Direct Tax Clause

“England may be the mother of Parliament, but from the Boston Tea Party to this administration, it’s the United States that has been the mother of tax revolt.  You know, that’s a pretty good line.  I can hardly wait to try it out on Margaret Thatcher.”

Ronald Reagan, Remarks at a briefing for members of the American Business Conference, The White House, March 23, 1988

“No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.”  Article 1, Section 9, Clause 4, US Constitution

This clause is known as the Direct Tax Clause.  It underlines the statement in Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 (the three-Fifths Clause), which states, “Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states”.

Apportioned means an allotment based on state population.

Enumeration means number of or count of.

One of the intentions of the Writers of the Constitution was to give the federal government the ability to raise money.  This was not a strong point in the Articles of Confederation.

In order to understand direct taxation, it is important to understand indirect taxation.  Indirect taxes are generally taxes on articles of consumption.  (Duties, Imposts, and Excises).  These taxes are considered “safe” for Congress to pass (people wouldn’t get mad and vote them out of office).  The burden was shifted to the consumers.

As Alexander Hamilton, writing as Publius, states in Federalist 21: “

“If duties are too high, they lessen the consumption; the collection is eluded; and the product to the treasury is not so great as when they are confined within proper and moderate bounds. This forms a complete barrier against any material oppression of the citizens by taxes of this class, and is itself a natural limitation of the power of imposing them.”

Scholars are divided on the meaning of direct tax.  Basically, direct tax would be a tax among the states based on population.

In debates during the time of the Founding, there were two forms of taxation for which apportionment was intended: capitation and land (included slaves).  Capitation tax is generally known as a “head tax”.  Each person in the country would pay a certain amount.

Through the years, there has been argument in the Courts as to whether direct taxation goes beyond capitation and land taxes.  The general conclusion is that it does not.  If Congress tries to collect direct taxes beyond that point, Congress would be considered to be overreaching.  Direct taxes were to be used in an emergency.  Congress has seldom levied direct taxes.

The issue of direct taxation became less of an issue with the “passage” of the 16^th Amendment.  It states:

“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”

Sources say this was ratified on February 3, 1913.

With the direct tax clause, we the people allow Congress to pass taxes indirectly –capitation and land.

We the people limit the authority of Congress to pass direct taxes, which could be unfair and/or burdensome.

References:

Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair.  Your Rugged Constitution.  Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950

Hannaford, Peter.  The Quotable Ronald Reagan.  Washington, DC: Regnery Press, 1998

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/64/direct-taxes

US Constitution

Online dictionaries

Preventing Instruments of Tyranny

 

“No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.“ Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3 US Constitution.

 

A Bill of Attainder is an act passed by a legislature to punish a person without a trial in court. Bills of Attainder could condemn persons or groups of people to death without a trial. Bills of Attainder also required the “corruption of blood”, which means that heirs of the person condemned to death could not inherit the estate of the condemned person. This practice would be used by a tyrannical or dictator-type of government to punish the citizens that oppose them.

The Supreme Court set guidelines to determine if a law (legislation) violates the Bill of Attainder Clause:
1. Legislation specifies the affected persons
2. Law includes the punishment
3. There is lack of a judicial trial

Ex post facto literally means “after the fact”. It means that someone is criminally punished for conduct that was lawful when it was done. If a law is passed today, it cannot be used to convict a person for an act he committed yesterday.

Per Daniel Troy, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel, GlaxoSmithKline, writing for Heritage Foundation:

“In The Federalist No. 78, Alexander Hamilton noted that “the subjecting of men to punishment for things which, when they were done, were breaches of no law” is among “the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.” Thomas Jefferson noted in an 1813 letter to Isaac McPherson “the sentiment that ex post facto laws are against natural right.”

Justice Samuel Chase defined ex post facto laws as:

“1st. Every law that makes an action done before the passing of the law, and which was innocent when done, criminal; and punishes such action.

2nd. Every law that aggravates a crime, or makes it greater than it was, when committed.

3rd. Every law that changes the punishment, and inflicts a greater punishment, than the law annexed to the crime, when committed.

4th. Every law that alters the legal rules of evidence, and receives less, or different testimony, than the law required at the time of the commission of the offence, in order to convict the offender. All these, and similar laws, are manifestly unjust and oppressive.”

In addition to Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3, the Founders also prohibited the states from passing Bills of Attainder and ex post facto laws. This is found in Article 1, Section 10, Clause 1.  This shows how strongly the Founders felt about the danger of these practices – that they specifically addressed these points at the federal and state levels.

With Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3, we the people deny Congress the right to punish a person without a fair trial and to declare any act a crime that was not a crime at the time the act was committed.

We the people get assurance that no one will receive punishment by a legislative act and no one can be punished for an act committed before a law was written to prevent his or her behavior.

References:

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/62/bill-of-attainder

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/63/ex-post-facto

Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950

US Constitution

Writ of Habeas Corpus

“The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.” Article 1, Section 9, Clause 2, US Constitution.

Preventing suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus is a limitation of the power granted to Congress; it is power denied to Congress except under extreme circumstances.

According to Jonathan Turley, J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law Director, Environmental Law Advocacy Center Executive Director, Project for Older Prisoners, The George Washington University Law School, writing for Heritage Foundation, the definition of habeas corpus is an “order by a common law court to require a person holding a prisoner to demonstrate the legal and jurisdictional basis for holding the prisoner. If there is no basis for holding the prisoner, the court will order the release of the prisoner”.

The words “habeas corpus” are translated “you have the body”. The “body” would be the person being held prisoner. In other words, if the court issued a writ of habeas corpus to you when you were holding a prisoner, you would have to bring that prisoner before the court and state why you were holding him captive. If the court did not see legal reasons, they would order you to release the person.

This was inherited from English law. It is procedural in character and defines no rights. The point of the “Great Writ” was to offer a person charged with a crime protection against illegal arrest and confinement. It is an important check on illegal use of power by the executive. In other words, it prevents the Executive Branch (President and company) from putting you in jail because you speak out or disagree with what is being done in government.

In Federalist No. 48, Alexander Hamilton says that the Writ of Habeas Corpus is necessary to protect against “The favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny”.

This clause was originally in Article III of the Constitution. It was moved to Article I by the Committee of Style during the Constitutional Convention, suggesting that the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus was viewed as legislative power. If Habeas Corpus were suspended, that would mean that you could be thrown in jail without cause, just for something like disagreeing with the governmental power or decisions.

President Lincoln suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus because of the Civil War. This was because of rebellion, as in secession of the Southern States. There was fear that pro-Confederate mobs would not allow assembly of militias in places like Baltimore.

The famous law case associated with this period of history and illustrating the concept of suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus is called Ex Parte Merryman (1861). In this case, Merryman was imprisoned by military order at Fort McHenry (Baltimore) because he was believed to be involved in pro-Confederate activities. Supreme Court Justice, Roger B. Taney (acting as a federal circuit court judge) issued a Writ of Habeas Corpus because Merryman was illegally imprisoned. The General Cadwalader refused to obey the Writ because the President had suspended it.

Justice Taney cited Cadwalader for contempt of court and wrote an opinion of Article I, Section 9, stating that only Congress, not the President, had power to suspend the writ of Habeas Corpus.

President Lincoln ignored the ruling by Justice Taney. The case became moot in February 1862 when President Lincoln ordered the release of most of the people being held as political prisoners.

Since then, Congress has suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus three times:
• South Carolina in 1871 to deal with Ku Klux Klan issues
• Philippines in 1905 because of a local revolt
• Hawaii during World War II

With national security issues after Sept. 11, 2001, the legal protections of the Writ of Habeas Corpus still exist. Congress has not suspended it. So, the ability to use the Writ is still available to “civilian and military prisoners claiming jurisdictional barriers to their continued detention or incarceration”, writes Jonathan Turley.

Article I, Section 9, Clause 2 allows we the people to deny the government the right to put people in jail and to hold them there without bringing charges, except in times of rebellion or invasion that could challenge the public safety.

We the people get protection from being jailed and held without explanation or reason.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_parte_Merryman

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/61/habeas-corpus

Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950

McClellan, James. Liberty, Order, and Justice. Indianapolis, Liberty Fund, Inc., 2000

Necessary and Proper Clause

“To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing power, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.” Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18, US Constitution

carrentals.co.uk

 

The Necessary and Proper Clause is sometimes known as the Elastic Clause because it expands the enumerated powers of Congress. The Framers included the Necessary and Proper Clause for two reasons:
1. To facilitate the organization of government. An example would be the power Congress has to organize the judicial branch (See Article 1, Section 8, Clause 9). Without this clause, the laws organizing other branches would have gone against the principles of enumerated powers and separation of powers.
2. To help make the enumerated powers of Congress effective. (To give the enumerated powers some “teeth”). It supports the laws needed to carry out the powers listed in Section 8.

