BrianGarst.com

Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.

Friday

17

September 2010

Constitution Day Is Here Again

Written by , Posted in Liberty & Limited Government, Waste & Government Reform

I don’t typically prepare long  thoughtful posts in anticipation for days such as this, and this year is no exception. Rather, I’d like to just take a moment to remind all the many bloggers and activists discussing the Constitution today to keep it in mind more than just once a year (I realize most in these groups do not need this reminder).  Every day ought to be Constitution Day.

I also fully endorse this proposal:

House Republicans, marking the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, called Friday for members of Congress to adopt a proposal that would require every bill to include language citing its constitutional authority.

The idea was proposed by Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., on Republicans’ “America Speaking Out” website — an online discussion board for legislative ideas. GOP leaders talked up the idea in honor of Constitution Day, being celebrated Friday.

I can think of no other reform both as simple and as powerful as this.  If politicians actually had to go on record justifying the authority for their ideas, the entire policy discussion would inevitably change in the direction of less government.