Are you sure you want to redraft the constitution?

The election is over but the infighting continues. We complain, and wish for something better. Understandably, many of us focus is on society’s changes and our country’s flaws. Some critics even tell us that the U.S. form of government is becoming irrelevant. Change has occurred, they say, so more changes must be made. But do we really need to transform our government?
I believe one of the goals of these “transformational re-drafters” is to make it easier to govern the U.S.—sort of “greasing the skids” of government. These pundits apparently don’t understand the original intent of our governance structure, the concepts behind it, and its continued relevance. Their suggestions don’t have the insight into human nature our Founders applied while first imagining our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
These “re-drafters” seem to ignore the advantages of limiting governmental powers, eliminating impetuous action, assuring objective challenges to proposed legislation, and closely reviewing and sometimes resisting government rulemaking. Those constraints are the checks and balances woven into the fabric of our Constitution.
The U.S. has changed a lot in the 240 years since our Declaration of Independence, so we should be thankful the Founders focused on creating the best possible form of government—one that would have the probability of enduring success. I think I’m impressed most by the Founders’ faithful attention to the timeless elements of human nature.
What structure was intended by the Founders? That’s the question to ask. Their original intentions should not be confused with, and tarnished by, mistakes made in interpreting or implementing the Constitution. I would argue that most of our “flaws” have come from misapplication and abuse of the governance framework set up by the Founders—not from flaws in the Constitution itself.
In my opinion, many “re-drafters” would, at best, give us an overly-activist government with no counterbalance or worthy opposition. Transformational change would be easy and that’s not a good thing. Concentrating power in any person or branch of government is undesirable. As the Founders understood, balance of power and checks and balances give us protection from tyranny of a concentrated power and even from a thin majority.
To the extent change is desirable or required, let’s make sure we honor the brilliance of the founding principles. If we don’t pay attention to those principles, I can imagine a creative new “constitution” that would give us unexpected surprises and frequent disappointment. That type of “whiplash government” must be avoided!
While far from perfect, even terribly flawed at times, the United States remains the most compassionate, powerful and inclusive country on “God’s green earth.” Let’s not take actions that reverse much of the good accomplished by our country’s Revolution.