LogFAQs > #931650791

The problem with amending or replacing the Constitution is that, in our current political environment, we would lose rights instead of gaining them.

1st Amendment: On the right, Trump has been screaming fake news and wanting to silence critics since he was elected. On the left, not a few liberals would like to see hate speech made uconsitutitonal. Between the two parties, there would probably be broad agreement that too much criticism of the government is harmful and shouldn't be allowed.

2nd Amendment: Whatever your stance guns, do you trust the people we have in the Senate and Congress to get it right?

4th Amendment: Law enforcement and intelligence agencies have fought endlessly against the 4th Amendment, defying all reason and logic to find a way for it to mean that warrantless survelliance of all online communications and searches of cellphones is completely legal when it obviously isn't. The DOJ and some members of the senate have been pushing hard in the last year or two to get secure encryption banned for anyone because "terrorists" and "think of the children!". If given the chance, the government would probably delete this one entirely from the Constitution.

5th: Law enforcement would like it very much if they could legally compel you to hand over your passwords (even if you can't remember them), so I'd expect conservatives and liberals to get behind abolishing this one too. I mean, if you aren't guilty, why won't you tell the police what they want to know?

And the list goes on. If you are fan of one of the major parties, look at the other side and imagine them getting to rewrite or erase fundamental rights you enjoy. If you don't do party politics, watch politicians speak and read up on the issues. Do you want any the morons currently running the government to get a crack at rewriting the core foundation of our system of government and the freedoms you enjoy?

No, no, no! When people say the Constitution is old and oudated, what they really mean is that they have some great ideas about what should or shouldn't be in it, and that they'd like the government to amend the Constitution to their liking. What the government would actually do is amend it to their liking, and I just don't see ordinary people liking what came out of that at all.

The founders weren't perfect people, but they did their absolute best to give America a solid foundation. I hope someday we can have a crop of good leaders in the government who can be trusted to amend the Constitution responsibly, but I don't think that day will come anytime soon.