Anyone wishing to lead or influence others must be a clear communicator. The bigger the audience, the bigger the opportunity, the more effort is needed to be clear.
I read a short biography of the man who wrote these words in our Constitution:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
His name was Gouverneur Morris (January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816).
Remarkably different than today’s legislators, one of his primary tasks in the process of drafting the Constitution was to – get this – simplify and shorten it. The result had to be readable by the people.
The US Constitution contains 4,543 words, including the signatures. Adding the 27 amendments brings it to 7,591 words. I have a shirt-pocket sized booklet which contains the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, which I sit down and reread every July 4th.
Maybe we should insist that all our laws are no longer than 7,591 words and could fit in your shirt pocket. The effort to do this would greatly enhance the clarity of the law!
