Posted on 06/29/2012 10:32:59 AM PDT by buffaloguy
I think it is time for the states to call for a Constitutional Convention. The Congress, the Executive and now the Supreme Court has overstepped their bounds.
For my first amendment:
Each Justice of the Supreme Court shall serve two terms only of two years duration. They shall stand for election by vote of the Electoral College.
Comments: As we see in this SCOTUS decision, the SCOTUS can do so much damage in such a short period that their terms should be reviewed every two years.
Additional Amendment:
Neither the Congress, nor the Executive nor the Courts in aggregate shall expend nor cause to be expended more than 15.6% of Gross Domestic Product in any one year, except in time of war. "Time of War" in this context shall be defined as those armed conflicts in which a Declaration of War has been passed by both Houses of Congress.
Comments: 15.6% has been judged to be an optimal tax rate: Minimum effect on business and maximum contribution to government coffers. This also requires Social Security to be taken from any government control and privatized so that the individual may manage their own accounts. Current returns on SS amounts to 1.4%. Bad, really bad.
What amendments would you like to see passed?
BuffaloGuy
Yep. We’d get a document that eliminates the 2nd Amendment, enshrines abortion and environmental moonbattery, requires “fairness” in everything except as it relates to our elected overlords, etc.
I think we should try a Constitutional Convention. If it doesn’t fly, then we do have one other option. I agree with you and I want my child to grow up in the constitutional republic that our framers intended for Us to have.
ConCon would end in total disaster and catastrophe.
There is ONE fix that would correct soooo much of this crap.
REPEAL THE 17TH AMENDMENT.
If you understand republican government, think through what returning SELECTION of senators by the states TO the states.
The progressives knew what they were doing when they jammed through the 17th and drove a stake through the heart of the process of the individual states selecting senators, by having senators ELECTED by popular vote.
Think about it. The best example of the result of repealing the 17th is that it would probably put an end to the likes of Chucky Schmuky Chumer. He keeps getting re-elected because of the all the dumb a$$es in Manhattan and Buffalo. The rest of New York state be damned. If the New York state legislature were to make that decision, the voices of the rest of the state would have a far greater impact. Not saying they would always do the right thing, but it would go a long way toward crippling career senators. Like Dingy Harry.
A senator’s term would be valid only until a new governor would take office. And most governors of most states are term limited.
The Senate approves judges. The Senate puts impeached judges and presidents on trial. The Senate, populated by people beholden to the states themselves and not illegal alien voters (think that fish faced wannabe commie-dian from Minnesota, Al Frumpen)would be able to fight back against the tyrant.
End of rant.
Another amendment which might have a good effect:
The Congress will meet in a regular 140-day session every two years, convening on the second Tuesday in January of every odd-numbered year. The President can also call additional special sessions as necessary, which cannot exceed 30 days.
This is the Texas plan.... it works.
I propose the path in the D.O.I
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
The 17th amendment does need to be repealed: It turned Senators from being “State Animals” to them being “Federal Animals”. They now work for the Feds, not the states.
Want to know what a Constitutional Convention would look like?
Read this:
http://enemiesforeignanddomestic.com/FESP.htm
I’ve had this thought many times before. But consider what happened when the European Union tried to write one several years ago. A total mess. No one could agree, and so the elites wrote a phone book full of micromanagement, which was rejected. The same thing would happen to us.
I would prefer a partition, with those who wished to live by the Bible and the U.S. Constitution could live in the larger landmass, and the freaks, welfare creeps, misfits, feminists, anarchists and lawyers could all go to California and stay there. One day it will fall into the ocean.
No offense to California freepers. Just reverse the process that got you there — Eastward Ho!
The only earthly solution.
What could they possibly add beyond literally everything that Dictator John Roberts has already “added”?
This is not merely a good idea, it is an essential idea if we are to have ANY limits at all upon the government.
At least in Convention Our states are equal and reserve the right to withdraw as individuals. The union thus can be said for that moment alone to have the consent of the governed.
Replaced the current income tax with a flat income tax with a permantently capped 10% tax rate. The rate can only go between 0.00% and 10.00%. Then on every single tax return there is a form you fill out to decide where your tax money goes to as broken down between national defense, infrastructure, welfare, etc.... Also make withholding taxes from paychecks illegal and make taxes due every quarter.
IN addition if a government program doesn’t get enough money it has to downsize the next quarter. If the program gets more money than it has budgeted it MUST refund that money back to the tax payer.
That would keep taxes down and defund unpopular government programs.
