Etymologically, the word "Constitution" means "what is above positive law, that to which all else must adhere.
Since esp the Progressive Era the Constitution does not control as it was intended to control. But that is because some have rejected the basis of their own Constitution. Says President Coolidge:
" If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people."
Pretty stark statement !!
