Which of our constitutional rights matters most to you & which is most important to a free & healthy society?

Question

file reference: TWH 11242006-1

Q was posed open-ended, to give responders maximum freedom in their answers. People who don't like these kinds of Q should ask themselves why. It would be more helpful if the criticizers would show some class by avoiding tiresome, nit-picking ad hominem cheap shots on Q's they can easily skip.

Answer 1

Freedom of expression because you can do what you want.

Answer 2

Well I'd say it's the right to representation. We've lost it. While our population has tripled in the past 100 years not ONE new seat has been added to the House of Representatives.

Why does that matter?

Well because every representative today represents 700,000 people. When I email my representative I get no response, or an email saying they got my email with no other info, or a "canned" answer. Now to me, that's not representation.

I also believe that this exclusive club cannot possibly deal intelligently with our complex world. No one representative can be an expert on the huge variety of issues domestic, and international that we face today. Consequently, who's really making these decisions?? besides the lobbyist....???

A lack of expertise is hurting America. We need more innovation....ideas and patents have made us who we are..and the current status quo keeps digging the dinosaur fossil fuel hole deeper and deeper, to the detriment of the economy and ecology.

So I propose we have at least 1200 representatives. Some of them will be "specialists" in government, others in ecology, small business, getting rid of outdated laws, encouraging the economy, dealing with the penal legislature, energy issues, health care, education, etc.

Folks, we need more brains than the Democrats and Republicans have been using...see the website below for what Thomas Jefferson originally gave us for representative government.

Answer 3

Freedom of speech. This differs us from all other governments including England. British people may not publically complain about the tremendous influx of middle easterners who become citizens in their country and are destroying there own intrastructure. It is considered impolite and borders on prejudice. Meanwhile they are bombing buses and trains right in front of the government.

Answer 4

Article 1 of the constitution, freedom of speech, the press, and the right to a fair trial. Without any of these, we're sunk.

Answer 5

It isn't actually stated in the constitution but the exclusive right to live however we please without being coerced in any way. So long as you do no harm to another person, nobody has the right to make decisions about how you live your life. The only exception are teh requirements of teaching our children.

In my private little fantasy world the state has no rights whatsoever and individual rights are everything.

Answer 6

Right to bear arms. Just kidding!


Freedom of Speech. It's important especially in our information age to have the gamut of ideas out there, available so that everyone can make informed decisions.

Answer 7

Nine and ten giving way for the courts to set laws, and to guarantee freedom not expressed in the constitution.

Answer 8

Well - that's easy. The first amendment is the most broad and covers generally everything our country is founded on...

Answer 9

the 2nd Amendment because it is the one which enables the populace to secure the others.

Answer 10

All of them. I'm greedy that way.