It seems to me that passing a high school civics class should be a requirement for all Americans. I always find it interesting that there is this confusion about the “Bill of Rights”. Many Americans think that we have these rights. Well, maybe we have “infered” rights, but really, those savvy founding fathers had a better plan. They realized that the authority of the government is inherently given by the people. Without the people, our government doesn’t work. So with that premise, it’s easier to remember what the bill of rights say.
Let’s look at the 1st Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
This is some pretty straightforward stuff. Government should be restricted and forced to stay an arms distance from getting involved in the affairs of the citizenry. And Congress better not try to abridge our rights, because the Judiciary will strike down any attempt at doing that, or at least we should belive that they would.
As you read through the rest of the Amendments, you finally get down to numbers 9 and 10. While they are rarely quoted in their exact format, when you read them, you can plainly see that it was never the intent of the Federal Governement to usurp government at the lowest level, the people.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Check out billofrights.com
I wonder how many Congressmen/women can tell you what the Bill of Rights even says.