E57 - Returning the Constitution to We the People with Author Paul Engel

As a country governed by the same Constitution for more than 200 years, one would expect its citizens to understand better the document that is the foundation of their government. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Americans' lack of knowledge about the Constitution is exacerbated by the fact that most cannot name more than two of the five rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Despite its importance, there is a disconnect between the American people and the Constitution.In today's episode of the Pod Bless America Podcast, Jim and Dan get back to basics. They will talk about Jim's passion, The Constitution of the United States of America. Joining them is an author and speaker, Paul Engel. As an advocate of the Constitution, Paul speaks about what motivated him to launch The Constitution Study, how politicians swear to uphold the Constitution but fail to do so, and what the problems with elections are.Paul Engel has spent more than 20 years studying and teaching about both the Bible and the U.S. Constitution. Frustrated by Americans' general lack of knowledge about their Constitution, Paul founded The Constitution Study. His experience with the study has led him to write a book of the same name and develop classes available both online and in-person to encourage others to read, study, and understand the Constitution for themselves. Enjoy!<br />In This Episode03:04 - What motivated Paul to start The Constitution Study08:22 - Why Jim respects Paul so much13:25 - How people can better understand the Constitution17:28 - Some ways in which the government violates the First Amendment22:36 - The true meaning of liberty27:11 - How politicians swear to uphold the Constitution but fail to do so35:06 - Paul's perspective on how to end unconstitutional government agencies42:34 - The problems with elections55:02 - The resource Jim used to learn more about being a good police officer1:09:04 - In what exactly should people's taxes be spent1:14:20 - How can you tell if a politician is lying1:16:04 - How the 16th and 17th Amendments destroyed the Republic?<br />Favorite Quotes09:39 - "A lot of the writing comes from my research. But I'm learning things and passing them along. How can I morally live with myself knowing I had the information that could change people's lives, and I didn't give it to them?" - Paul Engel12:59 - "Law schools no longer teach the supreme law of the land. They no longer teach the Constitution. For the last four years, I've asked every attorney I've met, "Would you, in law school, study the Constitution or Constitutional law? I've had one man in four years who told me they studied the Constitution in law school. Everyone else studied the opinion of judges." - Paul Engel37:42 - "We're looking for a big thing, a person, a big thing that fixes this. We didn't break this into one big thing. We broke it into a lot of little things, which leads to the question I always ask, how do you eat a leviathan?" - Paul Engel40:55 - "The federal government has so little to do with your day-to-day life. Your municipal level has everything to do with your day-to-day life. And you need to start getting involved in those local elections because we need states to tell the federal government we're done." - Jim Larkin54:23 - "This country today is not nearly as free as the one I inherited from my parents. I want to leave one for my daughter that is greater than what we have today. And the only way I do it is to decide that her ability to live free is more important than me walking away in handcuffs." - Paul Engel<br />Connect with Paul EngelThe Constitution Study<br />America Out Loud<br />