How would Judge Narragansett in Ayn Rand’s best-selling novel “Atlas Shrugged” perfect the U.S. Constitution by removing the “contradictions in its statements that had once been the cause of its destruction”?
Professor Brian Simpson has some ideas.
According to Simpson, “One clause that I repeal from the Constitution is the Commerce Clause. This clause allows, among other things, Congress to regulate commerce among the several states.”
Quoting his book, A Declaration and Constitution for a Free Society, he writes:
“To have a proper understanding of why this clause must be eliminated, one must understand what it means for the government to regulate. Regulation in this context refers to the government interfering in the market by initiating physical force to change some outcome that government officials do not like. Regulation is not the same as protecting individual rights. When the government protects rights, it bans the initiation of physical force, such as when it protects people from fraud. When the government regulates, it violates individual rights because it initiates physical force. The government regulates for many reasons, including to forcibly change the wages workers can earn in the market (through minimum wage laws), to impose laws based on environmental ideology (through the Environmental Protection Agency), and to impose drug safety and efficacy rules on drug manufacturers (through the Food and Drug Administration).”
You can learn more about the book on his website.