A New Constitutional Convention

It has become clear that the political leaders of the United States are incapable of serving or unwilling to serve the best interests of the citizens.

The time has come for the people to take action to remedy some of the worst deficiencies of the system before the nation collapses under the weight of corruption, incompetence, political infighting, and judicial misconduct.

Since it is improbable that Congress has the willingness to take the necessary measures, it is incumbent upon the people to initiate this process. Article V of the Constitution allows the state legislatures, by two-thirds vote, to call for a Constitutional Convention, by which amendments can be proposed, which can then be ratified by conventions in three-quarters of the states, or by the state legislatures of three-quarters of the states.

The process of amending the Constitution by the citizenry must accomplish the following goals:

1. Grassroots efforts must be established in each state to petition each state legislature to call for a Constitutional Convention.

2. Two-thirds of the state legislatures must call for a Constitutional Convention.

3. Rules must be determined for the Convention.

4. The Convention must meet and determine amendments to be proposed.

5. Congress must determine whether ratification of the amendments is to be by conventions in three-quarters of the states or by state legislatures in three-quarters of the states.

6. Ratification must be determined.

Proposed Amendments

1. Citizenship and Immigration.

a. A citizen of the United States shall be defined as anyone who is born in the United States to one or more parents who are citizens.

b. No person shall be granted citizenship who has been convicted of a felony, either in the United States or in any other country.

c. The government of the United States is responsible for enforcing the borders of the United States. The Executive Branch is responsible for enforcement, the Legislative Branch is responsible for providing funding and establishing penalties for violations, and the Judicial Branch is responsible for adjudication of cases.

d. No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be eligible for benefits of any entitlement program, with the exception of emergency health services.

e. The official language of the United States shall be English. No federal government agency shall be required to provide documents or services in any language other than English.

2. Congressional Reform.

a. No person who has [worked] as a lawyer, attorney, judge, paralegal, or professor of law, or who has completed education in any field of law shall be eligible to serve in the Senate or the House of Representatives.

b. The Seventeenth Amendment shall be repealed.

c. Senators shall be limited to one six-year term.

d. Representatives shall be limited to one two-year terms.

e. All legislation shall be single-issue. All riders or earmarks are hereafter forbidden.

f. Laws passed by the congress shall apply equally to all citizens; Congress shall not be exempted from laws it passes.

g. Any travel paid for by taxpayers is to be allowed only for Senators or Representatives and their spouses and minor children.

h. Senators and Representatives may not employ any relative to any position related to their service in the Senate or House of Representatives including campaign committees or political action committees.

i. Senators and Representatives shall be required to take basic classes in economics, foreign affairs, military affairs, and public affairs prior to voting on any issue.

j. Each state shall have the power to recall its Senators or Representatives by either majority vote by state referendum or by two-thirds vote by the state legislature. Upon recall the governor of the state shall appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the legislator’s term.

3. Judiciary Reform.

a. Judges may serve a term of no longer than ten years.

b. Any decision by the Supreme Court may be overturned by vote of two- thirds of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate, in the same manner that Presidential veto of legislation may be overturned.

4. Campaign Finance Reform.

a. Donations to political candidates by any entity other than individual citizens is hereafter banned.

b. Donations to political candidates for Senate or the House of Representatives may be made only by citizens within that Senator’s state or that Representative’s district.

c. Lobbying any federal official or employee is hereafter banned.

5. Taxes.

a. The sixteenth amendment to the Constitution, allowing for Federal Income Tax, is hereafter repealed.

b. The Fair Tax shall be established.

c. Congress shall pass a balanced budget every year. No new taxes may be established to meet the budget deficits without vote by three-quarters of the House of Representatives, vote by three-quarters of the Senate, and approval by the President.

6. Entitlements

Congress shall establish a plan to eliminate all entitlement programs within 20 years of ratification of this amendment.

7. Free Market Policies.

No government entity may establish price floors, price ceilings or other manipulations of prices in the free market.

8. Prosecutorial Oversight.

Special prosecutors, independent counsels, or special counsels appointed by an Attorney General, by Congress, or by the Judicial Branch shall not be appointed with oversight by the Attorney General.

9. Clarification of Constitutional Language.

a. First Amendment.

1) The first amendment of the Constitution applies only to laws made by Congress. States or other localities may make religious decisions as they choose.

2) The “Fairness Doctrine” is an attempt to abridge the freedom of speech, and is a violation of the first amendment.

b. Second Amendment.

1) No federal government authority shall be allowed to record the ownership of any weapon by a citizen.

2) A citizen has the right to bear arms in any place or at any time.

3) The federal government may not restrict the purchase or trade of any weapon between citizens of the United States.

4) No person who is not a citizen shall be allowed to purchase or possess any weapon.

5) Any person convicted of any felony shall not be allowed to purchase or possess any weapon.

c. Fifth Amendment

1) With regard to private property taken for public use, “public use” shall be defined as for roads or other infrastructural use only. “Public use” shall not be defined to include redevelopment for non-public use.

2) With regard to “no person shall…be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, “person” shall be defined as citizens or non-citizens, from the point of conception through the end of natural life.

d. Article IV, Section 2.

“Privileges and immunities” shall apply only to legal matters, and not to financial benefits or entitlements.

10. Sovereignty.

a. The United States shall remain a sovereign nation, and shall not abdicate its sovereignty to any other nation, council, body, or person.

b. The borders of the United States shall remain those at the time of ratification of this amendment.

c. No additional states may be added to this union, except by the same process by which amendments to the Constitution are ratified.

Summary

This set of proposed amendments is by no means complete. I would love to hear your suggestions for other amendments, or changes to the amendments I have listed.

Sources

The Second Constitutional Convention by Richard Labunski ©2000 Marley & Beck Press

The 15 Biggest Lies In Politics by Major Garrett and Tim J. Penny ©1998 St. Martin’s Press

“A Constitutional Convention To Achieve Term Limits” by Gale Norton ©1997, 2007 Independence Institute