It is not a "living document".
I really don't like it when people start talking that talk because the Constitution was meant to set up a limited government. It's clear by reading the Constitution that it was meant to set up a limited government; the framers had a general mistrust of the government, and therefore went about to make a government that would preserve justice, but not wield too much power over the people.
Nowadays, people forget (or don't even know) that it was setup to be limited, and a good chunk of society expects that the GOVERNMENT should provide for them, at the expense of other people. If the Framers had wanted socialism they would have set it up that way. But that would've meant having a strong government.
You can't have it both ways. The more socialist the government becomes, the less freedom you have. Dependance on the government certainly does not expand your liberties.
I got into an argument about this with someone, and he was losing things to say and finally said "people don't want to help anyone anymore." Which, of course, is entirely false. My personal belief is that there are solutions outside of the government to solving social ills. Why should we give our freedoms away and steal money out of other people's pockets to accomplish something, which with creative thinking, can be solved in a different manner?
But I digress. The Constitution was set up with timeless qualities, and if we start trying to apply "modern ideals" to it, we'll lose sight of what makes our nation great!
To broaden your understanding of what the Constitution really ways, I recommend
The Heritage Guide to the Constitution as it will definately clarify the Constitution and what it means. It goes over everything clause-by-clause.
"Man is not free unless government is limited... As government expands, liberty contracts."
-Ronald Reagan