Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 27

The Libertarian Constitutional Fantasy

It may be a reflection on human nature that such devices should
be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is
government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human
nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If
angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on
government would be necessary. In framing a government which is
to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this:
you must first enable the government to control the governed; and
in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the
people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but
experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions [emphasis added].

Modern-day libertarians who disdain "majoritarianism" must
accept that the framers felt otherwise. In Federalist No. 51, Madison states that "it is not possible to give each department [of government] an equal power of self-defense. In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates" [emphasis
added]. Thus, it is not surprising that the most critical federal
powers-to tax, to declare war, to impeach, to create "inferior"
federal courts, to regulate the jurisdiction of the judicial branch,
and to select the president in the event of an Electoral College
deadlock-were assigned to Congress.
The framers were realistic enough to recognize that the political consensus of their era might change and that circumstances
in the future might require that the Constitution, as written, be
modified. To deal with this, they provided a mechanism for the
people, through their elected representatives, to amend the Constitution. Article V was their version of "the living Constitution,"
not inventive judges.
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Modern Age - Winter 2018

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Contents
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Modern Age - Winter 2018 - Contents
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