The government of the United States is broken. The Senate is dysfunctional and the Senators who represent states not people (at least not proportionally) won’t fix it. So it becomes a brake on doing what the people’s House wants done. The Supreme Court has become again, as it was in the 1850's and the 1930's, the bastion of conservative orthodoxy and the opponent of popular democracy. With the Citizens United decision, and what will probably be the crushing of Health Care reform, following the tradition of the Bush-Gore recount case, the Supreme Court has now become a third partisan political branch of the federal government.
All our elected offices are now up for the highest bidder. Money in incredible amounts determines 99% of our elections. There is talk of the President needing $1 billion to run a re-election campaign. And it is not unheard of for campaigns for state legislative seats to cost from $250,000 to $500,000.
When the U.S. Confederation government was broken in 1787 the nation’s most prominent leaders called a constitutional convention and proposed a new form of government; which was ultimately ratified by the people of the separate states through conventions called solely for that purpose with delegates chosen by universal white male suffrage (an expansion of the then limited franchise).
When the U.S. union was broken in 1857-9 it was ultimately remade after a horrendous civil war, that cost 600,000 lives, and the constitution substantively amended by the 14th amendment that essentially made the federal republic one united nation.
When the U.S. economy was broken in 1929-33 the electoral process brought a complete change in all branches of government and once the Supreme Court oldsters got out of the way the American system of capitalism was saved and a social safety network put in place “to protect the American people from the vagaries of the economic system” (FDR.)
The question now, as we enter the second decade of the 21st century, is how i.e. by what process and in what manner, do we fix our broken system.
America today needs a leader like George Washington who can transcend political parties and bring groups together to fix our broken system. That can be done either by calling a new Constitutional Convention or mobilizing people to pressure Congress and the State Legislatures to enact the necessary changes.
Some of those changes could be:
n The direct election of the President by the people without the anachronistic electoral college
n A six year term for President with no re-election thereby reducing the value to the opposition party of devoting its’ time to taking down the President.
n A line item veto for the President, as envisioned in the original language of the constitution, which would go far to ending the abuse of earmarks and Christmas tree legislation
n A majority-vote run Senate with it clear that only specified actions, e.g. treaties would require any super majority
n Term limits of ten years (with one reappointment allowed) for Justices of the Supreme Court; and twelve years of service allowed to Senators and Representatives – 2 terms for the former and 6 terms for the latter
n A required federal balanced budget allowing for deficits of no more than 10% of the GDP (with a 60% vote of both houses)
n Clear and concise language as to personal rights and civil rights for all citizens
And we should adopt an idea proposed by James Madison in 1787 that the federal government should have the right to override a state action when that action or law was detrimental to the interests of the Union.
These constitutional changes should be submitted for approval to conventions elected by all the people of the states in order to form an even more perfect Union – One united national government. To those who say that our system is broken because it is too democratic I respond with Al Smith “the only cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy”.
3-23-2011
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