At 250, Too Sacred Not to Be Touched

[Passages]

By Jeanne Zaino


“We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilised society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.” - Thomas Jefferson, 1816

On November 4, the government shutdown became the longest in American history. This, coupled with mounting public frustration over the state of American politics, has prompted many people to ask what can be done to reform the system?

It is the right question, but even the mere suggestion is met with charges of disloyalty and a lack of proper fealty to the Framers.

This is unfortunate because, as the quote by Jefferson demonstrates, nothing could be further from the truth.

It is patriotic to revisit, reconsider, and revise the work of the Founders. Anyone who suggests otherwise or treats the Constitution as “too sacred to be touched,” needs to go back and read the Framers, all of whom agreed that: (a) the original Constitution was imperfect but should be ratified anyway, and (b) constitutions should not be changed for ‘light and transient causes,’ but if, after careful consideration, future generations find reform is necessary, it should be undertaken following proper procedures.

https://www.thepresidency.org/the-dispatch/the-cspc-dispatch-nov-14-2025