Voice of Our Readers Sept. 9, 2021

Stroeh: Sept. 17 is Constitution Day 
To the Editor:
Sept. 17 is Constitution Day. A day which I feel is more important than ever in our country. My biggest fear is that we have already given up so many of our precious freedoms that I wonder if we will ever get them back.
Why is our Constitution so important? Why did our founding fathers work so hard to make sure everyone in America would be able to have all the samerights?
The first three words of our Constitution are “We the people …” which is so important because it means our government is for us, the people.
Our Constitution has seven main principles:
1. Sovereignty – a government the people rule.
2. Separation of powers – how is the power divided.
3. Checks and balances – the power of government is evenly distributed each branch needs the other to perform the work of government.
4. Federalism-power is shared by states and federal government
5. Limited government – everyone alike must obey the law, no one is above the law.
6. Individual rights – we are guaranteed personal rights in the first 10 amendments.
7. Republicanism – citizens exercise their power by voting.
Our founding fathers wanted to assure the people that the new government would not trample on our freedoms that they considered natural and inalienable rights. The rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
These natural rights can’t actually ever be taken away, we have them regardless of any government decree, past or future. But governments can take away the exercise of the rights we have. When they do this they are violating our rights.
Today we are letting our government take away more and more of our natural rights. They decided when we could worship, who was considered essential   and non-essential workers, which businesses could be open or that we had to wear a mask. And now we are concerned that we will have to prove that we have been vaccinated. At one time that was a personal choice and now it is becoming a requirement.
We have been failing to teach about civics in school, so our young people are losing a sense of what freedom really means. Did you know that our schools have to talk about the Constitution to students on Constitution Day?
There is a national grassroots movement going on right now in each state to propose amendments that restores limits on the power of all three branches of the federal government. It is called the Convention of States.
Our forefathers were so wise that they put in an amendment in case the government got too big and powerful that the states could call a convention to get the power back to the people and to the states where it belongs.
If you want more information go to ConventionOfStates.com. You can learn about the goal of COS and sign a petition to help have your voice heard. Made by possible by our Constitution of the United States of America.
Kristi Stroeh,
Luverne