Our founders would feel right at home with the politics of the twenty-first century.
Constitution Day 2022 Special Posting . . .
What Would the Founders Think of America Today?
By: George Noga – September 18, 2022
Happy Constitution Day! Our Constitution was 235 years old yesterday. I recently conducted a thought experiment to see what the signatories of the Constitution would think if they could see America today. Their first reaction would be one of surprise that it has endured this long and has been amended only 16 times – when counting the first ten amendments as one and cancelling out the two prohibition amendments – or about once each generation. The next oldest charter of government is that of Norway, which is 38 years younger. Over 50% of all constitutions fail within twenty years.
Scientific – Technical – Economic Progress
The founders would be blown away by the scientific and technical progress of the past 235 years. They would look on in amazement at the advances in medicine, dentistry, drugs, air travel, satellites, space exploration, consumer electronics and computers. They would marvel at the decoding of the human genome and that we supply some of our energy by splitting the atom. They would gape when informed that heart and organ transplants are performed routinely and that computers beat humans at chess.
The founding fathers would scarcely believe the economic gains; ordinary Americans now live better than the nobility of their era. They would be awed that extreme poverty no longer exists and that even poor Americans live better than the average European. Our poorest state (Mississippi) has per capita income (adjusted for cost of living) higher than Sweden which, if it were part of the USA, would be our poorest state.
Governmental Progress (Oxymoron Alert)
When the founders turned their gaze on government, they would be flabbergasted that the size of the federal government is now 35% of GDP and, when including state and local government, is over 40%. This ratio was less than 5% at the time the Constitution was signed, and as recently as the 1930s it was only 11%.
The framers’ greatest shock would be the toxic social climate of the nation. In colonial times (250 years ago) it was considered safe for a woman to travel alone on horseback at night, even in unpopulated areas. Today, in many of our major cities, no one is safe even in daytime. The literacy rate in New England in 1787 (when the Constitution was written) was 90%. In 2022 the US adult literacy rate is 79% and 54% of adults are below sixth grade level. Americans are much less safe and literate than 235 years ago.
The founders would be bewildered if they were asked which pronouns they used and told Supreme Court nominees could not define a woman. They would be flummoxed about the meaning of a birthing person, men menstruating and becoming pregnant, women competing in men’s sports and the existence of 60 genders – and counting. They couldn’t comprehend a debt to GDP ratio of 110% and the certainty of a future debt default. I could go on ad infinitum in this vein if not for space limitations.
What if Government Progress Mirrored Science and Technology?
Imagine if government had advanced as much as science during the past 235 years. There would be no strife in the world; everyone would be healthy and wealthy; crime would be a rarity, cities would be safe, literacy would approach 100%. There would be universal school choice and governments would spend within their means. Every American would be free to pursue his/her dreams without government interference.
Why has government not advanced since our founding – and likely even regressed? The answer lies in unchanging human nature, which is the same today as during the times of Pericles and Cicero and also at the time of our founding in 1787. The drafters of the Constitution would feel right at home with the politics of the twenty-first century. As in 1787, human nature forces our politics to descend to the lowest common denominator. That explains the race to the bottom, our politics of personal destruction, personality over policy and targeting voters based on race, income, gender and age.
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America’s Constitution has survived 235 years because our founding fathers had a fundamentally correct understanding of human nature, which is unchanged from 1787 to 2022. They wrote a constitution that incorporates effective checks and balances and separation of powers. Even today, 235 years later, it remains the best document ever crafted by the hand of man to define the relationship between man and the state.
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Next on September 25th, we take on the issue of guns and schools.
