John Stossel: Why the Constitution Still Matters

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When the Constitution was written, Ben Franklin said the Founders gave us a republic, "if you can keep it." Few people thought the republic would last another 227 years, but it has. The Constitution's limits on government power helped create the most free and prosperous country on earth. 

These days, Americans right and left tend to give up on the Constitution whenever it gets in the way of policies they like. But while the Constitution doesn't get the respect it deserves, it can still slow the growth of government, writes John Stossel. We benefit from the Constitution's existence nearly every time it stymies politicians' ambition to control us.