Salute to Our Nation
6 Criteria to Evaluate the Current State of Our Union
January 23, 2026
Direct from the Constitution, these are the reasons the founders gave for creating it in the first place. They provide us with a primary, impartial tool to see how our republic is faring. 1) Form a more perfect Union. How are we doing in this area? Are we united? Are we working together well? One could make a strong point that our states are doing much better in remaining united than is our general populace. There are far too many divisions within us, and we need to do a much better job of remembering and accentuating the many common threads that unite us. 2) Establish Justice. Is justice being guaranteed for all of our citizens? Are our laws being carried out well? Are our officials and administrators governing in a just manner? 3) Insure domestic Tranquility. Is there peace within our borders? Are our people dwelling in safety? 4) Provide for the common Defence. (I capitalized it here, although it is not so in the original. Perhaps that indicates it was not of as high an importance to the founders as the other areas.) Notice also that solely defense (current spelling) is mentioned. There is absolutely no mention of offense or of aggressive behavior. Our nation was trying to escape from that, not replicate it. How is our national defense? Is our military strong and capable? 5) Promote the general Welfare. How are our citizens doing? Are they healthy and productive? Are they well-educated? Are they contributing to our country? Are they free to work toward and pursue their personal happiness? I also believe this area could be broadened to evaluate the general welfare of our assets and institutions. For example, how is the welfare of our land and resources? What about our financial resources/treasury? 6) Secure the Blessings of Liberty. I believe this refers to how well we are implementing the intent and directions of the Constitution. This depends on how carefully our institutions are securing these and how well our citizens are backing them up. For example, how informed are our citizens when casting their votes? Are we electing officials who are governing well? There is a quote from long ago that says that people get the government they deserve. If we are electing state and federal politicians who are not leading our country with wisdom, justice and fairness, at least some of the onus for that is directly on us.
January 23, 2026
Direct from the Constitution, these are the reasons the founders gave for creating it in the first place. They provide us with a primary, impartial tool to see how our republic is faring. 1) Form a more perfect Union. How are we doing in this area? Are we united? Are we working together well? One could make a strong point that our states are doing much better in remaining united than is our general populace. There are far too many divisions within us, and we need to do a much better job of remembering and accentuating the many common threads that unite us. 2) Establish Justice. Is justice being guaranteed for all of our citizens? Are our laws being carried out well? Are our officials and administrators governing in a just manner? 3) Insure domestic Tranquility. Is there peace within our borders? Are our people dwelling in safety? 4) Provide for the common Defence. (I capitalized it here, although it is not so in the original. Perhaps that indicates it was not of as high an importance to the founders as the other areas.) Notice also that solely defense (current spelling) is mentioned. There is absolutely no mention of offense or of aggressive behavior. Our nation was trying to escape from that, not replicate it. How is our national defense? Is our military strong and capable? 5) Promote the general Welfare. How are our citizens doing? Are they healthy and productive? Are they well-educated? Are they contributing to our country? Are they free to work toward and pursue their personal happiness? I also believe this area could be broadened to evaluate the general welfare of our assets and institutions. For example, how is the welfare of our land and resources? What about our financial resources/treasury? 6) Secure the Blessings of Liberty. I believe this refers to how well we are implementing the intent and directions of the Constitution. This depends on how carefully our institutions are securing these and how well our citizens are backing them up. For example, how informed are our citizens when casting their votes? Are we electing officials who are governing well? There is a quote from long ago that says that people get the government they deserve. If we are electing state and federal politicians who are not leading our country with wisdom, justice and fairness, at least some of the onus for that is directly on us.
