Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people.

We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should.

Ronald Reagan spoke those words in 1981.

The Constitution is the document upon which our society is based. Or maybe I should say was based, and should be again based. The Constitution. The first step in the process of voting is to educate oneself. After all if you don’t know what your rights are and what the government’s responsibilities are, how can you be sure you are protected and the government isn’t overstepping? Clue: the government is way out of control, and you don’t have nearly as many rights as you think you do. Clue number 2: the rights you do have are far greater in magnitude and reach than you can imagine without understanding the Constitution.

Many people who know me think I am a Republican, and I do usually say that, because it’s much easier to explain than the bald truth: I am a Constitutionalist. What that means will surprise some of you. I believe Roe V. Wade should be overturned. But I believe it should be over-turned because deciding it was not actually in the purview of the federal government. It’s a matter for the individual states to decide. Conservatives, you need to quit clapping now, and listen to this next bit. I believe the federal government ought to stay out of the business of defining marriage. That also is a state’s rights issue. Being a Constitutionalist means that you think the Constitution means what it says. And what it says is that all matters not specifically given as being under the authority of the federal government belong to the states. That’s a lot of areas. In fact, it’s most areas.

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