The long-awaited new book on how to fix our broken government by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Liberty and Tyranny and Ameritopia.
Posted on 08/03/2013 4:16:25 PM PDT by Jacquerie
Picture in your mind’s eye a day when GOP senators ignore the only slightly veiled public threats of Obama, and the rants of a corrupt media. Imagine a Democrat senate judiciary committee chairman who privately, quietly lets the president know that any nominee with the slightest history of opposition to the 10th Amendment will be rejected for a seat on the federal bench. These are all possible.
Among the senate’s unique duties is that of consenting or not to presidential secretarial, judicial and ambassadorial nominees. As opposed to what the left-media and Dingy Harry would have us believe, the senate doesn’t exist to rubber-stamp and legitimize whatever Obama wishes to do. The constitutional appointments clause is there to make sure that unlike King George III, our president does not appoint unqualified hacks loyal to him and him alone. It is there to make sure a second set of eyes scrutinize the character and suitability of presidential nominees.
But if that is so, if the senate is to rationally and impersonally examine and judge the suitability of nominees, why do they consistently consent to progressives, to radical left judges hostile to the constitution?
The answer is that as opposed to the constitution of 1787, today’s constitution encourages our trend toward majoritarian despotism. As head of his party, the president has enormous influence over the disbursement of senatorial campaign funds to party members. It is why senate democrats can be trusted to vote exactly as they are told to by Obama’s assistant, senator Harry Reid. GOP senators also work in fear. They must gauge the effect a frenzy of hyped up media opposition could have on their reelection. In short, the senators of the party of the president are his tools, while the senators of the opposing party fear crossing the popular culture. Left out of their joint concern is the long term welfare of the people and states they supposedly represent. Senators more concerned with Obama and his media, cannot dispassionately perform their constitutional duties.
Over the generations, Americans have become ignorantly comfortable with this corruption of republican government. Low information voters reflexively think democracy is just swell, when in actuality, too much of it is toxic to our freedoms. Our framers’ system featured only one popularly sourced institution, the house of representatives. For a hundred years we have had two such bodies, and if progressives get their way, presidential elections will soon be popularly derived as well.
An over-abundance of democracy is strangling what remains of our republic. It is time to step back and look objectively at what ails us. The source of our sickness, the open and self-inflicted wound that welcomed the bacteria of democratic majoritarianism to grow in a once healthy body politic is the 17th Amendment. If we are to possibly return to republican freedoms, senators must once again be immune from popular emotions and demagogic presidents. The 17th must go.
There's really two Amendments that are needed to address this issue, I believe — here's my stab at them:
| Tax Reform Amendment | Fiscal Responsibility Amendment |
|---|---|
| Section I No tax, federal or state, shall ever be withheld from the wages of a worker of any citizen of either. Section II No property shall be seized for failure to pay taxes until after conviction in a jury trial; the right of the jury to nullify (and thereby forgive) this debt shall never be questioned or denied. Section III The second amendment is hereby recognized as restricting the power of taxation, both federal and state, therefore no tax (or fine) shall be laid upon munitions or the sale thereof. Section IV The seventh amendment is also hereby recognized, and nothing in this amendment shall restrict the right of a citizen to seek civil redress. Section V No income tax levied by the federal government, the several States, or any subdivision of either shall ever exceed 10%. Section VI No income tax levied by the federal government, the several States, or any subdivision of either shall ever apply varying rates to those in its jurisdiction. Section VII No retroactive or ex post facto tax (or fee) shall ever be valid. Section VIII The congress may not delegate the creation of any tax or fine in any way. Section IX No federal employee, representative, senator, judge, justice or agent shall ever be exempt from any tax, fine, or fee by virtue of their position. Section X Any federal employee, representative, senator, judge, justice or agent applying, attempting to apply, or otherwise causing the application of an ex post facto or retroactive law shall, upon conviction, be evicted from office and all retirement benefits forfeit. |
Section I The power of Congress to regulate the value of the dollar is hereby repealed. Section II The value of the Dollar shall be one fifteen-hundredth avoirdupois ounce of gold of which impurities do not exceed one part per thousand. Section III To guard against Congress using its authority over weights and measures to bypass Section I, the ounce in Section II is approximately 28.3495 grams (SI). Section IV The Secretary of the Treasury shall annually report the gold physically in its possession; this report shall be publicly available. Section V The power of the Congress to assume debt is hereby restricted: the congress shall assume no debt that shall cause the total obligations of the United States to exceed one hundred ten percent of the amount last reported by the Secretary of the Treasury. Section VI Any government agent, officer, judge, justice, employee, representative, or congressman causing gold to be confiscated from a private citizen shall be tried for theft and upon convection shall: a. be removed from office (and fired, if an employee), b. forfeit all pension and retirement benefits, c. pay all legal costs, and d. restore to the bereaved twice the amount in controversy Section VII The federal government shall assume no obligation lacking funding, neither shall it lay such obligation on any of the several States, any subdivision thereof, or any place under the jurisdiction of the United States. All unfunded liabilities heretofore assumed by the United States are void. Section VIII The federal government shall make all payments to its employees or the several states in physical gold. Misappropriation, malfeasance and/or misfeasance of funds shall be considered confiscation. |
This is most certainly true. The members of the federated republic are the several (50) states. But they do not have representation in the legislative body, as member states, by senators of their choosing.
The 19th Amendment also needs to go. Women are a majority of voters and are feminizing thereby the nation. Woman as a group vote to be taken care of. I vote for the conservative candidate in elections and primaries and more and more that candidate is a woman. That is good in the short term but the implications for the longer term are for more feminization of the nation. A feminine nation cannot compete in the world with a masculine power such as is China and such is Islam and even a resurgent Russia.
I CAN’T WAIT!!!
make that twenty years ago.
Repeal of the 17th Amendment, Term Limits, and a Balanced Budget Amendment
Works for me!
That would be great if he did, I just haven’t seen anything like that listed...
Agree. I thought JimRob had started a FreeperEditorial forum for idea oriented vanities.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.