I hear people say they are strict constitutionalists. What does that mean? Do they know? Does that include the twenty-seven amendments? Who decides what it should intend?

Thomas Jefferson thought it should be torn up every ten years as the people’s thoughts of government evolved. Most people say that they were taught in civics class the constitution is a living document that changes as times change. Is that change by amendments or by the Supreme Court?

Those strict constitutionalists pick and choose the parts they like and disregard the parts they don’t like. Is the preamble a part of the legal constitution as most people believe or not as others think? Some want to keep the first ten and scrap most of the others. Is it just a coincidence that latter are usually white Republican men?

Should the Supreme Court change its opinions as the general population changes its attitudes? When the court ruled that abortion was legal, the majority of Americans disagreed. Today the majority agrees with the ruling. The majority believes in gay rights and the court agrees.

Roe vs. Wade won’t be overturned but the population wants restrictions on the second amendment and Citizen’s United. The Supreme Court is supposed to be apolitical but it isn’t.

President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, a judge both parties like. However the Republicans won’t talk with him because they decided they want a far right judge. Now President Elect Trump says he will nominate far right people to be judges.

We can’t let the far right or far left keep yanking us back and forth. The court should be moderates who keep the constitution a living document.