Jon's Views

I had a friend ask me in an email over the weekend what I thought the Preamble of the Constitution meant to me. I didn't really know exactly how to answer that question without going back and analyze what it says and how I feel about each of the parts of the Preamble. I do know that my understanding and opinion on what it means will differ from my friend and probably many of you that read my blog, but that is what makes our country so great. I am going to attempt to express my views on what the Preamble means to me as my friend asked me.

First off as theUnited States of America has grown over the decades since this document was first drafted to establish our Republic it has remained the framework for our existence as a nation. Now it really depends on what side of the fence you find yourself on as to how it has actually succeeded.If you are a strict Originalist which means you believe in a strict adherence to the words of the document or do you tend to believe that it is a living document that is designed to be interpreted to meet an ever changing society. I believe that we don't need to change how it is interpreted and applied.

I believe that we need to promote the general welfare of the people and not promote WELFARE in this country. I believe that we don't need to change the document to fit some people's ideals on how things should be.

 The concept of WELFARE had a purpose and because some individuals have taken advantage of the program and it has destroyed many areas in this country and it has created a society of Entitlement that is over burdening our Federal Government that doesn't need to be as big as it has become. I think it is more the State Governments responsibility to promote the General Welfare and Domestic Tranquility than the Federal Government and if they would take more responsibility for their residence we would be a lot better off. I think that it should be up to the States and Local Governments responsibility to give the people of the states and cities that they live in more opportunities to pursue their interests than they are doing.

 Now what I mean by that is that it is the responsibility to provide avenues for the residence to pursue their choice of recreation but not provide it at zero cost. We have over 290 million people in America and there is no way we tax payers can support that many programs to give everything away for free. I think the access to programs should be available to improve yourself but if you can afford them you should be expected to pay your way.

 If you cannot afford it at the time you should be afford assistance and pay back the assistance when and if you achieved the goal of the assistance. I believe the establishment of Justice is self explanatory and handled quite well by the Government and provide for common defense is also handled on both the Federal Level with our Armed Forces and on the State level with police forces and National Guard.

 I have been on this earth for 40 years and I haven't had an issue with the way our Federal Government has afforded me my liberty. I don't feel like any of my Liberties or Rights have ever been infringed upon in any way. I would imagine there are many people that watch the news on TV or read the newspaper that can point out how they feel that something has been passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President is somehow infringing on their rights.

But to me as an average citizen I can't remember any time that felt my daily life was in any way dictated by the Federal Government. I believe that it (Federal Government) should never intrude on my life until I somehow broke a rule or law and then I fully expect to have to answer for it.But I will not just speak out against something that doesn't have any bearing on my life or my family.

 If I want to donate of myself to a worthy cause then I am free to do so, but I will not force other people to do so just because I feel that it is a worthy cause or demand tax payers foot the bill. It is about time we the people take responsibility for ourselves and stop expecting the Federal Government to pay for everything. I seriously doubt that is what our Founding Fathers meant when they drafted the US Constitution. To me providing doesn't mean pay for, it means ensuring access to the service or what ever it is you need.

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