The text of the amendments made after the Bill of Rights is not provided here, but can be viewed at the National Archives. This is to highlight the fact that the unamended Constitution represents the original and complete vision of the Founders. It is the entire body of work the founders produced to define and limit the powers of the federal government and guide its creation. It describes the proposed new federal government as it was presented to the states for their acceptance, and as it was actually set up originally.

Just as importantly, the Bill of Rights is included because, as its preamble says, the states and the people were concerned the new central government might eventually abuse or misinterpret the powers that were being granted to it. The states were sovereigns within their own borders, and insisted that clear limits must be imposed on the central government before they would agree to submit to it. They also insisted that certain rights be guaranteed to their citizens, the people living in those states. They insisted upon these provisions precisely because the states and their citizens did not trust that the decision makers running the federal government would never misuse its power. 

As a result today, if the federal government exercises any power beyond the limits defined in the Constitution, or if it's involved in matters not listed in the Constitution, or if it breaks any of the rules set forth in the Constitution, we can be absolutely certain it's doing something it's not supposed to be doing. And, if the federal government isn't effectively fulfilling the purposes for which it was created in the first place, as stated plainly in its preamble, we can be absolutely certain it is neglecting something it is supposed to be doing. Once again, those purposes are "to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity".

Please take a moment, right now, to consider whether you think those purposes are being fulfilled. Do you think the United States is being "perfected", or is it being perverted? Is life in America becoming more fair ("just"), or less fair? Are our lives becoming more peaceful ("tranquil"), or more complex and turbulent? Is our income and property being properly protected by the government, or is the government itself demanding so much of it that we don't have enough left for the things we need just to take care of ourselves? Does the government restrain special interests when they act to our detriment in their reckless pursuit of profit, or does it hamper the people to the advantage of the special interests? Do we have "public confidence in the Government" and are we certain of "the beneficent ends of its institution", or have we begun to have doubts and feel threatened by it? Is our general well-being ("welfare") improving, or declining? And perhaps most importantly, do we get to enjoy our freedom ("liberty"), or are we so burdened by demands on our time and resources imposed by social institutions and conventions that we feel trapped and confined, and not free at all? These are all things the government could actually do something about, if the people making governmental decisions wanted to. Things WE could do something about, if WE were making the decisions.

So, what do you think? Is the federal government fulfilling its purpose, or not? If you think it's not, then do something about it!