CONSTITUTIONAL CONVERSATIONS
Where Are the Adults?
by
M. E. Boyd, Esq., “Miss Constitution”
Miss Constitution intends to move the discussion from the abstract to the real. She has called abstract concepts involving social justice issues “clouds” that involve the theoretical, not the actual. Many in today’s very communicative world talk about “equality” but equality is a theory, it does not actually exist nor can it exist, as each individual person is unique. The most we can hope for is “equality under the law”, meaning that the law is applied impartially and fairly regardless of status. The reality is that we have no racist laws on the books and the general hope of the vast majority of Americans is that the laws will be applied impartially and fairly regardless of status, especially racial status. This is as good as it gets. On a practical level equality under the law becomes a reality if persons of high ethical standards are in charge of prosecuting our laws. Current corruption should never be tolerated for past corrupt practices. One does not correct the other. One only adds to the other and the weight of these additions can eventually overwhelm the social order. Corruption exists in persons of any status and there is no group of persons, whether by race, gender, or ethnicity, that has a greater number of the “good” and a fewer number of the “bad” than the other.
So, with reality in mind, how do we address the issue of equal opportunity? Not equality — that cannot exist, but equal opportunity — that can. Equal opportunity is not equal outcome. It is the opportunity for an outcome that is open to all regardless of status. There are more legal opportunities for persons of character and discipline and fewer or none for those who lack these traits. How does society encourage one and discourage the other? The answer is society should start with the development of the person. The development of the person begins with the family. Traits society wants to encourage are most effectively driven home by an authority that matters most and that authority begins with one’s Father and Mother. The ability of an individual to make the most of opportunities that come along begins here. The reality is that there is no government substitute for this influence.
If we begin with the person, and all persons do not have similar family structures, what can be done by society to strengthen the family?
- First, do no harm. Laws or government programs that weaken the family structure or actually incentivize a fractured family structure hamper the important influence of a Mother and a Father in a child’s life. If there are such programs in place they should be repealed. Government programs that foster dependency, that invite “gaming the system”, that undercut the development of character and discipline or forgive lack of character and discipline should be scrapped.
- Second, provide safety and security in a child’s life. No child can develop properly without a feeling of safety. The least government can do is provide police security in every neighborhood so that walking to school is possible; playing outside is possible; riding one’s bike is possible. Security officers in a school, in churches, and community centers are important and especially important in some vulnerable neighborhoods. A proper police presence also allows credit tenants such as grocery, drug, and general merchandise stores to locate in all neighborhoods and their presence helps provide jobs and a sense of well-being that children need to develop good character and discipline. De-funding the police and other security is the same thing as saying that one does not want equal opportunity for all people.
- Third, make sure we have a stable social and economic order over time. The most important decisions that help provide economic opportunity for all involve how leaders of our nation handle our economy. Without a stable economy there can be no social justice as economic instability always causes those with the most to protect what they have and those with the least to suffer the consequences. These are complex subjects in a free-market economy, and we expect those handling these issues to be knowledgeable and honorable. Our currency must be stable and have value. What good does it do to teach thrift, saving, and investment if the economy and our currency are ruined by our elected leaders? In 1935 the Supreme Court upheld a policy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that closed the banks, made Americans turn in their gold for a certain dollar value, and then artificially raised the price of gold so that the value of all savings in America was reduced by 70%. Manipulation of banking laws in the last thirty years has caused horrible decimations of value in the markets and housing and the current lack of budgets and gross runaway spending by Congress portends unsustainable debt that “debt jubilees” will be unable to correct. The current destruction of private property, the unchecked violence, the disrespect for the Rule of Law, the disrespect for authority, destabilizes our social order and makes opportunities for all uneven or non-existent. It is time we stop using the term “mostly peaceful protest”. These are criminal enterprises under the guise of Constitutionally protected assembly.
Miss Constitution, in observing what is happening in our society, asks: Where are the adults to stop the madness going on now? Where are the adults to stand up to the bullying and violence? Where are the parents who see their children on TV and pull them back home? Where are members of the cloth? Where are the political leaders who will support the things listed above that we need to make sure that opportunity is open to all who live here regardless of circumstance? Are there any adults left?
Copyright©2020 by M. E. Boyd, Esq., “Miss Constitution”
APPLES OF GOLD – Voices From the Past that Speak to us Now by M.E. Boyd is available at
www.amazon.com
