We in the United States are now in a deep and potentially fatal Constitutional crisis. We have, at our great peril, “bought into” the false philosophy of no limits and no consequences propagated by those who champion unregulated, global, “free” market capitalism.

I now believe that our Constitutional crisis flows from the following deep meta issue:

On the one hand we have the culture of unregulated, free-market, global capitalism that seeks no limits, no constraints and no consequences on or for any of its activities. The ultimate ends justify the means philosophy. To this end they are willing to say or do anything in the name of profit, “the magic of the market place”, and the mantra that the private sector can do no wrong and the government can do no right.

On the other hand we have the U.S. Constitution which is ALL about limits, constraints, balances, consequences and accountability. Without these, our imperfect knowledge will inevitably lead us to devolve into lawlessness, greed, and all of the rest of the seven deadly sins.

We can not have it both ways. The choices are diametrically opposite and mutually exclusive. But the conflict between them can tear us apart and thus destroy us.

Sadly, the philosophy of no limits, its profit driven leaders in the press, its followers on the courts, have “bought” the government lock stock and barrel and we are, not surprisingly, in a very deep constitutional crisis. We shall remain in crisis until we become, as a nation, the champions and true guardians of the Constitution once again. The Constitution is not to be found in the mall, entertainment or celebrity. Have we forgotten it?

The paramount question for us today us is simply: Will we be a nation of laws or a lawless nation? That is the question. Shall we have limits, accountability and consequences or not? The irony is that those who lead the way today, who claim exceptions from all limits and constraints, are, contrary to their vigorous protestations, utterly Godless. There never was a God who asserted the primacy of lawlessness.

In the end, will we choose the Constitution and the rule of law? Will we choose a market place imbedded in, and constrained by, local traditions, conditions and mores, as Adam Smith envisioned?

Finally, will we be able to reject the false dichotomy of the private sector vs the public sector? Only if we can re-vitalize the synthesis of the public and the private, within the rules of law, will we be able to recreate the America that once was greater than the sum of its parts. If we fail at this, we will fail our traditions, our core principals, and lose our status as a great nation. Sustainable greatness can never be found in consumption, celebrity and entertainment.

But where is the leadership on this? Where are our elected officials? Where is our press? Where are our courts? Where is a 21st century politics that embraces this vital synthesis and re-creation?

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