I use to think that it was too dangerous as well but after recent rulings and a President that is not held accountable. Things have gotten out of hand, this system doesn't appear to be working. So does it really that it is a great document when our leaders don't follow it.
“Term limits for Senate and House.
The only earthly solution.”
Not nearly enough, the senate will still be comprised of Federal agents lawlessly voting away our rights according to the passions of power & mob.
And 14th Amd.
It could also use amendments:
-- Prohibiting the congress from assuming any debts which would cause the total debts to exceed, say, 110% of the physical monies in the treasury.
-- Defining the dollar in terms of a weight of [very pure] gold, and exempting that weight from being modified by Congress's ability to regulate weights.
-- Allowing for a "jury of states" to overturn USSC rulings; or perhaps some mechanism for them to force the USSC to re-hear cases.
-- Explicitly limiting, or otherwise removing the commerce clause.
-- Repealing the 11th(?) Amendment and instituting a run-off pool wherein a congressman leaving the house in an election not won forfeits his further votes thereon. (preventing the same deadlock with Jefferson/Burr[?]) This would also restore the runner-up for president as VP.
“Term limits for Senate and House.
The only earthly solution.”
Not nearly enough, the senate will still be comprised of Federal agents lawlessly voting away our rights according to the passions of power & mob.
We need a competitive power interest in the senate to keep power local! Only by having power local can we as individuals defend our rights practically and continuously with our feet.
Repeal the 17th amendment and make the Senate ambassadors of State Governments. Let our own State government’s greed for power serve as that constant force to keep Washington respectful of our self-government rights.
I like your amendments!
I would add Repeal the 16th Amendment and enact the FairTax:
http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_faq
And we suffer an attenuated belief in the moral absolutes on which that rule of law was based; and that they are codified in the Bible, which is a book of prophecy as well as history. Its final outcomes have not yet unfolded.
As Tocqueville and Adams noted, our system can only work if we are a virtuous people.
A peaceful “partition of the country” in order to keep the ratio of “represented/representatives” at a better ratio.
Unites States of Atlantica - eastern seaboard, new england, great lakes.
United States of America - Heartland, South, Texas, and florida, Capital located Texas or Omaha.
United States of Pacifica - Washington to California, Nevada and Arizona, Hawaii and Alaska, Capital in San Fransisco.
I disagree, Buffaloguy. As it currently stands, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the Constitution and that is the only situation I can see that would justify a new Constitutional convention. All our Constitution needs is a few relatively minor tweaks.
First, do you really want today’s crop of professional politicians (see my tagline) writing or adapting a new Constitution? They are the folks responsible for circumventing and corrupting the Constitution that we have. The Founders were a group of brilliant, honorable men who tried to consider every possible contingency in the document we have. Unfortunately, they never considered the avarice, immoral and greed for power and wealth that today’s crop of dishonorable politicians (at EVERY level and across all party lines) bear universally.
According to the Federalist Papers, one of the protections inherent in the Constitution that the Founders observed was the balance of power. That balance of power not only included the 3 branches of government, but it also included a balance between the citizens and the central government (2nd Amendment). Another unwritten provision of the Constitution that the Founders discuss in the Federalist Papers is the right of the states to secede from the Union. While secession is a hot button among most Americans (many of whom are STILL fighting the Civil War) it, nonetheless, remains an option.
I would prefer to see the governors of the 26 states that sued over ObamaCare secede from the Union first. This will force a confrontation that will result in one of two things - Obama will back down, or we go to Civil War, the Sequel. We are already seeing some of the first signs of this looming confrontation in the way that Obama has gone after Arizona. Given zero’s ego and his belief that he is the reincarnation of Lincoln (if not Mohammed, the pedophile), I have no doubt that we will end up with the second option. IMO, we are headed that way, anyway, as a means to correct the course of the ship of state.
Congress, long ago figured out how to write laws that were difficult, at best, to overturn. So, IMO, we will have a marginal impact by trying to correct the course of our wandering country by going to the ballot box this fall. After the 2010 elections, the Tea Party candidates we worked so hard to get elected, complained bitterly that they and their efforts were being undermined by the Establishment GOP who, essentially, threatened that any efforts the Tea Party candidates made to change the status quo in Washington, would be met with stiff reistance - not only from the Democrats, but from the eGOP. They have a system that is corrupt and perverted and just changing the players doesn’t fix the system.
So, for those reasons, I think that a new Constitutional convention will not fix the problem and will, instead, take a bad situation and make it worse. If you look at my profile, I have a list of thngs I think are necessary tweaks for our existing Constitution.
Thanks for letting me expound on these issues in this rant.
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.