FOREWORD
AMBASSADOR C. BOYDEN GRAY
I first met Dr. Carson at my home during an event for the Carsons Scholars Fund. One of the first things that struck me about him was his wide-ranging interests in fields unrelated to medicine. An expert in neurosurgery, he was not content to rest on his laurels. Instead, he surrounded himself with highly accomplished individuals from other fields and was eager to learn from them. Even more surprising, he already seemed to know quite a bit about the industries he was asking about.
As an ambassador, I have expertise in law and diplomacy, and its rare to see someone who understands the challenges of government as well as Dr. Carson does. Though he has never held office, Dr. Carson has insight into the causes of our nations problems that is keener than that of most elected officials. He sees how essential a proper understanding of the Constitution is to Americas freedom, and thats why Im so excited to see this book.
Dr. Carson compellingly argues that every American should know what the Constitution actually says. The American peoples current lack of familiarity with our founding document is undermining our liberties, and Dr. Carson wants to stop the erosion before it is too late. Rather than waiting for someone else to act, he has provided an excellent primer to remedy this basic ignorance.
In this highly readable laymans introduction to the key elements of the Constitution, Dr. Carson explains why limited government and the separation of powers are necessary for the preservation of liberty. He offers a compelling explanation of the dangers of big government and the benefits of restraining it.
Dr. Carsons ability to weave in stories from his own extraordinary experience as one of the countrys leading pediatric neurosurgeons makes A More Perfect Union all the more intriguing. His storytelling ability is one of the charms and values of his volume that will make the Constitution come alive for every reader.
Finally, A More Perfect Union actually does help make the Constitution come alive because of who the author is. As I learned when I first met him, he has an amazing breadth of expertise beyond medicine. Readers of his earlier books already know of his belief in the importance of education for every American, and we also know of the effectiveness of his Carson Scholars Fund. Now, Americans will also learn that, along with his accomplishments in medicine and education, he has a firm grasp of the rule of law underpinning our countrya pretty remarkable combination for a once underprivileged child from Detroit.
THE CONSTITUTION AND TODAYS ISSUES
A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
Balanced Budget
Congresss power to borrow:
Dangers of debt:
Environmental Preservation:
Executive Overreach
Abuses:
Appropriate executive powers:
Limits on executive power:
Foreign Relations
Congressional power to declare war:
Presidents powers:
Response to radical Islamic terrorism:
Health Care:
Immigration Policy:
Judicial Overreach
Abuses today:
Appropriate judicial powers:
Limits:
Marriage
Importance of traditional definition
Legitimacy of civil unions:
Protecting Innocent Life:
Religious Liberty:
Right to Bear Arms:
States Rights
Benefits of:
Institution of:
Limits of:
Threats to:
Taxation
Congresss power:
Fairness of flat tax:
Voter Fraud:
Welfare
Dangers of dependency:
Benefits of private charity:
CHAPTER 1
OUR GUIDE TO FREEDOM
Dont cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations.
Proverbs 22:28
I have been privileged to travel to more than fifty countries, and each time I return I am more thankful that I was born in the United States. Many ungrateful people like to denigrate our nation. They act as if America were the source of evil in the world and a nation to be escaped, but the large number of people risking life and limb to enter this nation illegally tells a different story. In this nation, people know they can realize their dreams through their own efforts. We can move to any part of the country without permission from someone else. We have freedom to say whatever we want to say and to believe whatever we want to believe.
These liberties we enjoy do not exist by accident. They have not been preserved by luck. We have a governing document, the Constitution of the United States, which outlines the freedoms of the American people and establishes a nation where those freedoms are protected and honored. Written carefully by wise men, our Constitution has stood the test of time, propelling America from a position of obscurity to the highest pinnacle of the world in record time.
As governments of other nations have risen to power, become tyrannical, and fallen, the Constitution and its defenders have kept America on a steady course, free from a government that imposes the will of elites on the people. Countries like France, which has had many revolutions since its initial escape from monarchy in the eighteenth century, have struggled to find stable freedom, but the Constitution has lasted. Guarded carefully by watchful citizens, it stands firm against tyranny of any sort, but it is flexible enough to allow for compromise when necessary. Governed by this documents seven articles, Bill of Rights, and later amendments, America has been safe, stable, and prosperous for more than two hundred years and is going strong.