Reflection: The US Constitutional Debate in the 21st Century

Note:This was a written reflection I did for my Poli Sci 240 class. Mark Reinhardt-Boise Idaho The debates between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists are still playing out today. They are just taking a different form looking at various aspects of society as they stand today. In fact, society is taking more of an Anti-Federalist approach, with a push for decentralization in the modern age from governance to technology. I see the elites of society in the United States treating the Constitution as a prop or largely irrelevant to their aims within the modern age. With economics being largely global, the push for Anti-Federalism becomes even more relevant in how we look at global affairs as a society. While the Anti-Federalists were largely correct in their predictions as to how the government would turn out, the Federalists were correct in their predictions as to the nature of factions. What they failed to consider or did not foresee was proliferation of the conspiracy theory mobilizing the faction to actual violence. The political parties are even further split into smaller factions, making it seem as though they can’t get the process of governing done. I am of the thought process the debates that occurred in the 1700s are even more slightly modified to represent something different than what is portrayed in the media landscape. What I learned in the process of taking this class is the Vice President can only count the Electoral College votes, he cannot switch electors like what was presented by the 45th President. I also learned that Treason is only applicable during a time of declared war. The thing about representation guaranteed by the US Constitution is Congress fits the definition of the natural aristocracy defined by Melancton Smith. With the wealthy contributing a great deal of money through Super PAC groups surrounded by circular prestige. The poor and what’s left of the Middle Class is left out of representation through a great deal of diminished influence. As super wealthy Senators and Congressman continue to chip away at rights guaranteed through the constitution through legislation. The Supreme Court who goes along with it, the US Constitution will ultimately become less relevant in the eyes of the average person, as most are just trying to survive economically. They are kept too busy to be able to research what the three branches of government are doing to take action about the situation they find themselves in with their liberties.