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.
I’d like to see the President with one 6 year term
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I second your proposal! If the candidate knows he has 1 term to get it done, then he won’t spend the first 4 years getting reelected, and maybe he’ll be serious about his office!
Congress may not write law and then exempt themselves.
More likely is that he'll do whatever he wants to do, because he doesn't have to worry about what the People think.
I’d like to see the age limits raised. Public office should be a second career, not a primary career. Think of how many of our worst politicians have no other job than public office, having entered public life at a very early age.
Clearer wording:
Two thirds of the States may:
(1) repeal any federal law;
(2) propose a Constitutional amendment; or
(3) overrule a Supreme Court decision within a year of that decision.
I was worried my original wording would be interpreted to mean all three were only to be used in response to a Supreme Court decision.
The problem here is that this plan nor any other plan that breaks the back of the current federal monster will ever be enacted. The federal government has become little more than a criminal tyranny. This happens naturally because everything decays. Tyrants will never give up their power unless they are forced too. And our founding fathers knew it. Hence the second amendment. Absent that, we will be slaves because there are more takers than there are producers.
I agree except: limit Senators to two six year terms, for a total of 12 years. Limit Representatives to six two year terms for a total of 12 years. No full pension for Representatives or Senators unless they have served 24 years. If less, then the pension would be reduced and prorated based on the percentage of time served, ie, 12 years would equal one-half pension. Anyone serving less than 12 years would receive no pension.
All unions both government and private should be illegal. If employees want to get together and b!tch about work or watch sports and call it a union, that would be legal, but they shouldn’t have any rights with regard to work or bargaining with the employer. Unions have ruined America.
I especially like the indirect election of senators. That is what the founders intended.
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I understand where you’re coming from, but with six 2 yr terms for Reps and two 6 yr terms for Senators, you create virtually the same problem we have now — too many of the same people doing everything they can to STAY in DC for AT LEAST 12 years — and hopefully 24 so the taxpayers will pay their full pensions.
I suggest the much more limited 3 2 yr. terms for Reps, 1 6 yr term for Senators — and NO taxpayer funded pension (or at least not one that exceeds what their constituents can expect from Social Security. They serve us...
As much as I deplore Unions, one cannot outlaw them, simply because the 1st Amendment guarantees the right of the people to peacably assemble... If you want to go after unions, go after their corruption, their extortion and blackmail schemes, and their very real examples of violence and coercion, as well as their [all too common] ties to organized crime. Also, give workers more personal rights regarding how unions may spend their money/dues on politcal issues.
The indirect election of Senators should be restored — but remember, that will take the approval of 3/4th’s [38]of the states approval to overturn Amendment 17 with a new amendment to replace it.
1. No person may hold office unless they are a Veteran.
2. No person may vote unless they are a Veteran.
3. President’s first term is 4 years. Second term is two years, third term is 2 years. Keep the bastards honest and kowtowing to the voters until the last minute.
4. No person may be elected to the Congress (either house) for a length of more than 10 years.
5. Congress persons receive no pension, retirement, or 401(k) at all.
6. Congress persons will live in government provided housing while in Washington D.C. Representatives will be housed in housing appropriate to an O4 in the military. Senators’ housing will be similar to that afforded to O6s.
7. Medical service to all Congress persons, President, and the administration will be the equivalent to that received by the average American.
8. Congress persons pay will be $0 unless the budget is balanced. (Even including time of war and national emergencies.) Their pay will be 0.0001% of any surplus.
9. Any person working for the government will be executed if they are convicted of using their office for personal gain.
10. Citizens serving on a jury will be instructed in the rights of jury nullification and told that it is their responsibility to nullify any law they deem wrong or unconstitutional.
11. You can only serve on a jury if you are a Veteran.
12. Losers in civil lawsuits will pay all costs (the other side and the public court costs.
A representative republic can only function if the elected representatives of the people fear for their lives at the hands of those people if they do not follow their will.
They no longer fear us, and there is no reason for them to.
It's over.
We now live in a dictatorship of our own election.
Exactly! None of the reforms we have suggested would be passed by the Congress, unless there’s a threat of something the Congress fears (e.g., a new Con-Con, secession, military coup, etc.).
2. No person may vote unless they are a Veteran.
3. President’s first term is 4 years. Second term is two years, third term is 2 years. Keep the bastards honest and kowtowing to the voters until the last minute.
4. No person may be elected to the Congress (either house) for a length of more than 10 years.
5. Congress persons receive no pension, retirement, or 401(k) at all.
6. Congress persons will live in government provided housing while in Washington D.C. Representatives will be housed in housing appropriate to an O4 in the military. Senators’ housing will be similar to that afforded to O6s.
7. Medical service to all Congress persons, President, and the administration will be the equivalent to that received by the average American.
8. Congress persons pay will be $0 unless the budget is balanced. (Even including time of war and national emergencies.) Their pay will be 0.0001% of any surplus.
9. Any person working for the government will be executed if they are convicted of using their office for personal gain.
10. Citizens serving on a jury will be instructed in the rights of jury nullification and told that it is their responsibility to nullify any law they deem wrong or unconstitutional.
11. You can only serve on a jury if you are a Veteran.
12. Losers in civil lawsuits will pay all costs (the other side and the public court costs.
I'm guessing you are a veteran who wants a military dictatorship.
These are all worthy ideas. Unfortunately, even if they were to be adopted they would only serve to delay the inevitable. Representative government in any form just doesn’t work over the long term.
Even so, I salute you for your thoughtfulness.
P.S. It’s “principles”, not “principals”.
I guess you are a non-veteran who prefers a (better) Kleptocracy.
No, I just believe all Americans should be able to be elected to public office.
An elected official who chooses to run for another office, must resign from his elected post prior to running.
Any elected official who chooses to change parties after being elected must resign his office and may run for his vacated office.
You believe that a non-veteran can be fully qualified to be the Commander-in-Chief? You believe that a non-veteran is fully qualified to chair a Congressional Committee on armed forces, veteran affairs, and so on? That’s the nitty gritty of it, isn’t it, let’s elect Jane Fonda (and some, many districts would) and appoint her to one of those committees.
You seem to believe that the alternative to a veteran is a self-hating American Liberal, like Jane Fonda. Is a non-veteran American capable of being patriotic, intelligence and worthy of being in an elected office?
No, I believe that the hypothetical rules that you protested, however unreasonable to liberals (small ‘l’) like yourself, are better than no rules that you prefer, and under which this Kleptocracy already operates (think Cynthia McKinney, as “anyone eligible”.) Traitor Ron Dellums who chaired the Armed Service Committee was a veteran, who passed military secrets to enemy, but white guilt gave him free pass long before the times of Osambo.
What about a balanced fracking budget?
The fair tax monies go into a pot - THAT is ALL they have to spend!
Fracking? Not in in my Dick-Shawn-Airy!
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