However, this clause does not give Congress the implied power to make laws for any purpose whatsoever; only for the purpose of executing its enumerated powers and “all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.” {Meaning the President and the Federal courts} Because of the “all other powers” phrase, the Congress has the power to share the responsibilities of the other departments. Examples would be when Congress passes laws to initiate treaty obligations and to organize the Federal court system.

The Necessary and Proper clause gives flexibility to allow the powers of Congress to be adjusted to changing needs of the nation. Congress can use various means to carry out its delegated powers. As an example, the Congress has the power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce. This means that Congress can improve rivers, harbors, rail systems, and airports to help with commerce. The clause allows for any means to be used unless the Supreme Court rules that the law created is not “necessary and proper” to the delegated power.

The powers of Congress can be classified as:
1. Enumerated or delegated, as in Article 1, Section 8
2. Implied as seen in Article 1, Section 8
3. Prohibited, as in Article 1, Section 9
4. Inherited (from British Parliament and early State constitutions), as seen in Article 1, Section 5

The powers can be further divided into:
a. Exclusive – as in the power of Congress to declare war
b. Concurrent – a power that Congress shares with the President

Other powers are called reserved or residual powers. There are the powers that the people or the states did not delegate to Congress or government. These reserved powers are protected by the 10th Amendment, which states,” The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states, respectively, or the people.”

charlestonteaparty.org

 

Over the years, the concept of States’ Rights has weakened and power formerly controlled by the States has been shifted to the central government. (Per Liberty, Order, and Justice, page 306)

We the people give Congress the power to make laws necessary and proper for the government to function as written in the Constitution.

With the Necessary and Proper Clause, we the people get assurance that the government can operate day-to-day, as we have designated.

References:

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/59/necessary-and-proper-clause

Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950

McClellan, James. Liberty, Order, and Justice. Indianapolis, Liberty Fund, Inc., 2000

US Constitution

Enclave Clause

I should warn you that things in this city aren’t often the way they seem. Where but in Washington would they call the department that’s in charge of everything outdoors… the Department of the Interior?
Ronald Reagan, Remarks at the dinner of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, September 14, 1983

“To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States,” Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 A, US Constitution.

This clause is known as the Enclave Clause. The definition of enclave is “a distinct territorial, cultural, or social unit enclosed within or as if within foreign territory”.

Here are some facts about Washington, D.C.:
• Washington, D.C. is located along the Potomac River
• The site of the city was selected by George Washington
• Washington, D.C. is not a state – it is governed under exclusive legislation of Congress
• A resident of D.C. cannot vote for a US congressperson. They have a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives and a shadow Senator
• The 23rd Amendment gave the residents of D.C. representation in the Electoral College. The residents can now vote for President of the US
• It is a federal district created specifically to be the seat of government
• It is the territory in which general government exercised full sovereignty, not beholden to any state, per Lee A. Carney, Partner, Baker and Hostetler, LLP, writing for Heritage Foundation
• Voting rights advocates would prefer to have D.C. become a state. This would require a constitutional amendment.

We the people give Congress the power to establish and govern our nation’s capital.

We the people have a national capital city that is not beholden to any one state. This concept gives the states equal power, not one state having more power than the others because it governs the national capital.

Here is a web page with good information about Washington, D.C.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/destination-hunter/north-america/united-states/east/washington-dc/washingtondc-history-heritage.html?c=y&page=1

Here is a video from History.com about the Nation’s Capital:
http://www.history.com/topics/washington-dc/videos#washington-dc

References:

Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950

Hannaford, Peter. The Quotable Ronald Reagan. Washington, DC: Regnery Press, 1998

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/57/enclave-clause

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Washington,_D.C.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/destination-hunter/north-america/united-states/east/washington-dc/washingtondc-history-heritage.html?c=y&page=1

Online dictionary

US Constitution

Organizing the Militia

“To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.” Article 1, Section 8, Clause 16, US Constitution

This clause is known as “organizing the militia”. The original purpose of the militia was to protect the people of the state from the federal government. The Anti-Federalists thought that the Congress would gradually let the funds for the Militia disappear. The Anti-Federalists advocated the Second Amendment to protect the citizens’ right to bear arms.

Second Amendment: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

The Second Amendment did protect the right to bear arms, but the Congress still controlled the Militia. The Militias could still function as originally intended within the State, but Congress has the power to organize, discipline, and arm the Militia for federal purposes.

