"Four for the Republic" - a Plan to Save our Republic in 2010
The rapid deterioration of the economic and political stability of the United States is a stunning indictment of the ineptness of both the current administration and a Congress that is out of control and whose hubris apparently has no bounds. It is time for We the People to begin our peaceful ballot revolution. What better way than to elect a new Congress dedicated to working for the People?
Our Constitutional Republic is in grave danger. With the congressional elections of 2006 and 2008, and the election of an anti-capitalist President in 2008, the reigns of government are now firmly in the hands of people who have little regard for constitutional restraint or the survival of our Constitutional Republic.
Apathy toward our Constitution has been growing over the past 100 years, fostered by poorly-educated citizens who have been grossly misled when it comes to U.S. history and understanding our Constitution. We hear nonsense spouted by self-serving politicians about how our Constitution is a "living document" that needs to be "interpreted" for application in modern times.
Rubbish!
Our Constitution lays out the principles of our government. Principles are timeless. They are not to be tampered with to suit the political whims of the times. Our Constitution defines the form and limited power of government while guaranteeing liberty and reserving the greatest power with the People and the States.
Today's federal government has become so bloated with the unconstitutional excesses of the past 100 years that the Constitutional Republic is barely discernible.
Weaknesses in our Constitution have enabled corrupt politicians to adopt the attitude that they can do anything they please because, "who is going to stop us?" It is a fair question, because there really is no mechanism that prevents Congress from operating outside the severe limits to its constitutional power.
A few obvious examples:
There is no constitutional authority under which government can provide health care to citizens.
There is no constitutional authority for government to prohibit the sale of 100-watt filament light bulbs.
There is no constitutional authority for government to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.
These are but a few of the legion of examples where government oversteps its constitutional restraints on power. Those restraints are there for a reason, and it is time for the American people to assert the sanctity of our Constitutional Republic or it will be lost forever in an ever-downward spiral into mediocrity.
How can we take back our country and see that it is never lost again to the power of corrupt politicians?
The People must use the elections of 2010 and 2012 to replace members of Congress with new people who will support these four critically-needed amendments. Ratification of these amendments will stop the socialist madness in its feet and will put an end to all prior congressional transgressions against our Constitution's restraints on federal power.
In the following discussion, please refer to our Constitution for context. Note: Dark red text indicates changes/new material.
Four Amendments to Save our Republic:
Amendment 28 - Equality Amendment (applies to Article I, Section 9):
Congress shall make no law that applies to citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to Senators or Representatives; Congress shall make no law that applies to Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to citizens of the United States. Laws pertaining to compensation under Article 1, Section 6, Paragraph 1, are exempt from this provision.
Interpretation: Amendment 28 would prevent Congress from passing laws from which they exempt themselves and would prohibit them from passing laws that exclusively benefited members of Congress (except for compensation as required by our constitution).
Amendment 29 - Compensation Amendment (applies to Article I, Section 6):
No Senator or Representative shall benefit from a change in compensation passed into law during their term of office.
Interpretation: This amendment prevents members of Congress from voting themselves an increase in compensation during their term of office when the increase was approved.
Amendment 30 - Single Term Amendment (applies to Article 1, Sections 2 and 3):
The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every fourth year by the people of the several States. Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election after the ratification of this amendment, each State's Representatives shall be divided as equally as may be into two classes. The seats of the Representatives of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, so that one-half of each State's Representatives may be chosen every second year. No person shall be elected to the House of Representatives more than once.
No person shall be elected to the Senate more than once.
Interpretation: This amendment changes the term of members of the House of Representatives from two to four years and establishes election of one-half of each state's delegation every two years. It limits House and Senate members to a single term of office. This amendment is the key to assuring members of Congress represent the People, not their own interests. It would eliminate "re-election" politics. It would eliminate the corrupt congressional "seniority" system. It would weaken the power of lobbyists. It would bring down the cost of elections. It would enable more qualified, better caliber people to step forward to serve their country for a single term. It would provide greater assurance that Congress would perform only those duties which it is empowered to perform by our Constitution. It would provide for the type of representative government intended by our Constitution.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall cite from among the specific enumerated powers granted Congress in Article I, Section 8 (Powers of Congress) which of them empower Congress to create the bill. Before a bill can be presented to the president of the United States, it shall first be presented to the Supreme Court of the United States for the sole purpose of affirming or rejecting the cited constitutional authority. A Supreme Court determination shall be made within 60 days of passage of the bill. If the Supreme Court cannot determine the bill is properly authorized under Article 1, Section 8, then the bill shall be returned to the Congress with objection. If the Supreme Court determines the bill is properly authorized under powers granted Congress in Section 8, then it shall be presented to the president of the United States.
