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I just listened to your 9/14/09 episode of your History of the Constitutional Convention. I very much enjoyed your even-handed and fact-packed lectures. Your passion for the subject and your love for our country and its Constitutuion really shows through.
As a liberal (or Utopian Statist), however I feel I must write to you. I understand your concern of the government’s tendency over the last 150 years or so to drift farther and farther away from the strict letter of the Constitution. Indeed, I share this concern.
I just think that it is unfair to place all the blame on the political left. Mr. Bush, Jr.’s administration was fraught with abuse of the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments and even Artilcle II was violated by the administrations use of “Signing Statements” by the “Unitary Executive.” Mr. Bush, Jr., under the influence of some of (from my point of view) the most truly cynical and dangerous men American Government has known, went further than any other President in creating the “Nanny State” of which you fear, except in his case he worked to produce a “Father State” which wants to provide, no, demand universal safety for every (native?) citizen form every possible enemy (military, economic, or political) at all times, in pepetuity. I voted for Mr. Obama last year, even though I don’t really care for the Democratic platform, because I believed that of the two major candidates running, Mr. Obama would be more likely to roll back all the eggregious liberties that Mr. Bush, Jr.et. al. took during his stewardship of our country. Although he has made some steps in the right direction, I’m sad to say that I am still waiting for Mr. Obama to deliver completly on his campaign promises in this matter.
Even though I feel that you may have ment “Utopian Statist” to be a slur, I feel that I would be happy to claim that term as my own. I am a Utopian Statist with one caviat: I want to follow Reagan’s dictum about Gorbechev and Glasnost–”Trust, but verify.” Without us trusting each other and the Goverment, there is no possiblity for Government to get better. I believe that the Federal Government can be a force for good in people’s lives, here and globally. I also believe that threre is a role for the Federal Government, because, as the Founders decided, there are problems that we face that require a coordinated effort between the states. Neverthertheless,we should scrutinize the Government, question everything about it, and vote out or impeach parts as needed. I hope that there is room in your “American Majority” for people who believe as I do.
Thanks again for your podcast and do go back and do that podcast that wil cover the rest of the Ammendments, will you?
Matt Goolsby
Aurora, Colorado