Constitutional Grassroots MovementOur Foundation
Our Principles
The constitutional standard guiding our education, advocacy, candidate endorsements, and local action.
Our Preamble
A return to constitutional governance and maximum liberty for the individual.
Our goal is to facilitate the election of candidates, regardless of party, who demonstrate and advocate for a return to constitutional governance and maximum liberty for the individual. The purpose of the U.S. Constitution is to define the enumerated powers of the federal government to ensure and protect the God-given natural rights of the People.
Constitutional Grassroots Movement [CGM] members and candidates endorsed by the CGM recognize the present and increasing subversion of the Constitution, and the subsequent erosion of the People’s inalienable rights. As such, we are compelled to uphold, defend, and restore the original intent of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights – to secure life, liberty, and property, enabling the pursuit of happiness for all.
Principle I
Fundamental Principles
The Americanist principles, constitutional structure, and civic traditions that sustain liberty, prosperity, and self-government.
Certain Americanist Principles have made the United States the most powerful, revered, influential, and emulated nation in the history of mankind. Without these tenets, the entire world would be a much different place. Culturalism and traditionalism are only pejoratives when they are mentioned in the context of Americanism. Certain ideologies would have one believe that these ideas hinder progress, but fail to acknowledge that they have fostered our great successes. However, the cultures and traditions of Western Civilization are in danger of being annihilated by those belief systems. Therefore, so is our future.
We support the adherence to and promotion of the following imperative principles:
Constitutional Adherence & Separation of Powers
The Constitution should be adhered to 100% and should always be interpreted in the originalist form of interpretation. One reason our republican form of government has functioned so adequately is the delicate balance of powers between the three branches of government.
In recent history the lines between the branches continue to be blurred and the Executive and Judicial Branches have usurped power from the Legislative Branch, and all three have expropriated power from the States and the People. This is unacceptable and there must be consequences.
Change will never occur until there are more constitutional-minded statesmen in offices throughout the nation. Judicial activism should be met with charges of impeachment and the States should exercise Nullification as a means of remedying the encroachment of their powers.
Economy & Entitlements
The Constitution intends to secure the blessings of liberty for our posterity. We, the People, place upon our own shoulders the responsibility of acting in the best interests of future generations; that they may be a free and prosperous people and not burdened by our excesses.
The federal government must live within its means, collecting only the taxes necessary to pay for the programs created under the powers delegated to it in the Constitution. This also requires the planned, intentional, strategic, but gradual phasing out of federal entitlement spending.
With less taxes collected to pay for our own largess, more of our incomes will be disposable for charities, churches, and other programs who can better assist the less fortunate.
Taxation
Taxation was not intended to be used as a form of enslavement.
Short Term: Reduce corporate and individual tax rates across the board and drastically reduce spending.
Long Term: Once spending has been drastically reduced, unconstitutional regulatory and oversight powers eliminated, and the federal government relegated to its constitutional role, we then support the repeal of the 16th Amendment and a return to the pre-1913 proportional taxation of the States, along with other constitutional means of revenues, to fund the federal budget.
Foreign Policy
The federal government must facilitate a “peace through strength” approach to foreign policy and avoid the plethora of direct entanglements that fund the military industrial complex. Military conflict is only justified in the matters of fending off an invasion or a direct threat to our national defense, and only following a formal Congressional declaration of war.
Foreign aid to any nation must cease. Membership in the United Nations serves us no purpose, except costing us trillions of dollars and the precious lives of thousands of young Americans. We should withdraw from the UN and remove the UN from within U.S. borders.
The federal government must fulfill all promises made to our veterans in a timely manner.
Immigration
The federal government must administer immigration on an as needed basis for our nation. Additionally, in a manner consistent with the 4th Amendment rights of the People, we should deport anyone found to be violators of the law.
Principle II
Natural Rights
Natural rights exist before government. Government’s proper role is to secure them, never to diminish or redefine them.
Life
No person, INCLUDING the preborn, shall be deprived of life without due process of law.
Liberty
Constrain the government to its enumerated powers, as such that it does not impede the liberty of the people whom it serves.
Property
The People have the right to own and steward personal property without government burden.
Religion
The People have the right to all peaceful practice of religion. Peaceful religious or nonreligious beliefs may be exercised without government establishment, interference, coercion, or prohibition.
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. There is no exception for any government entity. We support the rights of the citizenry to maintain a militia.
Speech & Assembly
We oppose the notion that any speech be punishable by law. We also reassert our rights to peacefully assemble without government impediment.
Principle III
Limited Government
“We The People” are the first three words in the Preamble of the United States Constitution. These three words are the bedrock on which the entire federal government was created.
We the People granted the federal government only specific and limited, enumerated powers. All others were to be retained by the States or to the People.
The principles behind a limited government were to allow the People to govern themselves and to restrain the government from having the ability to legislate every aspect of our lives. Our federal government’s size and reach have expanded well beyond those limitations due to many factors, including corruption among elected officials and lack of accountability. This has resulted in a usurpation of the People’s ability to govern themselves.
To effect a return to the proper role of the federal government, we support and promote the planned, intentional, and strategic transfer to the States or to the People, the responsibility of all powers and rights that the federal government has usurped and stolen from them by the erroneous application of the General Welfare Clause and the Interstate Commerce Clause.
Some of these are:
Responsibilities Reserved to the States and the People
Family
Parental Rights transcend governmental authority at any level. Marriage is a religious institution; therefore, government should have no role in licensing marriage for anyone.
Education
It is not within the federal government’s delegated powers to regulate or fund education. The great responsibility of educating our children falls directly on the parents and the People on a local and state level.
Healthcare
Federal government should not be involved in healthcare. Repeal the ACA, do not replace. No government subsidies should be granted to insurance companies. Allow the free market to rule.
Drug Regulation
With the exception of protecting our nation’s borders, the federal government has no constitutional jurisdiction in the regulation of drugs. This is a state issue.
Environment
Regulation of private industries is outside the purview of the federal government. We support abolition of the EPA and shifting the responsibilities of environmental preservation and related regulation of private businesses to the States and the free market.
Take Your Place
Help Restore the Republic
Study the principles, organize locally, and support candidates committed to constitutional government and individual liberty.