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be presented to the Supreme Court of the United States, and shall include a citation for its authority under this Constitution. If the Supreme Court affirms the cited authority, the order, resolution, or vote shall be presented to the president of the United States. If the Supreme Court determines any order, resolution, or vote is not properly authorized by this Constitution, the order, resolution, or vote shall be rejected and returned to Congress with instruction.
Commencing 30 days after ratification of this Amendment, every law, order, resolution, or regulation of the United States currently in force or scheduled to be in force, shall be reviewed by Congress to identify its specific authority under Powers of Congress enumerated in Article 1, Section 8. Reviewed laws, orders, resolutions, and regulations shall immediately be presented to the Supreme Court for final determination of proper constitutional authority. The Supreme Court is specifically prohibited from invoking precedence in making its original determinations for constitutionality. Every determination by the Supreme Court of lack of constitutional authority under Section 8 shall immediately null and void that law, order, resolution or regulation and any devolved empowerment, regulation or executive order of the President or any other agency of the United States. Every law, order, resolution or regulation of the United States that has not been specifically reviewed and determined constitutional by the Supreme Court within five years of ratification of this Amendment shall be declared null and void at that time.
Interpretation: This amendment would provide greater assurance that neither Congress nor the President could legislate or regulate beyond the constitutionally enumerated powers specifically limiting the scope of federal governance. It would further require all existing laws and regulations to be reviewed for compliance with constitutional restraints and declare all non-complying laws and regulations null and void. The review of existing laws must be performed within five years of ratification or all unreviewed laws and regulations would automatically be declared null and void. This would require Congress to prioritize those laws it deems most important and within constitutionally-limited powers of government.
If enacted, these four amendments would rid us entirely of the corrupt den of thieves currently inhabiting the halls of Congress. It would make it impossible for gerrymandering to create "safe" seats for a particular members of Congress as there would be no re-elections. It would rid us of professional politicians who are completely out of touch with the People and who enrich themselves through their relationships with lobbyists and special interest groups.
Reforms such as these are a dire threat to corrupt lobbyists, special interest groups and politicians whose primary objective is to serve their own interests. Consequently, the adoption of these amendments is something the People must demand of any candidate who seeks election during 2010 and 2012 elections.
It is time to take the power of government away from special interests and corrupt politicians and their political machines and permanently put it back into the hands of the People through adoption of these key reform amendments.
It will not be enough to just "throw the bums out" for the simple reason that we've done that in the past, only to put new "bums" in office.
Urge everyone you know to get behind these four amendments to save our Republic. Together, we can make this "Four for the Republic" campaign work!
Author of "Looking Out the Window", an evidence-based examination of the "climate change" issue, Bob Webster, is a 12th-generation descendent of both the Darte family (Connecticut, 1630s) and the Webster family (Massachusetts, 1630s). He is a descendant of Daniel Webster's father, Revolutionary War patriot Ebenezer Webster, who served with General Washington. Bob has always had a strong interest in early American history, our Constitution, U.S. politics, and law. Politically he is a constitutional republican with objectivist and libertarian roots. He has faith in the ultimate triumph of truth and reason over deception and emotion. He is a strong believer in our Constitution as written and views the abandonment of constitutional restraint by the regressive Progressive movement as a great danger to our Republic. His favorite novel is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and believes it should be required reading for all high school students so they can appreciate the cost of tolerating the growth of unconstitutional crushingly powerful central government. He strongly believes, as our Constitution enshrines, that the interests of the individual should be held superior to the interests of the state.
A lifelong interest in meteorology and climatology spurred his strong interest in science. Bob earned his degree in Mathematics at Virginia Tech, graduating in 1964.
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