I'm late to the game on this but I need something to post to let people know I'm still alive. Sorry folks, it has been a very trying week. My fiancee's grandmother died last week and she has been away until yesterday tying up her affairs and I've been the defender of the dingo and domicile.
This past Monday's vet appointment for his blood sugar check was very bad. Fate was smiling on us that day because if it had been any other day under similar circumstances, he would have been dead. His blood sugar was 33mg/dl, which is comatose levels in a human. Because we check him without food or insulin, we caught it. Still, he was very touch-and-go through the day. Very terrifying.
I'm not ashamed to say for my strength of conviction and so-called "heartless conservatism" in other areas, they are balanced by the fact I care deeply for those close to me including my pets. Had it been any other day, I would have given him that insulin shot and with those levels that low, he would have passed away before we got home. I would have never forgiven myself.
This is the stuff my nightmares are made of. So I hope you understand the silence from my end. I'm on pins and needles with Foster right now and I'm just glad he's back to his normal self.
My weak justifications aside, let's play. Here is Uncle's challenge:
Suppose you were elected Temporary Supreme Dictator of America.
What are 10 laws you would pass/repeal or government programs you would create/tear down? (Assume that you are in office for however long it would take to do these things and that any changes you make will remain in place after you leave office.)
Here are my 10 laws. Some of this will be familiar and repeated by others. Hopefully, some will be foolishly unique to me.
1) Rewrite the 2nd Amendment. It shall read "The Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms Shall Never Be Infringed. Congress shall pass no law infringing the exercise of this right and no system of registration, licensing or taxation in any form against this shall permitted by any political or government entity of the United States. Arms is defined as "any personal weapon that may be carried by any individual soldier into battle, past, present or future. This includes machine guns.". Explosive devices, artillery and any other area effect weapon may be regulated in what ever manner deemed acceptable by the People but such shall never be prohibited or banned from their possession by regulatory or judicial means. The States shall have no power to regulate the exercise of this right by the People within their borders.".
Translation: Congress will have no authority to regulate or control the possession of past, current or future infantry type small arms. I am removing the "well-regulated militia" part because I want the gun control groups buried once and for all on this "collective rights" nonsense. I know, this is a lot longer and lot less elegant but I want it to be known that being armed is your right and the Government shall never have the power in any form to take it away.
I leave open the option for regulating explosive devices, artillery, etc as needed similar to the NFA today but with no possibility for a future Lautenberg Amendment or local/State bans. That's what the last line does. Essentially, this codifies into the Constitution the provisions of 18 USC 926(a) into the law of the land. It's a real sticking point with me that we have a law that says no political entity of the United States may have a system of firearm or gun owner registration and yet many do today. Not under my watch.
Note that this also means that open or concealed carry of any firearm anywhere by anyone is perfectly legal with no possibility of local control. The last sentence guarantees that. If you can't be trusted with a gun in any public place, you can't be trusted in society period.
2) Repeal all existing gun laws.
Work with Congress to establish a new set of laws specifically for the aforementioned explosive devices and area effect weapons. Since I'm the dictator, my guidance shall be considered highly influential. Other than that, existing laws against murder, rape, robbery and general mayhem should be sufficient to cover any crime committed with any weapon, firearms included. It's not the tool, it's the criminal.
3) Repeal the 17th Amendment.
I agree with many others that this amendment broke a lot of the balance of power in our system of government. The Founders were smart men, I will not second-guess them here.
4) Add an amendment that states: "Any bill under consideration by Congress may only contain language germane to its stated purpose. It shall be unlawful for any member of Congress or the Senate to introduce an amendment to any bill not related to its direct, stated purpose. In addition, each bill shall contain a clause containing the Constitutional authority that would permit the bill to stand. Any representative found to be introducing non-germane amendments to a bill shall be summarily removed from office. All bills signed into law expire automatically within 5 years unless specifically re-enacted by Congress and no such re-enactment shall exceed 10 years.".
This fixes another big pet peeve of mine in our current system of government. Specifically, the overreach of power by Congress. Since the Constitution will bar inappropriate amendments, there is no need for me to have a Constitutional amendment granted the President a line-item veto.