With the Organizing the Militia clause, the Federalists tried to make the Militia into a national reserve of uniform, interchangeable units.

In 1792, Congress passed the Uniform Militia Act. This established an “obligated” militia. This means that all able-bodied white men between the ages of 18 and 45 had to enroll. This Militia had a very poor performance during the War of 1812. The obligated militia was disbanded. After that, the “uniformed” militia replaced it. Uniformed militia means that it was made up of people who chose to serve. The National Guard replaced the uniformed militia. The National Guardsmen remain volunteers, a Citizen-Soldier.

The National Security Act of 1916 made state militias available for overseas duty as well as being used for domestic disturbances. This functionally stripped the states of militia powers. States may call up the National Guard, but federal government needs take precedence.

“We the people” originally gave Congress the power to organize, arm, and discipline the Militia. Today, that power still rests with Congress, but the intent of having the Militia protect the people of the states from the federal government no longer exists.

The “organizing the militia” clause was originally intended to allow a means for the people of a state to protect themselves from the federal government. Today, this clause allows for “we the people” to have the National Guard for protection during domestic disturbances as well as protection here or abroad as the federal government sees fit.

References:

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/56/organizing-the-militia

Click to access lesson-6.pdf

US Constitution

Always Ready, Always There

“To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions;” Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15, US Constitution

“The top priority of the federal government is the safety of this country.”
Ronald Reagan, Address to a joint session of the Oklahoma State Legislature, March 16, 1982

During the founding, the idea of a militia came from the concept of posse comitatus. This existed under British Common Law. It is the authority of a law officer to conscript any able-bodied to assist him. When order was threatened, the “shire-reeve” (sheriff) would send out a message to the citizens. Any who heard the message were obligated to assist in catching a criminal or maintaining order.

The Framers transferred the power to call out the militia from the local authority to Congress. The group known as the Anti-Federalists was against a strong central government. They felt that this gave too much power to the Congress (Federal government). They wanted the militia to stay under state control.

The debate continued and in 1795:
“Congress refined the language authorizing the President to federalize the militia:
[W]henever the United States shall be invaded, or be in imminent danger of invasion from any foreign nation or Indian tribe, it shall be lawful for the president to call forth such number of the militia of the state, or states most convenient to the place of danger, or scene of action, as he may judge necessary to repel such invasion, and to issue his orders for that purpose to such officer or officers of the militia, as he shall think proper.” Per Mackubin Owens, writing for Heritage Foundation.

Still the argument about this continued until 1827, when the Supreme Court heard the case of Martin v. Mott. Justice Joseph Story made it clear that the President has the exclusive right to decide that a situation is serious enough to call out the militia. The state governors have concurrent authority to call out their state militia to handle civil and military emergencies.

We know that state militia as the National Guard.

There is also law in place to prevent the Army and Air Force from being used as a posse comitatus.

We the people give Congress the power to keep the National Guard trained and equipped for emergencies.

We the people get a group of (all-volunteer) citizens in training to add to the regular army when needed and to handle civil and military emergencies.

Here is a link to the National Guard web page:
http://www.nationalguard.mil/default.aspx

Here are the lyrics to the National Guard Song:
http://www.nationalguard.mil/about/song.aspx

Here is a great song about the National Guard:

References:

Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950

Hannaford, Peter. The Quotable Ronald Reagan. Washington, DC: Regnery Press, 1998

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurrection_Act

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/55/militia-clause

US Constitution

How Does a Bill Become a Law?

I’m Just a Bill by kilroyart.deviantart.com

“Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.”  Article 1, Section 7, Clause 2

This is a rather long clause in the document.  This clause is called the Presentment Clause.  Apparently, the Founders wanted to spell out the details of this process so there would be few questions of their intention.

When a bill is presented in one of the Houses of Congress, it must pass that House and then be sent to the other house for another vote.  You may hear the term “bicameral” in speaking of the two houses.  This means that we have two houses involved in the legislative process.  If only one House was involved, the term used would be “unicameral”.

Following both Houses passing legislation, the bill goes to the President for his signature.  If he signs it, it becomes law.  If he does not sign it, he must return it to the House where it originated with his objections.  This information is to be entered into the Journal for that House.  If he does not sign the bill but returns it, this is known as a veto, although the word “veto” is not in the document.

