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Who are THE PEOPLE?

Who are THE PEOPLE?

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WHO ARE “THE PEOPLE”?The Declaration of Independence says:“It is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish” government.The People.Those may be the most important two words in this entire series.Because the Declaration does not say:The right of a person.One individual cannot announce:“I have concluded that government is illegitimate, therefore government no longer exists.”Nor can an individual simply declare that laws no longer apply to him.That isn’t popular sovereignty.The Declaration places this extraordinary political right with:The People.And eleven years later, the Constitution begins with exactly the same principle:“We the People.”Not:We the Congress.We the President.We the Supreme Court.We the People.Government is their creation.And that means the ultimate political authority does not originate inside the institutions exercising governmental power.It originates with the political community that created them.But that creates a difficult question.How do millions of people become:“The People”?They don’t all gather in a field and raise their hands.They develop understanding.They communicate.They organize.They build consensus.They vote.They petition.They serve on juries.They elect representatives.They amend constitutions.They reform institutions.And when necessary, they change the governmental structures under which they live through legitimate political processes.That is self-government.And this is why something I’ve said repeatedly matters:Before the People can act together, they must understand together.Not agree about everything.That will never happen.Republican.Democrat.Conservative.Liberal.Independent.Those differences don’t have to disappear.There is a much more fundamental question upon which we should be able to find common ground:What is government for?The Declaration gives us an answer.Government is instituted to secure rights.Its just powers are derived from the consent of the governed.That principle belongs to no political party.And perhaps that is where genuine political restoration begins.Not by asking everyone to agree with us.But by asking better questions.What authority has actually been delegated?What are its boundaries?Who has jurisdiction?What obligation has actually been established?What permits enforcement?And what remedy exists when government crosses the line?Imagine those questions spreading.One person begins asking them.Then ten.Then a thousand.Then a million.Eventually something changes.Not merely government.The governed.They become harder to manipulate because they demand evidence.Harder to divide because they understand the principle they share.Harder to govern through presumption because they have learned to ask:What establishes that?And that is where the Liberty Dialogues System fits into something much larger than an individual dispute.It teaches a discipline of inquiry.Don’t begin with:“Government is corrupt.”Show me.Don’t begin with:“They have no authority.”Ask them to identify it.Don’t merely announce:“My rights were violated.”Identify the conduct.Identify the boundary.Establish the evidence.And demand the remedy.Now imagine an entire community thinking that way.Imagine asking candidates for sheriff:What are the limits of your authority?Ask your county officials:What does your oath require when another governmental authority crosses a constitutional boundary?Ask legislators:What authority supports this exercise of governmental power?Ask judges:Where is the remedy when the right is being destroyed now?Politics begins to change when the questions change.And that is why I believe restoration can begin locally.A county is small enough for the People to know one another.To organize.To educate.To evaluate candidates.To demand accountability.To establish expectations for constitutional government.And then demonstrate that it works.County by county.State by state.The objective is not to destroy constitutional government.It is to make constitutional government work.And perhaps that is the greatest lesson in the Declaration’s extraordinary language concerning alteration and abolition.Knowing that the People possess an ultimate remedy should make us more determined to use the remedies that come before it.Correct what can be corrected.Reform what can be reformed.Alter what must be altered.And never casually destroy what can still be restored.But never forget who created whom.Government did not create the People.The People created government.Government does not possess unlimited authority over its creators.Its powers were entrusted to it.Its boundaries were established around it.And its legitimacy rests upon accomplishing the purpose for which it was instituted.To secure the rights of the People.That leaves us with a responsibility.Become informed.Teach others.Build the record.Demand evidence.Organize locally.Hold constitutional officers accountable.And build sufficient understanding that when the People speak, they do so not...
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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.