The lack of an ability to pass a permanent law will also act as a natural brake on creeping governmentalism. Congress will have to spend a good portion of its time reenacting various statutes. By doing so, this minimizes the amount of trouble they can cause for the country-at-large. A government doing nothing productive (by their terms) is a good one for the People.
The Constitutional authority requirement ought to be obvious. Kind of puts an end to the "commerce clause" bullshit too and pretty much makes most Government activity beyond national defense, proper interstate commerce regulation, fair and equal justice and national infrastructure beyond the control of the Federal government.
Just as it should be.
5) My last Constitutional amendment shall read: "Congress shall be authorized to levy a tax on the People and their businesses to not exceed 12 percent of their income without exception. Bills authorizing progressive taxation are only permitted if passed by the 2/3rds majority of both Congress and the Senate and shall automatically expire within 5 years of enactment and no extensions shall be permitted. Only one progressive tax act shall be allowed in any 10 year period.".
This one is not mine. This is courtesy of David Weber from his Honor Harrington series of novels. In other words, a 12% flat tax across the board and the only way to have a progressive tax structure is if it passes by a supermajority in both Houses. And it will automatically expire and only one can be passed per decade. This is to prevent another progressive tax from being debated and enacted on the heels of an expiring one and essentially replicating our existing system over time. The American people will get a Constitutionally mandated "tax holiday" at least 5 years out of every 10.
Naturally, the end result of Amendments 28 through 31 will be a much smaller IRS, a virtually non-existent ATF. No need for me to disband them. They'll just atrophy away under the new laws of the land and perhaps then those worked for them will find honest work.
Now onto my edicts and laws...
6) Tort reform. No suit shall be brought by any lawyer on a "contingency basis". Anyone may sue anyone for anything but they'll pay upfront. In the event a lawsuit is found to be frivolous, the filer of said suit shall pay all costs. Those who file numerous such suits (more than 3 in a row and are overturned) shall be imprisoned for a period not exceeding 2 years for each offense.
This ought to cut down big time on people being sue-happy. I want to make sure folks think long and hard about filing nuisance or lottery lawsuits in the hopes of a payday settlement.
In that vein...
7) The Government shall by limited to a maximum of one million dollars in total costs, direct or indirect, without exception in any criminal or civil action brought under its auspices by any agency.
This is to try and limit how much damage a Government prosecution can do to individuals since individuals do not have the essentially limitless resources the Government has in pursuing an action. One million may seem like a lot but it is a damn sight better than 50 million or more. This one can probably do with some rework but since I'm dictator, my Rod of Guidance should be more than sufficient to steer the results I intend towards reality.
8) No sovereign immunity for Government employees or public servants in case of gross misconduct or negligence in discharge of their duties.
I agree with Uncle on this one.
9) End all welfare programs including Social Security.
That's what private charities are for and they did well for centuries before such social programs. As a concession, Social Security shall be funded for anyone who is 50 or over right now. The rest are on the their own.
Unlike Uncle, I wouldn't refund previous Social Security "contributions". That is a form of "pay it forward". But it ends now. There will be no more Social Security or Medicare/Medicaid deductions on your paycheck. You take that money home taxed at the 12% flat rate.
And lastly, I lied. There is one more Amendment to the Constitution:
10) Voting franchise shall be granted to any US citizen 18 years of age or older if and only if they have completed a satisfactory term of service or enrollment of no minimum of four(4) years in one of the following institutions:
This past Monday's vet appointment for his blood sugar check was very bad. Fate was smiling on us that day because if it had been any other day under similar circumstances, he would have been dead. His blood sugar was 33mg/dl, which is comatose levels in a human. Because we check him without food or insulin, we caught it. Still, he was very touch-and-go through the day. Very terrifying.
I'm not ashamed to say for my strength of conviction and so-called "heartless conservatism" in other areas, they are balanced by the fact I care deeply for those close to me including my pets. Had it been any other day, I would have given him that insulin shot and with those levels that low, he would have passed away before we got home. I would have never forgiven myself.
This is the stuff my nightmares are made of. So I hope you understand the silence from my end. I'm on pins and needles with Foster right now and I'm just glad he's back to his normal self.
My weak justifications aside, let's play. Here is Uncle's challenge:
Suppose you were elected Temporary Supreme Dictator of America.
