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In the last two posts, we examined the duties of the President and the powers granted to him to enable him to carry out his duties. We reflected on how these duties and powers have worked out in practice. We concluded that, while there are some structural changes to the…continue reading →

In our last post, we summarized the duties and powers of the President as outlined in the Constitution. In this post, we consider how well the defined duties and powers have squared with historical experience. First: We find ourselves in agreement with the Framers on the necessity of a unitary…continue reading →

We have now completed our initial brief annotation of Article II of the Constitution, which establishes the executive branch with the President at its head. In this post, we will recapitulate our understanding of this branch before moving on to the judiciary. The experience of the Framers with monarchs left…continue reading →

For the last year, we have been devoting the time we have to write about the Constitution to briefly annotating the text of the Constitution itself. We have now completed our annotation of Article I, which establishes the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. Our annotation…continue reading →

It seems appropriate to pause the textual analysis of the Constitution long enough for some Independence Day thoughts. …continue reading →

Constitutionalist classical liberals have always been a varied lot in their approach to Christianity. Perhaps there are a few more agnostics in the tent nowadays, though militant atheists remain remarkably scarce. But whether Christian in every sense, or of the Jesus as wise human teacher school, we seem agreed on…continue reading →

In our post on sovereignty, we took the position that, under the Constitutional order, there is no American sovereign. Voters have inalienable rights,  which may be broadly described as spheres of life into which intrusion by government is severely circumscribed. Rights are not quite absolute; your right to free exercise…continue reading →

Our posts so far have been directed towards persuading readers that the Constitution deserves to be taken seriously, and not just as binding law. We are laying the groundwork for a close study of the text of the Constitution itself. Our next post will begin that close study with the…continue reading →

We have personally witnessed conversations that went something like: "Washington needs to do something about <X>." "The Constitution doesn't give Washington the power to do anything about <X>." "The Constitution was written by a bunch of white slave-owning men, so I really don't much care what the Constitution says." It…continue reading →

In an earlier post discussing the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, and in connection with the concept of the rule of law, we quoted John Adams: Remember Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not…continue reading →