Have the political parties forgotten or ignored the content of the American Creed?
The American’s Creed was written in 1917 by William Tyler Page and it was officially adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives on April 3, 1918. Below is the content of the American Creed and the words related to many of the rights included in our Constitution. The American Creed states:
“I believe in the United States of America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.”
Another important event was the establishment of “In God we trust” signed into law as the National Motto by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The significance of these two acts of Congress cannot be understated but the current activities and actions by Congress and some organizations seem to obscure the purpose of these actions. Today the actions of Congress and other Departments and cabinet level organizations by their nature are battling the rights of individual states as identified in the Tenth Amendment. While Congress has certain powers the states also have certain powers specifically they are those not directly given to Congress as cited in the Tenth Amendment.
The words such as freedom, equality and justice relate to our Bill of Rights project a picture which in some opinions are fast becoming lost given legislation and regulations enacted by Congress. Congress and executive departments needs to compare the laws and regulations being generated to the American Creed to determine if the principles identified are being restricted or ignored. Granted there can be a difference of opinion in some cases whether these principles are being impacted. Each election year we evaluate the actions of those we have elected for the decisions they have made and this needs to include comparing the decisions with the principles in the American Creed.
Another aspect of the American Creed identifies the principle that government is of the people, by the people and for the people whose powers are derived from the consent of the governed. This aspect of the creed and adopted by the House of Representatives draws a unique distinction. This distinction projects the appearance of decisions being made not for the people but for the political parties. In making the previous statement it should not be taken to imply that all decisions are not for the people that elected them.
The concept of a limited central government was the principle on which this country was found. The growth of government through the years has resulted in government making some decisions for us rather than the right to make decisions for ourselves. The growth of government which has occurred is not restricted to any one political party for the expansion and growth has occurred on both sides of the isle whenever they were in power. This election year we must decide what kind of government we want in the future and whether the path we are on is the one we want our country to take. Each Presidential candidate and those running for Congress will impact the kind of future our country will have and the decisions we make when we vote may change the course of our country for years to come. If we choose the wrong path we will, our children and their children will have to live with the decisions we make this election year.
In conjunction with the American Creed our national motto is In God we Trust. This aspect is constantly under attack by individuals and organizations through our court system. There are battles being waged to remove any reference to God in our currency and actions within our schools and sporting events. Our country began as an avenue of escape from religious persecution as individuals and families came to make a new life where they could worship as they wished without persecution. This is the reason the right of freedom of religion was included in the Constitution. This right relates to the word freedom in the American Creed. I have no problem with any individual or organization who does not believe as I do but they have no right to restrict my rights as an American as identified in the Constitution.
The last point to make is related to our voting decisions we will make this election year. We must look at the freedoms we had in the past and whether what we have now. We must ask ourselves before we vote if the decisions made by Washington have restricted those freedoms/rights or whether they have been improved. Granted both political parties have made mistakes in the past but we must elect individuals at all levels of government who will protect our freedoms granted to us by the Constitution, not ignore them. For those who are now serving in an elected capacity we must evaluate whether their actions have restricted our freedoms or improved them. For some individuals we may find that their actions have been in the right place but they did not have enough of a majority to ensure our rights are protected. Let us evaluate all individuals running for office either to get re-elected or get elected to determine whether their actions of the past were aimed at preserving our freedoms or restricting them.
