The Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America states:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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.

In this simple preamble, America’s Founding Fathers clearly state the GOALS of our United States government. The language is a bit antiquated because it’s almost 250 years old. The majority of Americans have read and heard this preamble at multiple points in their life, however the true meaning seems to have been lost in our modern society.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union: The beginning is key, as our Founding Fathers want to build a society that works. The society they came from was broken, and they want to ‘form a more perfect Union’. They strive for perfection but dare not say they know everything. The Founding Fathers wanted us all to strive for perfection, and to build on the foundation laid by the Constitution.

If a house has a crack in the wall, it’s probably best to check the foundation. A solid foundation is key for building just about anything. I think some of the cracks in our society can be traced back to our government not building on the foundation laid out by the U.S. Constitution, instead corruption and greed has been allowed to weasel into our decision-making processes. Human nature is not perfect either, and corruption and greed will always be part of the human experience, however ‘We the People’ do not have to accept it in our government, because the foundation of our Constitution does not allow it.

These next few lines of the Constitution talk about the GOALS that promote a better society, or a ‘more perfect Union’. Simply speaking, all government officials should keep these goals in mind, and in fact they are required to swear to it when they take office in the United States Government. “I swear to uphold the United States Constitution”.

To say this a slightly different way: Our government should not be spending money, or doing business with Corporations, that do not abide by the Goals in the United States Constitution!

The following is an effort to find the true intent of our Constitutions Goals:

Establish Justice: This one statement created the Judicial branch of our government, from the Supreme Court all the way down to small municipalities. We must have a way to make rulings and hold people accountable. The judicial system in the United States is fair and just, for the most part. This system is in place to uphold the laws in this country. I think the American judicial system, along with its flaws, works relatively well in comparison to other countries in the world. Problems begin to surface when the courts are required to uphold laws that do not support the Goals in the U.S. Constitution.

Ensure Domestic Tranquility: Simply, this means that all Americans have a right to peace at home. The Founding Fathers meant this to apply to family as well as the states. This statement gives the Federal government the ability to smooth tensions between the states and make common laws that apply to all states. In addition to peace between our states, this implies that every American has the right to peace at home. Peace at home includes our basic needs like clean drinking water and a safe marketplace to get food and other life essentials.

Some of our rivers are filled with trash, our oceans are more and more polluted. In certain locations, companies have polluted our drinking water. ‘We the People’ have many fights for this in pockets around the country, but each time small groups of people are fighting Big Industry with VERY deep pockets. Time and Time again, deals are made, laws are put in place, and Big Industry WINS. This infuriates me, and ‘We the People’ are who these decisions hurt. This does not Promote Domestic Tranquility.

* Lawyers can argue the true definition of ‘Domestic Tranquility’. HOWEVER, it should not be up to them. If ‘We the People’ collectively decided what ‘Domestic Tranquility’ means to us, in this day and age, then our government should enforce that. This makes it much more difficult for other entities with private agendas, to make rules in their favor. ‘We the People’ need to guide our government and show them what we need. For example, if we put ‘clean drinking water’ at the top of our priority list, then it will be very difficult for lawyers of large corporations to argue and finagle the situation.

Provide for the common defense: Our entire Military Defense budget of umpteen gobs of billions of dollars per year, is justified by THIS ONE STATEMENT. The American Military is top notch compared to other countries around the world!

Promote the General Welfare: This is the big one that is often overlooked. The general welfare of the people of the United States encompasses not only health care, but all the products in our stores that contribute to the overall poor health of the American people.

Our government gives the corn and sugar Industry subsidies so that they can stay afloat and continue to produce products with high fructose corn syrup, which is the major contributor to diabetes, and many other health issues, in this country.

Why does our government allow this, because Big Industry supports those government organizations with MONEY that fuels their campaigns, their travel, the marketing, their suits, their power.

With little to no care about the long term health of the people of the United States.  

Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our Posterity: And finally – our children. Another major goal that is often overlooked or taken for granted that our Government officials are ‘watching out for us’… So many decisions we make have ONLY short term goals. Right here in our constitution it states that we must keep our children, our future people, in mind with every decision. What is in our best interest LONG TERM? I can tell you a lot of things that are not that…
Coal/Oil, Fast Food, Insurance/Health Care System that benefits the wealthy, Foreign Dependencies

People can still have steak, it just might cost more, it’s suppose to be a treat anyway…You have been programmed that you NEED meat with every meal. So we have created a MASSIVE meat industry that is being outsourced in other countries and destroying the Amazon Jungle, to name ONE.

The longevity of the United States relies on the longevity of our Planet. We must consider how what we do affects the earth, and all other nations on earth, if we want to focus on our future and the prosperity of our children.

What IS in our best interest long term is:
Sustainable Energy, Food Quality, Affordable Health Care, Security, Sustainable Food Supply

Article I of the US Constitution restates this goal and says:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States

Our Congress should regulate taxes against Corporations relative to their ability to provide for our common defense and general Welfare of the United States, and these taxes shall be uniform.

This implies our CONGRESS should not be giving TAX breaks to Industries that contribute to any of the problems in our general population. Waste, health (food), sustainability.

Today, our corporations are governed by very complicated rules, with tax brackets, and mostly revolves around the amount of profit/income a business has, and NOT relative to their contribution to the general welfare of the United States. Tax laws are monitored carefully by big Industry, and lobbying plays a critical role into the design of those laws, which leaves much room for corruption. Without a GOAL that everyone needs to work towards, profitability becomes the driving factor, which compromises the ‘general Welfare of the United States’.

‘We The People’ have lost sight of our power. We have lost site of the power given to us by our founding fathers. We need to stand up for our rights and demand that our government officials do the same.