A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties Read Online Free PDF Page A

what is in our Constitution, others will take advantage of them. Only when we understand the law of our land can we effectively hold our representatives accountable. Knowledge is power, and we must refuse to be bullied.

EXERCISING POWER BY BEING VIGILANT
    Once we understand the Constitution and our rights, we must be vigilant to make sure our leaders uphold those rights. People who are otherwise reasonable and fair can sometimes be corrupted by power, and the longer they have that power, the more corrupt they become. John Adams put it this way: “There is danger from all men. The only Maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.” 1 We must carefully monitor the actions of anyone we empower through the ballot box, because the power might corrupt them. Sometimes amere gentle reminder of what abuse of power looks like will be enough to rein in an official. In other cases it might be necessary to recall a representative or vote them out of office in the next election cycle.
    It is important to remember that it is a natural human tendency to accrue power and try to dominate others. When we realize this, we will be less likely to demonize those who engage in such activities. On the other hand, we should in no way condone power grabs or manipulation of our Constitution by anyone, regardless of their political affiliation. This is where American values trump partisan politics, and this must always be the case if we are to maintain rule by the people. As soon as we begin overlooking abuse of power by an official who is a member of our own party, we become part of the problem.
    Because of our current representatives’ corruption, many Americans no longer trust the federal government. Some refuse to analyze the reasons for this distrust and prefer to think about other things, like sports, entertainment, and lifestyles of the rich and famous. We have the choice of continuing to be distracted by trivialities or of faithfully watching for and responding to abuse of the Constitution. If we choose the former option, our descendants will be faced with much less pleasant options.
    When we the people do our job, we pay attention to how our representatives vote. We compare what they say with what they do. We hold people of both parties accountable. We refuse to succumb to apathy or trust others to monitor for us. And we turn that vigilance into action.

EXERCISING POWER BY VOTING
    American citizens need to remember that members of Congress serve at our pleasure and can be voted out of office anytime the electorate becomes dissatisfied with their performance. The founders anticipated that the federal government would have to be reined in by average American citizens who were willing to educate themselves and vote intelligently.
    “We the People” of America are actually at the pinnacle of power. We need not feel like victims or that things are out of our hands. America can become a land characterized by despotism only if the people relinquish their power as voters. Apathy has destroyed other nations before ours, and it can destroy this nation as well if we neglect to involve ourselves in elections.
    Our power resides in informed voting. Informed voting isn’t voting the party line or voting based on what political pundits say or on what friends and family tell you to do, but rather voting based on your own values and principles. It means actually taking the time to think about what you believe and what is important to you. It means knowing who your congressional representatives are and how they have voted. Not how they claim they have voted, but how they have actually voted. (There are excellent resources available to obtain this information, including free online resources in my book
One Vote.
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    We must remember that freedom is not free. We have to regard it as a prized possession that must be fought for and protected every day. If preserving freedom means spendingtime