What are 10 laws you would pass/repeal or government programs you would create/tear down? (Assume that you are in office for however long it would take to do these things and that any changes you make will remain in place after you leave office.)
Here are my 10 laws. Some of this will be familiar and repeated by others. Hopefully, some will be foolishly unique to me.
1) Rewrite the 2nd Amendment. It shall read "The Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms Shall Never Be Infringed. Congress shall pass no law infringing the exercise of this right and no system of registration, licensing or taxation in any form against this shall permitted by any political or government entity of the United States. Arms is defined as "any personal weapon that may be carried by any individual soldier into battle, past, present or future. This includes machine guns.". Explosive devices, artillery and any other area effect weapon may be regulated in what ever manner deemed acceptable by the People but such shall never be prohibited or banned from their possession by regulatory or judicial means. The States shall have no power to regulate the exercise of this right by the People within their borders.".
Translation: Congress will have no authority to regulate or control the possession of past, current or future infantry type small arms. I am removing the "well-regulated militia" part because I want the gun control groups buried once and for all on this "collective rights" nonsense. I know, this is a lot longer and lot less elegant but I want it to be known that being armed is your right and the Government shall never have the power in any form to take it away.
I leave open the option for regulating explosive devices, artillery, etc as needed similar to the NFA today but with no possibility for a future Lautenberg Amendment or local/State bans. That's what the last line does. Essentially, this codifies into the Constitution the provisions of 18 USC 926(a) into the law of the land. It's a real sticking point with me that we have a law that says no political entity of the United States may have a system of firearm or gun owner registration and yet many do today. Not under my watch.
Note that this also means that open or concealed carry of any firearm anywhere by anyone is perfectly legal with no possibility of local control. The last sentence guarantees that. If you can't be trusted with a gun in any public place, you can't be trusted in society period.
2) Repeal all existing gun laws.
Work with Congress to establish a new set of laws specifically for the aforementioned explosive devices and area effect weapons. Since I'm the dictator, my guidance shall be considered highly influential. Other than that, existing laws against murder, rape, robbery and general mayhem should be sufficient to cover any crime committed with any weapon, firearms included. It's not the tool, it's the criminal.
3) Repeal the 17th Amendment.
I agree with many others that this amendment broke a lot of the balance of power in our system of government. The Founders were smart men, I will not second-guess them here.
4) Add an amendment that states: "Any bill under consideration by Congress may only contain language germane to its stated purpose. It shall be unlawful for any member of Congress or the Senate to introduce an amendment to any bill not related to its direct, stated purpose. In addition, each bill shall contain a clause containing the Constitutional authority that would permit the bill to stand. Any representative found to be introducing non-germane amendments to a bill shall be summarily removed from office. All bills signed into law expire automatically within 5 years unless specifically re-enacted by Congress and no such re-enactment shall exceed 10 years.".
This fixes another big pet peeve of mine in our current system of government. Specifically, the overreach of power by Congress. Since the Constitution will bar inappropriate amendments, there is no need for me to have a Constitutional amendment granted the President a line-item veto.
The lack of an ability to pass a permanent law will also act as a natural brake on creeping governmentalism. Congress will have to spend a good portion of its time reenacting various statutes. By doing so, this minimizes the amount of trouble they can cause for the country-at-large. A government doing nothing productive (by their terms) is a good one for the People.
The Constitutional authority requirement ought to be obvious. Kind of puts an end to the "commerce clause" bullshit too and pretty much makes most Government activity beyond national defense, proper interstate commerce regulation, fair and equal justice and national infrastructure beyond the control of the Federal government.
Just as it should be.
5) My last Constitutional amendment shall read: "Congress shall be authorized to levy a tax on the People and their businesses to not exceed 12 percent of their income without exception. Bills authorizing progressive taxation are only permitted if passed by the 2/3rds majority of both Congress and the Senate and shall automatically expire within 5 years of enactment and no extensions shall be permitted. Only one progressive tax act shall be allowed in any 10 year period.".
This one is not mine. This is courtesy of David Weber from his Honor Harrington series of novels. In other words, a 12% flat tax across the board and the only way to have a progressive tax structure is if it passes by a supermajority in both Houses. And it will automatically expire and only one can be passed per decade. This is to prevent another progressive tax from being debated and enacted on the heels of an expiring one and essentially replicating our existing system over time. The American people will get a Constitutionally mandated "tax holiday" at least 5 years out of every 10.
