The Tennessee Constitution

The State of Tennessee was founded by some pretty darn intelligent folk, strange that it is now being run by a complete set of idiots. The founders of Tennessee must have been able to foresee a time that our state would fall under the control of extreme morons. Proof of their ability to see into the future can be found in Article 1, Section 1 of the Tennessee Constitution;

ARTICLE I.
Declaration of Rights.
Section 1. That all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are
founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness; for the
advancement of those ends they have at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible right
to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper.

Let's take a close look at what the founders of our state said in this section of the constitution. They didn't say that government exists to protect the peace, safety and happiness of businesses? No, they stated that government exists to protect the the peace, safety, and happiness of the people. It doesn't limit this to wealthy people, or heterosexual people, it says people, all people.

Recently the legislature of Tennessee passed a law making it illegal for local governments to protect their citizens, specifically their gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens, from employment discrimination. This seems to fly directly in the face of the concept of the government existing for the benefit of the citizens it serves, as stated in Article 1, Section 1 of the Tennessee Constitution.

The lawmakers that supported this law stated that it would prevent businesses from having to deal with a confusing patchwork of regulations that could be different in every city in the state. Interestingly no businesses had complained about this issues probably because they are already used to dealing with different regulations, tax rates, and laws in the counties and cities they operate in. Also this law only effects employment discrimination which is a very limited part of the regulations that businesses have to deal with. Most interestingly this law does nothing to protect the citizens of Tennessee. In fact, it repeals a law passed in Nashville that would have protected members of the LGBT community from discrimination and so at best it could be described as a law designed to protect businesses, but Article 1, Section 1 plainly states that our government exists to serve people, not businesses.

But Article 1, Section 1 goes beyond stating the purpose of government. It grants the citizens of Tennessee the right to recourse, if the government fails to fulfill its duty to the citizens of Tennessee. Is it time that we stand up and defend our position as the true holders of power in our state and "alter, reform, or abolish" our state government since it obviously isn't interested in the people of this state's "peace, safety, and happiness"?

Can we bring a class action suit against the state? Should we all march on Capitol Hill and tell the law makers we elected that they are all fired? Is it time that we remind our legislators that they work for us, all of us, and that their bigotry will not be allowed to interfere with our peace, safety, and happiness? I would hope that we, the citizens of Tennessee, could make the founders of our state proud, because right now they are probably spinning in their graves as they see their worst fears, a government that doesn't serve its citizens, becoming reality.