Who's Future

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Impeach George Bush

Who's Future

Source: Robbie Lindauer, 2007-02-06

Candidate: Big Government

Perhaps at one time there was a theory that it was possible to have a fair democracy - that votes, on average, would count in favor of the one who actually was held in the highest regard by the actual citizenry. But as we've found in other countries, democracy can be subverted by death squads, and in this country, by poll taxes and voting machine fraud.

And of course, simply not allowing workers to take time off to vote!

In any case, the idea of a representative government, where the power of the many is invested into the hands of the few, has come to either have not enough checks and balances and/or too much power vested even in the lowliest positions to make the system workable.

Here's what I mean. A Public Servant, such as a police officer, has a duty to "protect and serve" and yet 99% of the public interactions with police officers is not in the roll of protector but as nuisance or insurance adjustor. And yet the police hold power, the power that follows holding a gun out in the open and weilding it shamelessly. And this power is held outside of the direct control of the voters. As a result, the power is constantly and sometimes eggregiously abused. Policemen regularly run red lights without their lights flashing, they regularly exceed the speed limit, and worse, they regularly collect graft from a variety of sources, steal from evidence cages and their own departments, and abuse their privelege as an officer with the citizenry by taking bribes of various kinds. Not all, but enough. And the police system has a built-in disciplinary system, and policemen, in the end, don't weild that much power.

Higher ranking public officials, Judges, Sheriffs, State Representatives, Congresspeople, Senators and Presidents weild significantly more power and with significantly less constraints. In the case of the police, we have a regularly assigned self-policing system, the "internal affairs" department that deals with police-crimes. What system do we have policing specifically the Administrative Branch of the Federal Government? What system polices the Judiciary looking for evidence of graft? What police system specializes in crimes by Congresspeople at all levels? If there are these police systems, they are at best token. Sure, a senator gets pulled over for drunk driving once and again. But how many people believe that senators take bribes less often than they have a few drinks and drive home?

In short, the amount of power put into the hands of our federal officials has far exceeded any reasonable way of calling them to account either by elections which happen too infrequently (at two years minimum) or by regular and effective policing which is under their own control. As a result, a congressperson, senator, president or judge wields enough power, even with so short a period of office, that they are able to gain a sufficiently unfair advantage over all competitors and in the society-at-large that their risk of punishment as a result of any misdoings is far outweighed by the obviously available gains. And so the temptation for abuse of power is too great to be fairly delegated to any person.

What am I suggesting?

In many of the previous generations (and in some generations several of them) they have seen fit to amend the constitution (and sometimes even when they have not seen fit, the constitution has been amended without our permission, as in the establishment of Federal Taxation!) when it was seen that the constitution no longer fit the needs of these good people of the United States of America. There has been, in the later 20th century a dearth of such amendments, and as a result, our constitution is out of step with the times. It has failed to recognize the radical change that our information age has brought on the nature of information and media and economics, so much so that it is incapable of addressing sufficiently quickly immense state crimes (such as determining the identity of the traders that profited so greatly from shorting airline stocks before 9/11 - the people who know what was going on) because, bluntly, our system is simply incapable of reacting as quickly as necessary to changes in political climate and world events as they develop themselves much more quickly, both within and outside of the state.

So what am I suggesting?

I'm suggesting a major overhaul to our election system.

First, I'm suggesting that congressional term limits be shortened to 2 terms maximum, and that the total length of a congressional term be shortened to 1 year at both the federal and state levels.

Second, I'm suggesting that Senatorial seats be limited to 12 possible 2-year terms.

Third, I'm suggesting that the Vice Presidential Seat be elected democratically by the populace.

Fourth, I'm suggesting that the Delegate System be revoked for presidential elections, and that presidents be elected by a simple majority of the citizenry.

Third, I'm suggesting that there be a National Referendum System akin to that in place in several states (such as Oregon) and that laws passed by National Referendum be irrevocable by congress but subject to review by the Supreme Court. This national Referendum system should be an annual event.

I'm suggesting that the publicly owned airwaves and rental thereof should be rented by major media in exchange for airing public debates by all qualified candidates in every general election and that as a condition of using said airwaves, all major media be required to carry them in their entirety as appropriate to their local jurisdiction - national elections covered everywhere, local elections covered only in their jurisdiction.

I'm suggesting that corporations and foreign individuals be disallowed from donating to election campaign funds. I'm suggesting that no single person be allowed to donate more than $1,000 cumulative per year to all election matters except their own personal election campaign.

I'm suggesting that every election be recounted by 5 distinct independent parties and that if the results of the five parties differ in result (but not substance) that a recount be performed by another 5 parties. In such cases where a recount does not finally resolve the matter, the matter is to be decided by the judiciary of the most local jurisdiction possible.

I'm suggesting that every election be administered solely according to the rules of the local administrations except when fraud or constitutional violations prohibit that right.

I'm suggesting that the Military should be a volunteer only military.

I'm suggesting that there be a constitutional amendment prohibiting the Federal Government from incurring debt.

I'm suggesting that we repeal the 16th amendment and add another forbidding the Federal Government from collecting taxes from citizens of the united states' based on their income and restricting taxation to interstate trade and import/export taxes.

I'm suggesting that we ammend the constition to force it to be read narrowly, meaning that the federal government will only have jurisdiction in those matters specifically spelled out in the constitution and that matters not specifically dealt with in the constitution be left as matters for the various states.

That is, I'm suggesting that we catch our government up with the times.
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User Originated Comments:

From: People today...
2007-02-11 00:00:00
are too asleep to wake up and know what a crazy
world we live in.

and when we do wake,
up we find we don't even have a good reason to
care anymore.

From: new yorker
2007-02-07 00:00:00
amen!!!

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