Every member of Congress since 1884 has taken the following oath of office:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Those elected to represent a congressional district answer to their people first (as the sovereign body) and then to the people’s document—the Constitution. The founders knew a strong central government was needed to deal with foreign nations and ensure a strong union between the states, but they feared a federal government without restrictions. Besides establishing the branches of our federal government and defining its relationship to the states and the people the main emphasis of the Constitution is to restrain this new leviathan. For example, the navy is a permanent fixture, provided for in the constitution, while the army must be funded with new legislation every two years. The founders, in effect, placed a sunset clause on something as essential as an army to protect the people from abuse by their own leaders.

The powers of the Congress seem expansive and over the last few generations the federal government has slowly constricted its tentacles upon every area of American life. However, the only power they have is the powers we delegate to them. John Locke in his Second Treatise on Government (135) says:

“First [the legislature] is not, nor can possibly be, absolutely arbitrary over the lives and fortunes of the people. For it being but joint power of ever member of the society given up to that person or assembly which is legislator . . .”

The power held by Congress is limited to the power we give them. Actions going beyond this endowment illegally violate our rights. These limits are laid out in the Constitution. Locke goes on in that same section to tell us that the powers we give are not only limited by the terms under which we give them, but are also limited to powers that we ourselves possess in a state of nature. Since I have no right to seize my neighbor’s property without just recompense, I have no right to empower the legislature to do this.

Thankfully, the state governments are beginning to see the light and to make legislative demands that the federal government withdraw to its intended legal limits, but this does not absolve the people. We must defend our own Constitution. It is our document, our government and our sovereignty that is being wielded unjustly. We must stop them. But how? First, be educated. Learn the Constitution, get a copy of it and read it. Many organizations, like the Heritage Foundation will give you a free copy. Study history and government, both ours and others. Speak with your kids to teach them why we as Americans do not trust our government and instill this proper distrust in them. Examine your children’s history books and correct the lies they are fed. In this way you will raise kids unfit for slavery. Recognize abuse for what it is and speak out. Beyond this hold your representative responsible and finally whenever the polls are open vote. Your vote should not be just for party but for the constitution, demanding that candidates, even your party’s own, answer constitutional questions intelligently and effectively before you support them.