It’s time to convene our 2nd Constitutional Convention.
I’ve long supported radical changes to how “We the People” govern ourselves, such as choosing our representatives by lottery (credit to Harry Reasoner for suggesting it while working with Howard K. Smith at ABC – Harry may have suggested it with tongue in cheek, but I became a strong advocate after I stopped laughing). Although Mr. Jefferson and our founding fathers wisely recognized the need and included the means to change our constitution, they never envisioned the complexity and scope of changes that might be necessary. In this era of political gridlock, effective amendments to our Constitution are no longer practical because 38 states must ratify to change the law of the land and those that do get passed are largely ineffective. When is the last time “We the People” chose a President with 75% of the popular vote? ANSWER: Lyndon Johnson set the record with 61.1% of the popular vote in 1964. Getting 75% of the states to agree on a constitutional amendment is obviously easier than a Presidential Candidate getting 75% of the popular vote, but isn’t It time to reduce or eliminate gridlock and re-take higher moral ground? This is where I introduce my current campaign:
Eliminate the bicameral legislature and shed some burdensome gridlock.
Isn’t it ironic that our 27th (and most recent) amendment concerns compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives? How necessary and effective was the 27th considering most Congressional compensation comes from lobbyists and honorariums. The really smart, insightful ones, such as President Clinton, are able to enrich themselves in the finest traditions of the American culture of greed and self-indulgence. Of the other 5 amendments passed since WWII, 3 pertain to voting rights and 2 clarify the office of the President.
The governing topic du jour today is about the Federal Budget. Why hasn’t congressional compensation been categorized as one of those useless “entitlement programs?” Come on now all you tea partiers, why isn’t eliminating congressional compensation one of your entitlement reduction core values? Representing the people in making laws and passing a Federal Budget should be such an honor to make compensation unnecessary – great volunteer work for any true patriot. How better to serve our nation?
By law, the President is required to submit his annual budget for the next fiscal year to not later than February 7th. The House and Senate then begin committee hearings to develop their own, independent version of a budget resolution. How could we expect them to work together to develop one mutually agreed budget? They can’t even agree within their respective chambers. So they continue to develop their own authorization and appropriations bills (both must eventually be resolved in conference committees to become acts). The final appropriation bill enactment is required by law to be completed by the start of the new fiscal year (October 1st every year). But the trend in recent years has been to more and more frequently pass a continuing resolution to keep the government in operation. In some years impasses (gridlock) have forced certain elements of the government to shut down and/or some government employees and contractors to be furloughed. Most often, once an appropriation bill is enacted, all moneys owed to the impacted workers have been restored, effectively paying them for work not performed because Congress had failed to do their job and deliver a comprehensive appropriation act on time. Congress has only proven ineffective in representing themselves and their successors. So, paying Congressional salaries is tantamount to rewarding them for not doing their job (though they have been very effective in looking out for Congress no matter how poorly they perform).
If they can’t do the job they were elected to do, then throw the scoundrels out and get rid of the bicameral legislative branch of our government. Fewer elected representatives in a single parliamentary assembly would reduce Congressional salaries, Federal Budgets deficits and gridlock. Let the voice of the people be heard and the will of the people be upheld. Dump the Senate and have our legislative branch represented strictly based on population. In case you hadn’t noticed, the case for states’ rights was radically restricted in a nasty little war about a century and a half ago. At least we know that the right to secede is not in inherent right granted to states.
This is a call for a new constitutional convention.
Secured by