Posted on 02/21/2009 5:26:02 PM PST by JoeA
1. Term limits at the Federal Level. The Founders never intended for the country to be ruled by a permanent political class, but rather by citizens of the republic who were engaged in the daily life of the country in ways other than as professional politicians. Their life as businessmen, farmers, merchants, and husbands and wives, would enlighten them and inform their actions and decisions during their public service.
a. One term in the Senate. Six years is more than enough time to get something done.
b. Three terms in the House. See above.
c. Two terms in the White House. Eight years in the White House is plenty of time.
2. Proposed legislation shall be limited to one issue, and bills may not be bundled with other bills. The purposes here are several:
a. Prevent the sausage-making that is the usual process in creating legislation, where large numbers of bills are packaged together to garner the largest number of votes. As we have seen all too often, representatives often vote on bills that they have not even read. Bills should stand on their own, and be passed or denied on a clear up and down vote, with direct accountability of our representatives.
b. By forcing each measure to be processed separately, we will reduce the amount of legislation produced. Hopefully, this will force Congress to work on what’s essential to the country.
c.
3. Repeal the 17th Amendment, and restore the election of Senators by the individual state legislatures. The purpose of each state appointing its Senators was to ensure that the separate autonomous state governments were represented in the national legislature. This essential part of federalism was killed when direct election of Senators was created via the 17th Amendment in 1913. Now Senators represent not the interest of the governments of their respective states, but of the population that turns out to elect them. They are nothing more than Congressman with a larger constituency.
4. Repeal the 16th Amendment, and replace it with a flat tax or other revenue generating system. The tax system in this country is a disaster, and used as a means of class warfare and as largesse to bestow on a voting block. As Alexis de Tocqueville observed: “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.” We have long since passed that point.
5. Require that all bills cite the specific clause of the constitution that empowers the proposed legislation. To maintain a limited government of laws, we must remain true to the principals of the constitution. The national government may do only what is authorized, and nothing else, unless the constitution is revised to empower the government to take that action.
6. Require that all bills have a sunset clause, a date on which they expire. This will go a long way toward ending programs which have long since outlived their usefulness, and force the periodic re-evaluation of the government’s actions.
7. All candidates for offices at the Federal level must prove they meet the requirements set forth in the United States Constitution. Candidates will be required to submit Birth Certificates and other documents to prove their eligibility for office. Just like you and I do when we register our kids for school.
8. Change the immigration laws so that citizenship accrues only to the children of American citizens, natural or otherwise. If immigrants want their children to be American citizens, they should first become American citizens. No more anchor babies.
Personally, I would say just do a NRST and forget the damn income tax.
However, with regards to your plan, I like it except for the fact that, given the route we’re trying to go, I can’t see a national constitution dictating what the states and counties set their tax rates to.
Nothing to argue with here. If big bank failures precipitate the fall, and if anyone is counting on the bills the mice, rats and roaches in congress are passing to save the day, they are foolish indeed.
Maybe the states can decide on the mix, but I think there should be a cap on total taxes, whatever it is. No point in taking pork out of the Fed budget and giving it to the state to spend, or capping Federal taxes and allowing the states to tax whatever they want.
I think the majority of tax monies should go to the government that is closest to the taxpayer - hence the 5% for counties (who can then split it up with the cities the way they want).
By capping total taxes, we also cap the amount of power that politicians can have - local, state OR Federal.
We can incorporate that into a Federal constitution with something like: “At least 90% of the fruits of a citizen’s labor belong to the citizen himself and shall not be reduced beyond that point.”
I’m sure Jefferson could have said that better!
I agreee, but knowing how the commies pervert everything, they’d arrange it so we were always in a “war” to continue to rape us.
Yes!! Check this out.
Very interesting. :)
Ping! Ping! Ping!
bfl
Bump for morning read
I do agree with most of your plan. I say let's give that a try! :)
Problem is...that you end up with a government not unlike the kind found in ‘Starship Troopers’. What about people who are educated, yet are disqualified from military service due to injury or disability, yet are able to function as normal human beings? Certainly not fair to them, is it? Read the book.
Granted...I wouldn’t mind the part about execution for many crimes.
Great idea, too late. The Socialists in control will never let it happen now. That was an idea for a free country to enact. We are no longer free.
This is nothing but a wet dream.
We have a "president" in power, running up $4 Trillion in debt with the stroke of a pen, and he won't even produce his birth certificate.
And we are "calling for" reforms like term limits?
Good heavens.
ACORN can steal any election they want to now. They have almost unlimited funding.
The only hope now is faith in God. America is falling apart, and we cannot put her back together.
I’d like a law against lobbyists. If the big companys want something from the government give em a sign and tell them to go protest or march. That’s what we have to do.
Nice. Bump!
Thanks for the ping!
Very good. I agree.
“(3) overrule a Supreme Court decision within a year of that decision. “
This is too direct of control over constitutional law. 2/3 of the states could decide that it is consitutional to ignore the presidential term limit.
I think the states need the right to remove federal judges from the bench, including supreme court justices.
Laws are already incompetently written. I would not suggest adding an additional layer of incompetence to it.
The only thing you need is a law clerk, not a lawyer.
A judge concerned for his job might not be inclined to issue rulings against states. That is bad policy that promotes false justice. The federal courts, particularly the lower courts, are amazingly good and, by and large, stocked with shockingly competent judges.
The current Article III system is the best. It does not need changing. If one is insistent in making judges accountable to the electorate (which is absurd) a better system is one in which judges are appointed with advice and consent and then subject to a periodic retention vote, like say every ten or twenty years.
You mean a lawyer that actually writes the bills and then has the non-lawyer introduce it? What's the point of banning lawyers?
Or do you mean law clerk in the sense of law studen that is working? If so, I again return to my adding a layer of incompetence critique.
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.