Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Editor, Times-Union:
The president and Senate need to select a Supreme Court justice that makes their decisions based on what the Constitution says, not their desire to push an agenda. The only litmus test for a justice should be fidelity to the Constitution. I fear that the Democrats want to dismantle the Constitution where it doesn't agree with what they believe.
Take abortion, for instance. Roe v. Wade violates the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees life which cannot be taken away without due process of law. Abortion rights should be reserved for the states, according to the 10th Amendment. When the Supreme Court abolished the death penalty and declared it cruel and unusual punishment, the decision violated the Fifth Amendment because the Constitution allows a person to have their life forfeited if there is due process of law.
I long for the court to make a decision on "taking the Fifth" because it has been violated for over two centuries, according to how I read the Fifth Amendment. A person could be forced to testify against themselves if there is a court trial since it is due process of law. Just because lawyers and judges have been allowed to violate the amendment doesn't mean they should be allowed to continue the misinterpretation of the Constitution.
If the Supreme Court decided to interpret the Fifth as it is written, there would be a revolution in the system of justice. Maybe the Supreme Court could also protect property rights more since private property can't be taken for public use without just compensation. If you have mineral rights worth over $1 billion, the government shouldn't take them away from you because an endangered snail is crawling around.
The Democrats would love to abolish the Second Amendment. The NRA was established during the 1870s to teach people how to be responsible gun owners. At the time the amendment was passed, militias were made up of average citizens that were armed since America had no major standing army. The types of weapons allowed to be owned can be decided by Congress and the courts. I would use the 16th Amendment to sick the IRS on gangs to prevent gang members from being bailed out of jail after shooting people if the money used for bail hasn't been taxed first as income.
Trump is not a devil and Obama and Hillary were not angels. But Trump is honoring the Constitution more than the Democrats. Maybe Trump's selection for justice will prevent the destruction of America a little longer.
Rick Badman
Warsaw
