There is beauty in simplicity, and I really like your question because it’s simple. I think the Constitution does work — but not perfectly and certainly not all the time, which seems logical to me with such a sweeping document. In my lifetime, I think the Constitution fails to work when it is used as a sword rather than a shield and when it is viewed as a destination rather than an endless road map. When I look at the time and place it was created, I ask, “Were things much different then than they are now or have been in countries that wrestle with freedom and try to shape constitutions?” The population in the colonies was very diverse in many ways. Most of the people were Christians but there were many interpretations of the faith (Iraq). The rights of Indigenous people were discounted or ignored (news from Australia this week and South Africa in the early 1990s). Some violently opposed freedom from England (back to Iraq). The issues of state rights versus central government stood at the forefront(former Soviet Union and Iraq again). So, compared with other places where constitutions exist or are being shaped, I think saying it works is safe. I also talk to folks a lot about what I call the way we embrace the Constitution selectively, viewing it as a menu and ordering a la carte instead of the entree. I’ll write about that more down the road — if I do not get canned. My answer should be as simple as your question. Thanks for posting. Mac McKerral