Strict constitution

I was not going to give this man any consideration at all. Yesterday I went to a lecture given by a man who called himself a constitutional expert. He received his degree from BYU (Brigham Young University), the same place that Sen. Mike Lee graduated from. This makes his degree illegitimate in my view, because they are taught that God helped write the constitution. They are also taught that this country is founded on Christian values, which it is not.
The guy was a conspiracy theorist who had no ideas of his own, so I was not going to write about him. What made me change my mind, was the thought that his popularity might grow if I didn't say something.
So one by one, I will take apart (or attempt to) his ridiculous claims.
1. The constitution is not a living document.
FALSE: written into the document itself is the means by which it can be amended. If the founding fathers had wanted the document to stay the same for time and eternity, it wouldn't be difficult to amend, it would be impossible.
2. The 3/4ths clause was established so that slaves could be free by 1808.
FALSE: This clause was written into the constitution to ensure that the southern states did not gain an unfair advantage when it came to representation. There were many people at the national conventions that wanted to end slavery, but they did not intend to do so via the 3/4ths clause.
3. If we raise the debt ceiling the constitution will become void and we will have to write a new one.
FALSE: Raising the debt ceiling allows us to continue to borrow money. There is no horrible tragedy to follow, beyond accruing debt.
4. The Illuminati want us destroyed so that the French can take over.
You know I'm not going to touch this one. If you want to read about them here is a link. FYI they are not French, and did not morph into the communist party.Or did they?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati
5. It is cheaper for uninsured people to go to the emergency room than it is to provide Medicaid and Medicare.
FALSE: The cost of one emergency room visit is much higher than the cost of preventative care. I cannot believe that I have to explain this. It is cheaper to let someone visit a primary care physician and get a prescription for his high blood pressure, than it is to admit him after he has had a heart attack and needs major surgery.
6. Global climate change is an unproven theory.
FALSE: Glaciers are melting, strange weather patterns are developing, the fact is the evidence is overwhelming.
7. If corporations could do what they want without regulation, they would bring jobs back to America.
PROBABLE: I would like to just point out that the cost would be great. The health of our food, water, air, would be greatly depleted. Also safety standards would revert to the days of the industrial revolution, so great I have a job, but I work 16 hours a day for $2. Wow that sounds great.
8. Without social programs there would be no need for taxes.
FALSE: We would still need roads, bridges and other infrastructure. We would still need public schools. Also, since this guy claims to be a constitutional expert; our government has the right to tax.
To be fair I will present his hypothesis.
His idea for getting revenue for all the items mentioned above is this. Increase taxes and terr-ifs on imported goods. Also we would have to repeal NAFTA so that we can tax our allies. The other plan is sell all public land for development. So no more wilderness areas, no more national parks. Just a bleak dystopia. A place polluted and overdeveloped where we enjoy 100% employment in the sweatshops owned by GE, LEVI'S and WAL MART.
When I suggested giving everyone access to health care he said I was living in a dream world. I would rather live in my "dream world" where there is clean water, than is his nightmare republic.

Why God and government don't mix

Lately there have been a lot of my FB friends posting one of those chain messages. It says something about wanting God back in schools and government.
As a Political Science major and the wife of a history major, I could not let this stand.
Our founding fathers did not intend for this nation to be a theocracy. They put provisions in place so that no church would dominate the government of the country. So God was never in government.
My other problem with this statement is this, which God do they want. If you are LDS you don't want the baptist god, because he doesn't believe you are a Christian church. See the idea of God's law sounds nice, it sounds reasonable even preferable to a secular set of rules. The problem is, that nobody would be able to agree on who's version of God to follow. If it is Jehovah Witness God, then say good bye to birthdays and all other holidays.
It's more than just disagreement over rules though. The idea of God centered government completely does away with personal choice. It also leaves out the needs of those who's religious or spiritual beliefs do not include a God. Would you force the children of free thinkers or atheists to pray in school? If you want a look at what God centered government is look at Iran. The people there thought that a return to God's law sounded wonderful, but when it didn't turn out that way they voted their leaders out. Their leaders threw out the vote of the people and didn't go anywhere.
I can think of nothing so frightening as religious rule.
If this nation were ruled by Evangelicals for example, there would be no sex education, no science, and no history that did not agree with biblical stories.
George W Bush spoke weekly to Ted Haggert and when these weekly chats were made public it severely damaged his reputation, and the reputation of the U.S.
If your goal is to cultivate a social awareness, do so in a way that does not force others to conform to your reality.