It's Good to Have a Constitution

Russell Roberts:

"As a Jew, it never ceases to amaze me that people think the most important lesson of the Holocaust is that anyone, even civilized Germans who love Bach and Beethoven, can become murderers. Or that the most important lesson is that hatred is wrong. Hatred is immortal. People say, 'never again' as if saying it is sufficient to prevent future holocausts. But saying it is not sufficient without limiting the power of government to imprison and kill people.

To me, the most important lesson of the Holocaust is that only governments can kill millions of people. Murdering millions requires absolute power. So I want governments to be weaker rather than stronger. That's why I like the First and the Second Amendments. And why I'm glad I don't live in Austria."

It is good to have a constitution, and especially good to have a constitution for a limited government. It is good that for the most part the judiciary sees the constitution as limiting government's power with respect to individual freedoms with respect to speech and religion. It would be very good if we could once again find Justices on the Supreme Court who thought the constitution also protected individual economic freedoms.