Naturally, the end result of Amendments 28 through 31 will be a much smaller IRS, a virtually non-existent ATF. No need for me to disband them. They'll just atrophy away under the new laws of the land and perhaps then those worked for them will find honest work.
Now onto my edicts and laws...
6) Tort reform. No suit shall be brought by any lawyer on a "contingency basis". Anyone may sue anyone for anything but they'll pay upfront. In the event a lawsuit is found to be frivolous, the filer of said suit shall pay all costs. Those who file numerous such suits (more than 3 in a row and are overturned) shall be imprisoned for a period not exceeding 2 years for each offense.
This ought to cut down big time on people being sue-happy. I want to make sure folks think long and hard about filing nuisance or lottery lawsuits in the hopes of a payday settlement.
In that vein...
7) The Government shall by limited to a maximum of one million dollars in total costs, direct or indirect, without exception in any criminal or civil action brought under its auspices by any agency.
This is to try and limit how much damage a Government prosecution can do to individuals since individuals do not have the essentially limitless resources the Government has in pursuing an action. One million may seem like a lot but it is a damn sight better than 50 million or more. This one can probably do with some rework but since I'm dictator, my Rod of Guidance should be more than sufficient to steer the results I intend towards reality.
8) No sovereign immunity for Government employees or public servants in case of gross misconduct or negligence in discharge of their duties.
I agree with Uncle on this one.
9) End all welfare programs including Social Security.
That's what private charities are for and they did well for centuries before such social programs. As a concession, Social Security shall be funded for anyone who is 50 or over right now. The rest are on the their own.
Unlike Uncle, I wouldn't refund previous Social Security "contributions". That is a form of "pay it forward". But it ends now. There will be no more Social Security or Medicare/Medicaid deductions on your paycheck. You take that money home taxed at the 12% flat rate.
And lastly, I lied. There is one more Amendment to the Constitution:
10) Voting franchise shall be granted to any US citizen 18 years of age or older if and only if they have completed a satisfactory term of service or enrollment of no minimum of four(4) years in one of the following institutions:
- Any branch of the United States Armed Forces, National Guard, Reserves, Coast Guard or Merchant Marine
- Any State militia unit
- Any US government authorized volunteer public service organization
Such franchise shall be revoked upon conviction of any crime involving imprisonment and shall be restored upon a successful application by the convicted person only after five(5) years from release.
Sorry, of all the philosophical concepts that I have taken away is the one espoused by Robert Heinlein in the concept that sovereign franchise should be earned, not bestowed. Too many people take for granted the highest right and the use of political force in this country. As a citizen-to-be denied this right, I cherish it more than you know. You should have to prove yourself worthy of that right before being allowed to exercise.
I thought about carving out an exception for those who didn't want to serve but decided against it. The last institution is my bending on this issue. I would expect the Government to form some type of service organization to allow those wish to serve the community in some capacity to do so. Think of a domestic Peace Corps. Organizations that lay roads, build houses, dig ditches, volunteer law enforcement, that type of thing but doesn't fall under a military purpose. It has to be voluntary. You give of yourself before you get the right to vote.
I can think of a few more to add here but I'll leave it at the stated 10. Flame away!
Sorry, of all the philosophical concepts that I have taken away is the one espoused by Robert Heinlein in the concept that sovereign franchise should be earned, not bestowed. Too many people take for granted the highest right and the use of political force in this country. As a citizen-to-be denied this right, I cherish it more than you know. You should have to prove yourself worthy of that right before being allowed to exercise.
I thought about carving out an exception for those who didn't want to serve but decided against it. The last institution is my bending on this issue. I would expect the Government to form some type of service organization to allow those wish to serve the community in some capacity to do so. Think of a domestic Peace Corps. Organizations that lay roads, build houses, dig ditches, volunteer law enforcement, that type of thing but doesn't fall under a military purpose. It has to be voluntary. You give of yourself before you get the right to vote.
I can think of a few more to add here but I'll leave it at the stated 10. Flame away!
1 comments:
I would have liked to see you mention the establishment of term limits on all Congressmen!
Beyond that, I approve of your list.
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