  
• Thomas McKeam was under such constant pursuit by the British that he was forced to continually move his family. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him and he too died in poverty.
  
• Francis Lewis had his properties destroyed. The British jailed his wife and she died within a few months.

I could go on, but the theme is similar... sacrifice, poverty and often death for what they believed in. Today, most people in politics have a rather smug view of the Constitution. Years of political correctness have led people to dismiss the law of this land as something of value in years past, but totally "out of date" today. Recently I interviewed a member of the Tea Party and mentioned that the dramatic moves of the government in so many different areas was clearly against the idea of state rights as seen in the Tenth Amendment. Her response was, "well, I don't really like to talk about the Tenth Amendment because that was used as an excuse for institutional racism." Well I hate to tell you, but state rights is the centerpiece of the US Constitution. That document is about the dispersion of power and they saw strong states and local governments as an primary means of achieving that.

To dismiss the Constitution because it has been used to protect racist policies in the past (and has since been corrected) is to advocate a government without law. That is exactly what we have today. A huge population that has come to the belief that the Constitution is irrelevant and instead of a government that is ruled by law, we have a government on autopilot. This is dishonest government.

I challenge people to study the Constitution and value its relevance today. I encourage people to challenge those who question the currency of the Constitution and ask them what they believe should govern our nation today. More than likely, their answer will be far more flimsy than the document that helped to make the US, the most free and prosperous country in the history of the world.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 am), AOL Radio, and CBS Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.