Constitution

[close] This group is for Conservative book lovers who want to join other Conservative book lovers in sharing book suggestions and mentoring young people to see the wisdom of choosing Conservative values over Liberal and Progressive values.

[close] Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the Rules and Housekeeping topic): Subject to copyright law and these rules, posters may cite, link, or quote any publication, including their own. Posts linking to outside sources must contain a brief explanation of the nature of the linked material and, unless obvious, how it is relevant to the topic being discussed. All posts and linked material must be in English. Posts and any linked material should be polite and not degenerate into ad hominem attacks. The purpose here is to seek light, not heat—rational discourse, not shouting matches. Leave your cable news persona at home and put on your philosopher's mantle when entering this group. Rational argumentation and Socratic questioning are welcome. Hectoring, intimidation, insult, and presumptuous condescension toward other group members are cause for immediate removal from the group. Internet "trolls," advocates of violence, and posters failing to comply with these rules will be removed from membership, as will posters who persist in raising issues that are outside the scope of the subject matter of this group. New members may introduce themselves in the New Member Introductions topic. See posts 4-5 here regarding the creation of new topics. Photo credit: Socrates sculpture at Louvre (CherryX per Wikimedia Commons [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

[close] Welcome! It is an easy time to sit around and be frustrated with our system. Everyone talks about it. Conversations revolve around statements like, "They've totally corrupted the government" or "We have to get our system back on track." But what would you do about it? More interestingly, if you were cast into the role of one of the authors of the Constitution, what would you do differently to ensure a government truly focused on the needs of the people and the country? I have posed these questions to myself, as well as the natural followup questions: OK, if you have a better idea, how could it be brought about? Who would fight it? What other forces might be out there attempting to do something similar? And, left unchecked, where does the current system end up? If you have ideas or references to books that help answer this question please let them be known.

[close] This Teaching American History grant project will deal with the great constitutional issues of the 20th and 21st centuries in the United States.