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remained in a coma for four weeks, during which time her parents were beside themselves with grief and guilt. Fortunately, she awakened and made a tremendous recovery and even became a model student at school. This would never have happened if she had not had the surgery and if her parents had continued to focus on the risks instead of the big picture. Similarly, those who penned our Constitution focused on the big concepts rather than getting bogged down in minutiae that would have led to endless battles and inaction.
    One of the outstanding features of the Constitution is its lack of details. The preamble declares the document’s purpose, and the body of the document provides the structures and mechanisms for governance, all without being overly concerned with every detail of implementation. The framers didn’t describe what “the general Welfare” looked like or set out exactly how national defense should work. They wanted to concentrate on broad concepts rather than minutiae, because they realized that the nation would change and that the little details would have to be changed frequently. Constant squabbling over such details would have been detrimental to our national interests.
    Even with the lack of details, there are still many in Congress who simply like to argue over everything without getting much of anything done. They do not seem to realize that some of the problems facing our nation currently, such as ahuge national debt, stagnant wages, a demoralized military, a failing public school system, poor access to medical care, and an abysmal business environment, to name a few, are so substantial that if we don’t address them adequately in the near future, the little details over which they are squabbling will become irrelevant.
    As citizens, we need to get beyond squabbling with one another about tactics. For example, instead of arguing about how fast the debt should be reduced, we should unite on the common ground that it ought to be reduced at all. As we fight over details, our children’s future is worsening. It’s time to focus on common ground and take swift action based on our agreement before our nation moves beyond saving.

BALANCING FEDERAL AND STATE POWERS
    Once the framers agreed to work together, they had to figure out how to create a system that united the states without trampling on the rights of state governments. Arizona’s recent experience with illegal immigration illustrates the importance of this balance of unity and liberty. In 2010 the governor of the state tried to enforce already existent immigration laws, because the state was being flooded with illegal immigrants from south of the border. The federal government, deciding for reasons of its own that it did not want the border laws enforced, initiated a legal action against the state. It is questionable whether that kind of federal interference helps to establish a more perfect union. Fortunately, our system is designed to prevent the federal government from trampling on the rights of states with impunity. The statecould file a countersuit, have its legislative branch produce new legislation, or wait for the judicial branch to strike down unwarranted federal intervention.
    The founders feared that the central government, once it had united the states, would become too powerful and would impose its will upon the people—or the individual states—without regard to their wishes. This “government knows best” model was one that they were quite familiar with from their extensive studies of other governmental models as well as from their personal experience with the British monarchy. They felt that their best defense against a tyrannical government was to divide the power three ways, with each branch of government having the power to check the other two. They also listed the powers that the federal government would have, being sure to leave the balance of power in the hands of the states and the people. They wisely concluded that the