It seems obvious now, but I hadn't fully realised that Washington, DC literally is the ten square miles around the Capitol with the sole purpose of housing and facilitating representation, government departments, memorials, museums and a huge security presence.

I spent time in the National Archives viewing the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. I toured the inside of the Capitol Building in all its palacial grandeur. I visited the Washington and Lincoln Memorials along with War Memorials for the Second World War and for Vietnam. The latter consists of the names of the dead inscribed onto a black marble wall. It was galling to see how long this list was and to know that even more died in WWII. The names were also on display in printed books, thicker than any telephone directory I have ever seen.

Following my visit to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia I was left with a great deal of respect for the creators of this nation and its Constitution... and full of opinion. Here are some thoughts.

Perhaps it is the fact that most Americans don't generally understand the spirit in which the Constitution was written or perhaps its the effect of partisan politics or the result of the advanced capitalism which dominates today that causes the problems people have with America today. I can't help feeling that America really could be a role model state if it stuck more closely to its founding principals.