ISSUE: Constitution Day

OUR VIEW: Constitution is anchor of great American system

Sept. 17 marks Constitution Day, the 220th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The great document is the backbone of the system of laws making the United States the envy of the world.

It is the Constitution and Bill of Rights that give our nation the rule of law, that send people to the courtroom and not the street to find justice.

That same Constitution is the document setting up the system of checks and balances that enables the courts to temper the excesses of the legislative branch and equally gives legislators and the people of the nation the power to amend the document when they disagree with court interpretations. It is the Constitution that grants to our president great power but does not allow the chief executive to be a king, and that gives states great power but not to the point of making laws that override the basic tenets therein.

Whether it is the peaceful transfer of power after a president resigns or protecting the very right of a free press to call for such a resignation, the Constitution is the anchor.

Through its Bill of Rights, the Constitution guarantees freedoms such as speech, religion and assembly, it mandates fair trials, it outlaws slavery and it allows citizens to bear arms.

It is a document that represents the highest law of the land, above the statutes and regulations that are approved by our lawmakers. It is the laws they OK that are put to the constitutional test by the nation's judicial system, a third arm in a system of checks and balances that prevents the executive and legislative branches from gaining too much power. The very system was established by none other than the Constitution.

Understanding the relevance of the Constitution in this day is to understand the need for great caution when considering an amendment. Every year, more than 100 amendments are proposed. Most never even get out of congressional committee. They range from hotly debated issues such as prohibiting flag burning to an amendment that would allow the public to repeal laws by popular vote.

There is good reason for our founding fathers to have required a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress, plus approval of three-fourths of the states to enact a constitutional amendment. Many amendments are products of the time, reflecting popular sentiment in a given year or period. Laws can be enacted and changed with the political winds. The Constitution should not be so altered.

To foster understanding of the Constitution and its great place in our nation of laws, Congress has mandated that students in our schools be taught about the Constitution on this, Constitution Day. There is no more important lesson for Americans in understanding the greatness of the foundation laid for us -- and no greater challenge than protecting it.

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