The Constitution has been the Holy Grail of America since our nation was first born. It guarantees the rights of all citizens and has laid the framework for how our government has been and will be run. But more and more these days it seems that constitutional rights come into question while progressives herald new rights and attempt to integrate them into the fundamental guarantees of being a citizen.

Two fundamental rights that Americans have long held dear have come under particular fire in recent years: the right to freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. The First Amendment prohibits Congress from passing any right to abridge the freedom of speech or the press. This amendment has been interpreted over the years to protect numerous aspects of American life that we hold dear –- namely the open discussion of ideas and the right to protest both in word and symbolism.

Likewise, the right to bear arms has long been an American tradition. This is protected by the Second Amendment, which since the inception of America has protected “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.”

But lately these rights have come into harsh questioning by some social progressives. Especially on college campuses, the trend is prevailing that there is a right to not be offended by someone else’s speech. This right to not be offended can veto anyone else’s right to free speech. This has led to censorship of campus speakers and creation of “safe spaces” on college campuses in numerous locations.

Likewise the right to bear arms has come under fire recently with the string of tragic mass shootings that have taken place in schools, churches and communities across the United States. While few suggest a ban on firearms altogether, increasing numbers are calling for heightened regulations in the wake of every tragedy.

Other “invented” rights have come up in recent years as well. Most notably progressives have argued for a right to free college, a right to support yourself and your family on a minimum wage job, and various other social “rights.” While these rights may not have a firm basis in the Constitution and its amendments, many are attempting to make these rights as fundamental as any guaranteed in the original Bill of Rights.

This brings up the question, should we ditch the Constitution altogether and just start over? I mean with the twisted mess that is Congress, the executive orders of presidents, and the supposed lack of rights addressing many Americans’ needs, many could view this as not altogether that bad of an idea. If not the majority of American citizens now, then surely when the current activists on college campuses and the generations to follow mature this might be an idea that is seriously entertained.

But I myself would not be so quick to jump on the bandwagon. While I will not argue for or against each of the individual “invented” rights for the sake of brevity, many of the rights that progressives are attempting to push through go against previously enshrined rights in the Constitution so long ago. While there may be genuine social good being advocated for behind these rights, they would create constitutional chaos and would muddle “traditional” American values.

Now changing American values is not something taboo in and of itself –- our democracy is set up to grow and adapt as our nation does, and so it has. But all of these invented rights are argued back and forth and are amorphous. General ideas and debated rights will make for a judicial and legislative nightmare — slowing governance to a halt.

So what is needed? If progressives want to fundamentally change the way that America functions and what are considered American “rights,” then perhaps they should put forth another set of amendments, a modern-day bill of rights that can either be accepted or rejected by the American people. Rather than forcing new rights through the courts or narrowly passing through massive pieces of legislation (Affordable Care Act, I’m looking at you), we should decide what American values are and come to some consensus on them moving forward.

While I realize that it is hard to have a cut-and-dry debate like that, I think this is something that should be considered. Because the way that I see it, America is at a major crossroads in the coming years. Really even by the time that this election season is over. And we should not leave the future of our country to one general election or scattered debates.

I think it is high time that we seriously consider and openly debate about what the future of America should be, rather than leaving it to the seemingly random process of judicial interpretation or congressional legislation. While that would be nice, it is likely that democracy will just continue on its slow and winding evolution in American life.