Posted on 11/12/2013 3:49:23 PM PST by varmintman
That says that the very first thing we need to do is rescind the 17'th amendment and return the election of US senators to the state houses.
The office of the president should probably be abolished. In industry when a job goes for 30 - 50 years and only attracts villains and jerks, the usual solution is to abolish the job. The only legitimate function of a US president is to preside over uses of the US military which do not rise to the level of a declaration of war and, for that, some other solution such as a council of house and senate leaders and the joint chiefs could be found. Or, alternately, with the 17'th rescinded, presidents could be selected by the US senate.
Likewise the US capital should be made into a museum. Why should anybody living in Nebraska for instance, want their US senators living and working full time in Maryland or Virginia or D.C. with lobbyists working full-time to bribe and/or influence them, and largely out of reach to their constituents in Nebraska? Nothing in private industry works that way any more other than factories; every other sort of business is now conducted via Live-Meeting, Go-2-Meeting, and airplanes. The ONLY reason the US congress should ever need to be together in one place any more would be to declare war and, for that, they could rent out some football stadium for two days.....
No Congresscritter or Senator may have more than TWO full time paid staffers. One may, or may not, be a secretary. This would make them answer their own damn phones and write their own damn bills.
No elected official or cabinet member, nor any immediate family thereof, may accept a job in the media. This is a lifetime prohibition.
Tax day is officially moved to November 1. Withholding is prohibited. All taxes must be paid in a single check on November 1.
All federal office buildings except the USSC, the FBI, the CIA, the Pentagon, the Treasury, Social Security, and the President's immediate staff, and museums will be closed from March through September of every year, plus appropriate federal holidays.
All senators and congressmen are banned from serving in any lobbying positions.
I'd start with one Senator from each State selected by the State Legislature and leave the other still to be popularly elected.
I wouldn’t even have a “tax” day. I would abolish the IRS, the 16th Amendment and send every employee of that rogue agency to Iran.
WHEREAS pursuant to Article V of the U.S. Constitution the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States may call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes as Part of this Constitution when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, the following Amendments to the Constitution are proposed:
AMENDMENT XXVIII (Repeal of Income Tax)
The sixteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
AMENDMENT XXIX (Repeal of Direct Election of Senators)
The seventeenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
AMENDMENT XXX (Marriage Defined)
Marriage in the United States shall consist solely of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of alternative unions to marriage. State established alternative unions to marriage shall not be imposed upon other states. No marriage benefits established by Congress may be provided to alternative unions.
AMENDMENT XXXI (Balance Budget)
Section 1. Total outlays for any fiscal year shall not exceed total receipts for that fiscal year, unless two-thirds of the duly chosen and sworn Members of each House of Congress shall provide by law for a specific excess of outlays over receipts by a roll call vote.
Section 2. Total outlays for any fiscal year shall not exceed 18 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States for the calendar year ending before the beginning of such fiscal year, unless two-thirds of the duly chosen and sworn Members of each House of Congress shall provide by law for a specific amount in excess of such 18 percent by a roll call vote.
Section 3. Prior to each fiscal year, the President shall transmit to the Congress a proposed budget for the United States Government for that fiscal year in which--
(1) total outlays do not exceed total receipts; and
(2) total outlays do not exceed 18 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States for the calendar year ending before the beginning of such fiscal year.
Section 4. Any bill that imposes a new tax or increases the statutory rate of any tax or the aggregate amount of revenue may pass only by a two-thirds majority of the duly chosen and sworn Members of each House of Congress by a roll call vote. For the purpose of determining any increase in revenue under this section, there shall be excluded any increase resulting from the lowering of the statutory rate of any tax.
Section 5. The limit on the debt of the United States shall not be increased, unless three-fifths of the duly chosen and sworn Members of each House of Congress shall provide for such an increase by a roll call vote.
Section 6. The Congress may waive the provisions of sections 1, 2, 3, and 5 of this article for any fiscal year in which a declaration of war against a nation-state is in effect and in which a majority of the duly chosen and sworn Members of each House of Congress shall provide for a specific excess by a roll call vote.
Section 7. The Congress may waive the provisions of sections 1, 2, 3, and 5 of this article in any fiscal year in which the United States is engaged in a military conflict that causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security and is so declared by three-fifths of the duly chosen and sworn Members of each House of Congress by a roll call vote. Such suspension must identify and be limited to the specific excess of outlays for that fiscal year made necessary by the identified military conflict.
Section 8. No court of the United States or of any State shall order any increase in revenue to enforce this article.
Section 9. Total receipts shall include all receipts of the United States Government except those derived from borrowing. Total outlays shall include all outlays of the United States Government except those for repayment of debt principal.
Section 10. The Congress shall have power to enforce and implement this article by appropriate legislation, which may rely on estimates of outlays, receipts, and gross domestic product.
Section 11. This article shall take effect beginning with the fifth fiscal year beginning after its ratification.
AMENDMENT XXXII (Term Limits)
Section 1. No person shall serve in the office of Senator more than twice, and no person who has held the office of Senator, or acted as Senator, for more than two years of a term to which some other person served as Senator shall serve in the office of the Senator more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of Senator when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of Senator, or acting as Senator, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of Senator or acting as Senator during the remainder of such term. Senators currently serving at the time of ratification of this article will be subject to this article at the time of their next election.
Section 2. No person shall be elected to the office of Representative more than four times, and no person who has held the office of Representative, or acted as Representative, for more than one year of a term to which some other person was elected Representative shall be elected to the office of the Representative more than three times. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of Representative when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of Representative, or acting as Representative, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of Representative or acting as Representative during the remainder of such term. Representatives currently serving at the time of ratification of this article will be subject to this article at the time of their next election.
Thanks. That’s the best political news I have seen in a while. I hope it succeeds, although I fear we have already past the tipping point where the takers out number the givers. I think going Galt only feeds into what the Alinskyites want, so secession would be the next step. I have no faith in the 1 1/2 party system (at best) that we currently have.
How about a couple of simple laws?
Any member of Congress that votes for a tax increase is barred from running for another term.
Congress may not exempt itself from any law of the land. Make the ACA applicable to congress. This includes slander and libel laws. This would shut the left up in a hurry.
Congress will not vote to limit its power. It has to be yanked from their greedy little, corrupt fingers.
Only an Article V. Convention of States can restore our Constitution now. Washington is the problem; it will never self-correct. The over-reaching executive branch, Congress and judiciary are OUT OF CONTROL.
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.