OPINION:
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, was in error when he said Thomas Jefferson wrote the Bill of Rights (“Harvard grad Chuck Schumer fails history, credits Jefferson for Bill of Rights,” Web, June 4). Jefferson in fact had very little to do with the Constitution. Instead, he wrote the Declaration of Independence a few years earlier. It was James Madison who crafted the Bill of Rights.
I am saddened but not surprised that Mr. Schumer knows so little about the very document he swore to uphold. If he were a doctor, I would avoid going to his office. As we used to say to the new guys in the submarine service, “Get qualified!”
Mr. Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, want to rewrite the First Amendment so that the government will have the power to ban campaign contributions. It seems they always want the government to increase its power. However, the Founders crafted the Constitution specifically to prevent the government from growing too large and oppressive. So it is my hope the Democrats’ amendment will fail, and it most likely will, as the Founders made the process a long, uphill battle — with good reason.
FRED C. SEBLY
Mount Airy, Md.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.