Reform 4: The Joe Biden Amendment

Proposal:

Repeal any mention of the Vice Presidency.  The order of succession should be speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, roll through the cabinet, and then go through the congress in some order.  The President of the Senate shall be selected by the Senate as the Speaker of the House is selected by the House.

Rationale:

Joe Biden. One. Heartbeat. Away.

The Vice Presidency is the most highly overrated position in the universe.  Just make it go away.

Reform 3: Sunrise Clause

REFORM 3: SUNRISE CLAUSE

Proposed Amendment:

The House and Senate shall not vote for final passage of any legislation until that pending legislation has been available to the public for review in its final form for at least 30 calendar days.  Any change to the pending legislation shall require 30 day review.  No change shall be made to passed legislation except by additional legislation passed in accordance with this clause.

and to provide for real emergencies:

The president may engage in actions authorized by pending legislation for 40 days.  If the pending legislation is not passed by the end of the 40 day period, the president shall cease and desist further action.

The president may use military asset and military force for a period of 10 days in response to emergency involving disasters or attacks on the sovereign territory of the US or attacks on US flag assets or US citizens outside US territory.    If legislation supporting the action is not pending after ten days the president shall cease and desist further action.

Rationale:

Think Obamacare Clause.  No more gigantic, oppressive laws passed unread in the middle of the night.  period.  The ten day delay is the new War Powers Act.

Reform 2: Sunset Clause

I just thought of this one recently.

Proposed amendment:

Every law shall expire and be stricken from the federal statutes no more than 40 years from the date of passage.  Amendments to a law shall not extend the expiration date of the original law.

Rationale:  We are governed by dead people.  One of the contributors to the proliferation of laws is that they NEVER go away, no matter how outdated or archaic they may be.  Forty years prevents excessive amounts of churn and resulting regime uncertainty.  Under my term limits, Congress will have gone through three to four generations of legislators and ten presidents.  Surely after that it’s time to reconsider old legislation.

Reform 1: Term Limits

Proposed amendment:

• Members of the House of Representatives shall serve for no more than five two year terms.
• Senators shall serve one six year terms.
• The President shall serve for one four year term and may serve up to two additional years if  completing an earlier term.
• Supreme Court Justices shall serve ine nine year term.
• No executive of any federal agency shall hold a single position for more than ten years.

Rationale:

Unlimited tenure has all but destroyed Congress as a representative body.  Instead of 554 representatives, Congress represents maybe a dozen districts represented by the senior members who are speaker, majority leader, or committee chairs.  I didn’t elect Harry Reid to be Viceroy of the Senate.

The pundits talk about the second term curse for presidents.  Here’s the solution.  No second term.  The President is the caretaker of the executive branch.  I NEVER voted for ANYONE to rebuild MY country to THEIR vision.  Military commanders rotate every two to three years.  President is Commander and Chief of the military and can work with four.

I used to say the SCOTUS justices should serve 18 years to make it so a president can’t pack the court.  With a single term, the president can’t pack the court except in the  unusual circumstance of filling an uncompleted term.  Therefore justices need only stay nine years.

Reforming the Federal Empire

There is a bunch of talk about secession nowadays.  Here’s my thought on the matter:

“…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, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”, T. Jefferson

It is not necessary to declare independence from the United States.  It is only necessary to re-affirm the original Declaration and alter or abolish government created by the 1987 Constitution.  This is actually more straightforward than it sounds.  Like the Phoenix, the 1787 Constitution provides for it to rise from its own ashes.   Article V provides the mechanism for creating another Constitutional Convention.  The risk that a Constitutional Convention might exceed its mandate (as happened in 1787) needs to be balanced against…so?  The Federal Republic has become The Federal Empire, conquering everything in its path.  What could a new convention do that would be worse than what exists now?

There is also the fact that the threat of a Constitutional Convention has successfully forced Congress to pass proposed constitutional amendments.  That would work too.

So, starting with that…I’m going to explore government reforms.  And by reform, I mean amendment proposals.  Because the purpose of the Constitution is to reign in the government.