[ATOMIC_PUNK]

DONT *^#! WITH THE CONSTITUTION

[dts32041]

Former slave masters who want to tighten current slave masters rule.

[dts32041]

Former slave masters who want to tighten current slave masters rule.

[PoorMuttly]

'sounds like a good idea to me, Dr. Strangelove.

[Drango]

Makes sense to me...

[vikingcelt]

If they all got wiped out then we could just start over. Ordinary citizens could serve as representatives of our country as opposed to these people who seem to have been there their whole entire lives. There is something wrong with the fact that a President can only serve two terms but these Congress people can serve seemingly FOREVER.

[Arthur McGowan]

Here's a better idea. If the current occupants of the Congress are annihilated, THE PEOPLE can set up a new Congress. Even better, if all the current occupants of federal office are wiped out, THE PEOPLE could set up a NEW GOVERNMENT--and this new one could operate according to--what's actually in the Constitution!

[Eastbound]

"Congress shall have the power to regulate by law the filling of vacancies that may occur in the House of Representatives and Senate in the event that a substantial number of members are killed or incapacitated."

Just repeal the 17th Amendment and re-constitute state government's responsibility to name replacements to the Senate. Appoint proxies from a body of under-studies to the House where needed until the next general election. That should solve the problem nicely without everyone getting their panties in a wad.

[Mulder]

"Congress shall have the power to regulate by law the filling of vacancies that may occur in the House of Representatives and Senate in the event that a substantial number of members are killed or incapacitated."

So we're afraid of a terrorist attack against Congress, so we'll give Congress the authority to appoint replacements?

That makes no sense. It seems like more of an attempt to usurp the Right of states to choose their own representation.

[yooper]

"...the nation could have no functioning Congress in a time of great crisis."

A non-functioning Congress is something we've been putting up with for some time, and it's good thing. The less time they have to think about how to screw with our lives the better.

Seriously, should such an event occur, the military would step up to the plate. They would still be controlled by a civilian, the President. I'm comfortable with that.

This is a bad idea folks. As proof I offer the fact that Tom Foley and Donna Shalala are for it.

[fightu4it]

Gosh, just think, if that happened we would be left with 50 functioning State governments. Well maybe in the early history of this country the states would have carried on and restaffed the limited (by compairson) federal positions.

Today however it would be utter chaos since all mana flows from Washington.

[Celtman]

"Congress shall have the power to regulate by law the filling of vacancies that may occur in the House of Representatives and Senate in the event that a substantial number of members are killed or incapacitated."

      So we need another Amendment extending the power of the FedGov, and reducing the power of the states, so that the FedGov can increase its regulation of the American People? .

      I don't think so.

      Congressmen die from time to time, and they appear to be replaced, without any help from DC.

[Budge]

NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

[dpa5923]

Governors currently fill U.S. Senate vacancies, but without an amendment allowing similar temporary appointments to the House until elections could be held, the nation could have no functioning Congress

I fail to see the problem.

[A Navy Vet]

The less time our "representatives" are in D.C. the happier I am. If we need a Constitutional amendment it would be one to limit the time they spend in Washington dreaming up more ways to abridge my rights. As long as there is a functioning executive branch to wage a war, I say why be so quick to replace these clowns?

[Becki]

We routinely went 4 months without a functioning government in Washington. They would shut down and go home in the summer months.

That is, until the 50's when we began to pay them for being there. Then they found a reason to stay all year.

Becki

[c-b 1]

Globalist, wanna be Tyrants, one, and all.

[T. P. Pole]

If they are worried about the House of Representatives, then I have a suggestion. Let's go back to what is suggested in the Constitution, and toss out that law from 1911 that froze the size of the house.

Let's see - Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3:
"The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand"

US polpuation per Census 2000 = 281,421,906.
Divided by 30,000.

= 9,380.

Since you could never get nine thousand representatives in the same place at the same time, they would probably work from an office (or their home) in their district. They would actually live in their district. And, no airplane would take out even an majority of them.

Of course, there would need to be some way of voting remotely, but these days that would not be a problem.

What do you all think?

[lowbridge]

The Constitution must be amended to ensure the continuity of government in case Congress is wiped out by a terrorist attack, a blue-ribbon bipartisan commission will recommend Wednesday.

But what if a blue-ribbon bipartisan commission is wiped out by a terrorist attack? Then what will we do?

God help us all if that happens!

[DPB101]

A modest proposal:

Create a virtual congress. Nobody goes to DC. They must remain in their districts their entire term. Maxine Waters and Tom Daschle might have an entirely different view if they spent their time in South Central LA and SD rather than Georgetown.

The less elected officials get to know either other, the better off we are. Lobbyists, Federal bureaucrats, the media and elected officials all living and playing in close proximity to each other is a lethal mix.