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this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2023
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Either the constitution has the ultimate authority in government, or our presidents do. And have you see the kind of people we elect president?
I don't think OP is talking about the existence of the constitution, but rather it's about how Americans cite it like it's the Bible.
For example, instead of saying the plain-and-simple "I have free rights to express my opinion" I have seen people saying "The X amendment guarantees freedom of speech" or something like that instead.
It's kinda weird.
There are three foundations an argument takes:
-Pathos - Emotion, e.g. "I believe in this argument!"
-Logos - Logic, e.g. "This is the logic behind this argument."
-and Ethos - Authority, e.g. "This is the authority that backs this argument."
Everyone in American politics has emotion behind their arguments and no one cares for logic. So if you say: "I have free rights to express my opinion," or really any other argument, an American will counter with: "Who says that? That isn't a universal given."
It is.
Our laws aren't really organized like European countries. Every single law we have can be traced back to the Constitution. All legal authority for all government derives from it. That is literally how our legal system is designed. We don't have to use some vague "I have rights" thing, we can go straight to the source.
No one can argue with the Constitution. If we amend the Constitution to say we must all carry rubber duckies on Tuesdays, then everyone will carry a rubber duckie on Tuesdays. It is the supreme law of the land. If the constitution says something and you don't like it, you have to convince the population to amend it.
There are other forms of authority, even in the US.
No there's not.