Less than a week into their second term, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden addressed the federal government’s inability to establish justice and provide for the common defense of “we the people” by attacking the civil rights of law-abiding citizens.

They are completely ignoring the oath they just took to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States. Any limitation of the people to own and bear arms is an infringement on the 2nd Amendment and makes us all more vulnerable to criminals and other nations that would do us harm. What would be wrong with putting more teeth in the laws that are already in place, making the punishment so severe for capital crimes that no one would commit one? What a concept. Isn’t that sort of what laws are all about? Put the correction on criminals, not on law-abiding citizens.

The government seems also to be throwing in the towel on immigration by suggesting that there must be some way to make it possible for the 11 million illegal immigrants that are already in the country to attain citizenship. Isn’t that just admitting that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) hasn’t been able to protect our borders? I am not sure that the way to get a job done is to give up on it or ignore it.

Maybe next they will capitulate as well on the war on drugs, calling it just another failed federal government initiative. Maybe we should just give up on law and order all together.

So many people want this to be a democracy. Maybe we should let it be — just do away with all the laws and let people take care of themselves. That is not what we elect people to office for; they should be doing their job instead of finding a way not to do it.

WILLIAM STINSON

Edenton