The US Constitution: What's the Point Anymore?

Because people let them? Most people think politics are "boring". So the politicians pass laws and do things without repercussion. Not that I think everything is all skull and bones in the country - there's been plenty of positive progress made, too. America was born in blood, but people in the modern era can't even spare a drop of sweat.

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Originally Posted by Nash

It's not a judge. It's five out of nine judges. Of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Constitution has historically been malleable. I'm not trying to be a snob, but you really need to take a course on the subject matter before you start discussing this stuff, because it's not as simple as you think it is.

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I'm not saying we fucked it up yesterday. Just because we've been fucking it up for over 100 years doesn't make it OK.

And of course it's more complicated than anybody who doesn't dedicate their life to it could possibly comprehend. The bullshit that has gone down could not stand on any simple explanation because anything simple would also have to be rational.

Tell me how any rational person can be alright with a violation of the Constitution no matter how many Justices caught the activist bug that day? I'm not saying the laws that violate the Constitution are inherently evil or useless. I'm saying that there is a mechanism available for changing the text of the Constitution. Why isn't the damn thing updated to allow these laws to exist?

As it stands, if one part can be thrown out the window, any part can be thrown out the window. So it can't protect anybody.

First, as to copyright, there is a specific clause giving Congress the power to do that. (Art. 1, Sec. 8)

Second, yes, the Constitution isn't literally enforced. It says whatever the Supreme Court says it says. It creates a weak federal government, but we need a fully functional national government. So whenever the federal government needs to act but lacks the power (slavery, New Deal, Jim Crow, full and immediate war powers), the courts "reach the right result" by letting the feds do whatever they want, thereby reducing the relative power of the states.

Why isn't the Constitution amended when there are problems? Because it's very difficult to do. The difficulty was intended to prevent change, but it actually permits radical change by the judiciary, preventing the majority from changing laws "interpreted" to say whatever is fashionable. So changes need to be made, they can't plausibly be made through the amendment process, so the SCOTUS does it by fiat.

The states wanted the benefits of a national government without the drawbacks. It's just not realistic, especially in today's fast paced and interrelated world. So we have a full-powered national government. The same process is happening to the EU.

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Originally Posted by Drewbacca

America was born in blood, but people in the modern era can't even spare a drop of sweat.

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Damn that was well said.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Damn that was well said.

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Aren't you an at home number cruncher? You're not exactly sweatin to the oldies.

He's not being literal, genius. Playing EA Sports Active isn't really contributing to the nation's GDP.

Or is it?

Did you know the United States Constitution was printed on Monster Cables?

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Originally Posted by RoleTroll

First, as to copyright, there is a specific clause giving Congress the power to do that. (Art. 1, Sec. 8)

Second, yes, the Constitution isn't literally enforced. It says whatever the Supreme Court says it says. It creates a weak federal government,

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More like "weak" federal government. Remember, the Constitution wasn't this country's first stab at a governing document.