Beerina
Sarcastic Conqueror of Notions
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2004
- Messages
- 34,323
Moreover, there was much debate over the Bill of Rights. The two factions were:
1. People who wanted it. They were afraid that, without it, future politicians would twist the wording, stretching and stretching it until they could do what they wanted under the Constitution, violating these rights.
2. People who didn't want it. Why didn't they want it? Not because they didn't believe in the inalienability of these rights, which they did, Bill of Rights or not, but rather that, if the Bill of Rights were approved, then future politicians (I'm looking at you, Republicans) would say, "Well, if the right isn't in the Bill of Rights, then it doesn't exist!"
They were worried that neglecting to list some rights would lead future politicians to claim they were not rights. Go figure.
This explains the slightly curious 9th and 10th amendments, as mentioned above.
The sad, sad ultimate truth? Both parties were right. Without it, we'd have seen even more government encroachment. And, sure enough, with it, we've seen government argue that, hey, it ain't an enumerated right, so it doesn't exist!
1. People who wanted it. They were afraid that, without it, future politicians would twist the wording, stretching and stretching it until they could do what they wanted under the Constitution, violating these rights.
2. People who didn't want it. Why didn't they want it? Not because they didn't believe in the inalienability of these rights, which they did, Bill of Rights or not, but rather that, if the Bill of Rights were approved, then future politicians (I'm looking at you, Republicans) would say, "Well, if the right isn't in the Bill of Rights, then it doesn't exist!"
They were worried that neglecting to list some rights would lead future politicians to claim they were not rights. Go figure.
This explains the slightly curious 9th and 10th amendments, as mentioned above.
The sad, sad ultimate truth? Both parties were right. Without it, we'd have seen even more government encroachment. And, sure enough, with it, we've seen government argue that, hey, it ain't an enumerated right, so it doesn't exist!
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