Delusional political competition supports a delusional democracy May 7, 2008
Posted by reformedville in : culture, Government , trackbackHas America become a shadow and a type of what she once stood for? We hear in the presidential campaigns the word “democracy” and “rights” and the “constitution”, and what the government wants to do for us and wants to do to companys , if only you vote for ” ME”.
First, watch the video:
When Barack Obama started his energetic campaign this year and was talking about moving forward and hope and change, I was weighing in the balance what I have discussed with several people privately-have we passed the tipping point? When I heard him describe a post-racial society,it clicked, have we become a post-constitutional society?
Delusional political competition supports a delusional democracy based on a set of delusional checks and balances. The whole system that once worked has become a sham.
The Framers anticipated that their system could become corrupted and they inserted an exit strategy ,what might be called a legal loophole – a kind of escape clause, just in case things went terribly wrong. The public is largely ignorant of Article V’s option for a convention, when asked for by two-thirds of states, to propose amendments to the Constitution. Worse, nearly all people with political power have opposed using it.
Article V explicitly says that Congress “shall” call such a convention when a sufficient number of states have asked for one – and that is the ONLY specified constitutional requirement – for over 200 years Congress has willfully disobeyed the constitution and NOT granted a convention. In fact, Congress never had the integrity and constitutional respect to even set up a system of any kind to collect state requests for an Article V convention. Over 500 state requests have been denied/ignored by Congress to date.
Do you think we have become post-constitutional?
Comments»
Our federal government’s system of “checks and balances” has been completely out of whack since the States were effectively eliminated from the participatory process. Consider: Article 1 - established the Congress, Article 2 - established the executive branch, Article 3 - established the judiciary, and Article 4 - defined the States’ role in the federal process. Additionally, Amendment X reserved powers to the States not specifically granted to the federal. The pendulum has swung to the federal side so far it has become stuck. Now the courts take on issues that Congress has abdicated (busing). Congress has become a cesspool bereft of statesmanship and leadership (look at our current crop of presidential candidates). The President often bypasses Congress via Executive Order. Who can set things back to our Constitutional basis? The States can, using a legal device defined in Article V.
Imagine the States jerking the slack out of Congress’ collective chain. Imagine Congress limiting its own power to redistribute wealth and spend without limit. What would you desire to see the States consider? “English as the national language”? “Human life begins at conception - ‘Equal Protection Under Law’ is expressedly extended to the pre-born”? Abolish the 16th Amendment replacing it with a ‘fair tax’ system? “Transition away from the bankrupt Social Security system”?
Check out http://www.fovc.org for more on the subject of an Article V Constitutional Convention.
Correction: Check out http://www.foavc.org for more on the subject of an Article V Constitutional Convention.