RIP, or Rather, R.I.P. The U.S. Constitution T-Shirt Creates Waves

A photo of a young woman, Ashleigh Kenny, standing next to Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) while he holds a t-Shirt is making the rounds, and making waves. The photo shows a t-shirt that says "R.I.P. The U.S. Constitution" on the front.

The back of the t-shirt, not visible in the photo, is emblazoned with a quote from Ronald Reagan: "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ashleigh Kenny presented the t-shirt to Kingston at a health care reform town hall on August 3rd.

Ashleigh Kenny is a student at Valdosta State University in South Georgia. Some have served up some steaming bowls of vitriol at her. in defense of herself, she said the following:

Perhaps one’s perception of the shirt depends on his or her perception of our Constitution. Personally, I believe it is a fundamental document that was written to insure that the government never became greater than the people. When I look at today’s society, the government’s control seems to increasingly outweigh the people’s. I cannot help but feel that the Constitution has been theoretically buried. This design isn’t meant to point fingers, it’s meant to stir an awareness of what we are losing. It’s about the power of the government increasing, while the power of the people decreases.

Personally, I don't disagree with Ashleigh Kenny per se, but I do disagree with the timing (this should have be presented during Bush' administration, when it was ripped to shreds), and I do disagree with an omission: you can add corporations to the list of those whose power is increasing, while those of the people decreases.

On both sides of the aisle, it's less about what's good for John Q. Public and more about corporations' well-being. This isn't a red / blue argument, although the right always trumpets less government, less government, free market. Did too much government intervention get us into the financial mess we are in? No, it was not enough oversight on financial institutions.

Ashleigh Kenny has it partly right, but this isn't a democracy. No, it's a republic. We elect people to represent us. In terms of government, if legislators listened to the people, instead of going off and doing what corporations want, we'd have a lot better time of it. 77% of the public wants an public health care option. But you can bet, that 100% of insurance companies do not. So what do you think we will end up with?

The Preamble to the Constitution says:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

It's hard to see how my general welfare is promoted without health care reform. Oh, and as far as the blessings of liberty is concerned, I'd love to have the blessings of the universal health care of Cuba, where they have lower infant mortality and the same lifespan as us (according to 2007 UNICEF statistics), along with our liberty.

Let's not forget the Declaration of Independence also says:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Besides the fact that Life is listed right there, it's hard to see how I can be happy when I'm bankrupt from being uninsured or underinsured. Oh, and as far as that other clause, "All men are created equal," we know how well that works in this country.

Want to see what it's like for the uninsured? Watch this story from last night's Bill Moyers Journal, "Critical Condition."