The Congress may then reconsider the bill.  If it passes the House where it originated by a 2/3’s vote; it can then be sent to the other House where it will be reconsidered.  If it passes that House by a 2/3’s vote, it would become law.  These votes must be cast as “yeas or Nays” and the names of those voting for and against must be entered into the Journal.

If the President does not return the bill to either House within 10 days (not counting Sundays) then the bill would become law.

The very last phrase of this clause is what we commonly call the “Pocket Veto”.  This happens when the President holds the bill (puts it in his pocket), and Congress adjourns, thus preventing him from returning the bill.  The Congress has by its adjournment prevented the President from returning it.  That bill will not become law.  This phrase is known as the Pocket Veto Clause.

According to David Forte, Professor of Law, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, there are three types of adjournments that the Congress can do:

1. Sine die – This is when Congress ends and the newly elected Congress will start a session.
2. Intersession – This is adjournment between two sessions of the same Congress.
3. Intra-session – This is when Congress takes a break within a session.

Much has been written and litigated about these different types of adjournment and whether or not certain pocket vetoes are valid.  It seems that the courts have generally upheld that a pocket veto can occur in any of these situations.   Today, when a President does a pocket veto, he does it with a “protective return” in case there is a question in the courts at a later date.

We the people give the President the right to approve or disapprove all bills.  We give the Congress the responsibility of coming up with a 2/3’s vote to override a Presidential veto.

The benefit to us is that we have checks and balances between both Houses of Congress and the executive.  This also prevents hasty action be either Congress or the Executive branch.

This is a video that will sum up this process for you:

References:

Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950

www.wikipedia.com

www.heritage.org

What Can We Expect?

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure 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.”

These words are the Preamble to the United States Constitution. A preamble is defined as the introductory part of a statute (law) stating its purpose, aims, and objectives. It is a statement to tell us what we mean to accomplish with government and what we should expect from the document that follows.

There are six objectives listed:
1. To form a more perfect union
2. Establish justice
3. Insure domestic tranquility
4. Provide for the common defense
5. Promote the general welfare
6. Secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity

The Preamble provides us with a list of the benefits we should expect from our Constitution. We will examine each of these points with a little more detail to better understand how these statements directly benefit each citizen of the United States.

To form a more perfect union:

The American Revolution (1775) was not started as a war for independence, but rather as a means of protecting the rights of the people from oppression by a tyrannical king. It soon became clear, that separation from the king was the only solution (1776).

The Continental Congress presented the people with the Articles of Confederation as the rule of law in 1777. The Articles of Confederation was a very weak document. We need to understand that the Founders were coming from being oppressed by a strong central government (the King and Parliament) so they were reluctant to give much power to the central (federal) government. So, under the Articles of Confederation, there was no executive, no judiciary, no taxation, and no power of enforcement. As stated in The 5000 Year Leap, “ The national government ended up being little more than a general ‘Committee of the States’. It made recommendations to the states then prayed they would respond favorably. Very often they did not.”

Considering this, we can understand that the new Constitution is designed to form the states into a Union that was stable and could carry out the duties assigned to it.

The idea of a perfect union is helpful to you in regard to things like interstate commerce and individual travel between states.

Establish justice:

The Constitution provided for a body of laws and a court system that makes sure the citizens will be treated justly and fairly. This includes an independent Supreme Court, which is considered the final stop in the appeals process.

Ensure domestic tranquility:

Keeping peace within the United States is vitally important. Disagreements between the States or individuals within the States must be quickly resolved. There must be adequate military force to prevent or stop organized violence. This contributes to your overall safety on a daily basis.

Provide for the common defense:

This gives the government the funds and manpower to raise and support various branches of the military to defend our country.

Promote the general welfare:

This statement was to allow for a government that promotes the common good, rather than just the interests of a few. This was and still is an important issue. When the government is controlled by the special interests of the few, it fails to function for the good of all. Promoting the general welfare benefits you by allowing a means for your voice to be heard.

Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity:

This is a reference to freedom. One of the major purposes of the Constitution is to protect individual liberty, not to sacrifice liberty to achieve other goals.

We can expect from this Preamble that the government will be stable and will be able to protect our individual interests as well as the interests of the States, united as one body.

References:

Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950

McClellan, James. Liberty, Order, and Justice. Indianapolis, Liberty Fund, Inc., 2000

Skousen, W. Cleon. The 5000 Year Leap. National Center for Constitutional Studies, 2006

Webster’s Dictionary for Students