The world doesn't love our constitution, what of it?

Over at Slate Eric Posner has issues with the fact that we have free speech in this country.  He apparently thinks,  unless he is writing a satirical piece, that the government should be allowed to crack down on our speech if it is in the national interest.  So, who decides what is in the "national interest"?  Well, presumably the government.  Can you hear the uproar if the Obama Administration thought that the opposition party should "sit down and shut up"?  Well he actually said it.  Wonder if he might have thought it was worth government action if he was allowed to do that or if it was just a throwaway line?  I'd hope the latter, but do we really believe that there will never be a government that will be willing to use its power to silence the opposition?

So what other rights should the government crack down on, Mr.  Posner?  The world doesn't love the second amendment.  Should we make all guns illegal?  Why not?  After all, we are clearly out of step with the rest of the world.

Elections?  Mr. Posner, how many countries do not hold free and fair elections? How many countries hold elections in which only one candidate is allowed to run or the opposition candidates are jailed on various pretexts and removed from the ballots?  How many countries don't hold elections at all?  Is it a majority?  If the world doesn't love free and fair elections, should be consider getting rid of them here at home?

How about capitalism?  Clearly much of the world doesn't love capitalism.  Perhaps out and out socialism where the government just decides who should produce what and at what price? How about the economies of some third world countries where you get government subsidies (ie payoffs and wealth) if you are connected and you scrabble by with no property or business rights otherwise?

Free press?  Freedom of religion? Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure?  Clearly not loved by much if not most of the world.  Gone. 

In fact, this whole Constitution thing is just so out of date.  Perhaps what we really need is a benevolent federal government to just make these decisions for us. 

Thanks for your vision of the future Mr. Posner, but for my part, I'll pass.  I sort of like having personal freedom and a limited government.  After all, it has made us the most successful nation in the history of the world from virtually any measure you care to use.  Oh, other than immense wealth and power collected in the hands of the dictator and his family.