Interview with Richard Monts, author of Constitutional Renaissance

Title: Constitutional Renaissance
Author: Richard Monts
Publisher: XLibrisUS
Genre: Political Science/Government
Format: Ebook

Have you had enough? When will the United States government stop growing? All constitutionally enumerated activities should have been in place long ago. There should be no more expansion in scope, yet there is. What we have now is an overbearing out-of-control central government—expanding far beyond constitutional limits—imposing on member states’ sovereignty. The result is a reduction in competition among states, a stifling business environment, and citizens and businesses suffering under complex taxation and regulations. On top of that, a litigious environment depresses economic activity further. There is an alternative! This book presents one that is very business friendly, establishes competition among the states, and provides a positive environment for the individual to strive for their potential while honoring the genius of the Constitution.

Question1- Could you please tell us a little about your book?

For many years I have wondered how the US government can continue to grow and it was obvious many people where not realizing their potential. Why? Finally, during the Affordable Care Act discussions I had heard enough. I decided to find out for myself the intent of the Constitution. It was concluded the US government is out-of-control and far beyond its constitutional limits and is a major impediment to the people it is supposed to serve. It became obvious government is the problem. Yet, no one was talking about an alternative, or fixing problems. It was just to keep expanding the same old system that is dragging us down, holding us back. As a personal exercise I designed an alternative that fits the intent of the Constitution and enables the people to achieve their potential. I liked it, it was surprisingly good, I had to share it with others. I wrote Constitutional Renaissance to get people to think out of the confining little box we are now in. We have so much potential, if only we would use the discipline required of a free people to keep government in its assigned box.

Question2 – Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

What started as a personal exercise has grown into something much bigger. During my reading and thinking about the intent of the Constitution I became aware of the great unrealized potential of the United States. It is the people of this country that are the inspiration of this book. It is their unrealized potential. If we apply the Constitution as intended this country, through the aggregation of individual citizens striving for their potential, would be a truly spectacular place.

Question3- What cause are you most passionate about and why

It is the potential of this country that is my passion. It is this potential that is driving me to do something that goes against my personality and character. I am not a promoter or prone to self-aggrandizement. Communicating the great possibility of actually fixing our out-of-control US government is frustrating. I am not one to push my ideas on others. If my position has merit, it will be accepted without my pushing it on others.

Question4- Do you have any rituals you follow when you finish a piece of work?

I have no outward rituals, I do reflect on the effort and mentally critic what I have written. I always think it is not good enough.

Question5- Who has influenced you throughout your writing career?

The reader! Respect for the reader.

Question6- What are some of your long term goals?

My long-term plan depends on the success of this book. If no one see the merit of the alternative I have presented, then it would be useless to keep pushing. On the other hand, if there is interest in the content of the book I will work to spread the idea. I see so much potential, if only we would get our government in alignment with the intent of the Constitution. It only takes the people of this country to elect 360 people to national office to make the necessary adjustment. I have founded the Constitutional Renaissance Institute, LLC to do just that. We will see what the future holds. By the way, I do not take a political position in presenting my alternative. What I have done is suggest a much more efficient structure of government that is in alignment with the intent of the Constitution. It is to let people control their lives at the local level of government. They can align themselves with any arrangement from liberal to libertarian or any mix. It should be up to the people to determine how government affects their lives. The further the government from the people the less involved it should be in their day to day lives. It should be more involved in state to state or nation to nation.

Mr. Monts has been concerned about continued expansion of the United States government since the Kennedy administration. He deferred to others, constitutional and legal experts galore, for the correct interpretation of the Constitution. He assumed they were right. During the Affordable Care Act discussions, he had heard enough. He determined to answer two questions to his own satisfaction. First, what is the role of the United States government? Second, what is the best environment for the individual to realize their own potential? After reading the Constitution and other contemporary writings, using his own common sense, putting intellectual integrity and honesty before ideology, ignoring case law, using correct meanings of critical words, he had his answers. The results are in this book.