Prostituting the Constitution

Prostituting the Constitution

It has become fashionable to propose amendments to the constitution for all imaginable causes. Thus the nation's charter is endangered by a barrage of new and unworthy ideas offered up by opportunistic politicians seeking to exploit popular passions.

Indeed, constitutional reform seems to be the hot topic around Washington and in the writings of both liberal and conservative journalists across the country. No longer is it suitable for legislation to follow the normal means of entering into law - ratification by both House and Senate, pending the signature of the President. Rather, this new breed of constitutional reformers seeks to undermine this very process, not to mention the Constitution itself, with their volley of proposed amendments. Proponents of such congressional reform bitterly deny that the sanctity of the Constitution is ever tarnished in the midst of their attempts to update the Constitution to reflect pressing social issues. These proponents contend that the very proposals with which they seek to indelibly stain the Constitution are comparable to those other amendments added to the Constitution in its history. In other words, current policy issues merit equal attention with amendments such as those which eradicated the poll tax or secured suffrage for all Americans.

Whether or not there exists an equality between those problems plaguing contemporary society and those thought ageless in the eighteenth century is difficult to assess. Nonetheless, assuming that issues such as abortion, school prayer, flag burning, term limits, and the balanced budget deserve the attention that they have received in Washington, it remains to be argued convincingly that th...

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...t say that the policies themselves proposed to become permanent fixtures in the Constitution are flawed. Rather, it is to say that such hysteria is merely empty symbolism, and a way to clutter the Constitution with dubious prose. For instance, there very well ought to be means to ensure that the government operates with a balanced budget, or that the rights of those who wish to pray in school are protected.

However, as of yet, it has not been demonstrated that these mere issues of domestic policy warrant inclusion in the nation's most sacred document. Politicians ought to return to the Constitution with heartfelt resolve, seeking from it inspiration and guidance. The Constitution ought never to become the prostitute of two-bit politicians across the nation who, in the dire moments of reelection, call upon its sacred name to secure their own futures.