“We the People” is us, not the government. Recently, a prominent public official said that “We the People is all of us.” When public servants are not in their official roles, i.e., mowing the lawn, doing carpool, grocery shopping, a day at the beach, they are “We the People.” When they serve in their official capacity, our Founders intended that We the People limit and define their powers through the Constitution. They are public servants who work for us, whether they are elected or appointed. In this country, We the People run the government through whom we elect and trust to defend the Constitution.
Americans need to understand the delineation clearly. For example, if a public servant is accused of a crime, they are entitled to due process of law, just like you and me. They don’t get more due process than We the People do, and they don’t get less due process. We are equal under the law, according to the Constitution. The 14th Amendment says, “No State shall…deny to any person the equal protection of the laws.”
Another example: If an elected public servant is not upholding the Constitution, there is a recall election process in 39 states. There is also an impeachment process in place to remove officials.
We the People is an important distinction. It is unique to the United States of America. Otherwise, we would look like every other country with a top-down government structure where there is no “We the People.” There is only “The Government,” and citizens do as they are told. They are subject to the whims of whoever is in power at that time. Our Founders sought a different way. Frankly, I like the American form of government that We the People have been entrusted with keeping.
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. 🇺🇸
