Let’s Amend the Constitution!
The beginning of a new Congress always sees a lot of bills that would propose amendments to the Constitution.
That idea always starts with at least one strike against it – that document is not to be trifled with.
But maybe there are some good ideas out there. Let’s take a look:
There are two proposals to add a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. H.J. Res. 1 and H.J. Res. 7.
H.J. Res. 2 would provide for the voting rights of citizens in U.S. territories or commonwealths.
H.J. Res. 11 would apportion representatives in Congress according to the number of citizens in each state (as opposed to the entire population, as the Constitution does it now).
H.J. Res. 9 and S.J. Res. 4 would get rid of the electoral college – direct election of the president.
Speaking of elections, S.J. Res. 7 would do away with the practice of governors appointing Senators. (Hello, Blagojevich! Hello wakerider legislation!)
When you’ve got people elected, what are you going to do with them? S.J. Res 1 would limit the terms of Members of Congress and Senators to twelve years – six terms in the House and two terms in the Senate. Meanwhile, H.J. Res. 5 would repeal the term limit (of two terms, or eight years) on the president.
H.J. Res. 15 would give the president the line-item veto, meaning he could cross out items in spending bills rather than having to take an entire bill as Congress passes it.
And H.J. Res. 6 would do away with citizenship by birth on U.S. soil.
There are a few more proposed constitutional amendments, but we’ll come back to them in a later post.
Article V of the Constitution provides two ways for amendments to be proposed and approved: If both houses of Congress approve an amendment resolution by two-thirds votes, it is proposed, and then it has to be ratified (approved) by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. The other way, which has never been used, is for the legislatures of two-thirds of the states to go into a convention at which constitutional amendments can be proposed. These also require ratification by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
Joel S. Hirschhorn
There is only one national, nonpartisan organization working hard to get Congress to obey the Constitution and give we the people what it has a legal right to: an Article V convention of state delegated to consider proposals for constitutional amendments. The one and only requirement for an Article V convention has long been satisfied, but Congress refuses to obey the Constitution. Learn all the facts and become a member at http://www.foavc.org.
WashingtonWatch.com Digest - February 2, 2009 - The WashingtonWatch.com Blog
[...] Let’s Amend the Constitution! [...]
Bill Walker
All 50 states have submitted over 650 applications for an Article V Convention, well in excess of the 34 applications the Constitution requires. Of the amendment issues listed, at least three already are on the agenda of the convention. You read the actual texts of the applications at http://www.foavc.org.
Let’s Amend the Constitution - Some More! - The WashingtonWatch.com Blog
[...] Let’s Amend the Constitution! [...]
Let’s Amend the Constitution - Some More! | Blogging Hope
[...] we took a look at some proposed amendments to the Constitution. They generally had to do with government [...]
Thomas E. Brennan
Constitutional amendments proposed by the Congress are suspect. Only an independent body, convened for the specific purpose of proposing amendments can formulate, debate, and promulgate amendments which will address the legimate concerns of the people of the United States.
This is not a constitutional convention charged with the task of rewriting our fundamental law. It is rather a convention empowered under Article V of the Constitution to propose specific individual amendments one at a time, which must be submitted by the Congress one at a time to the states for their ratification.
Thomas E. Brennan
Constitutional amendments proposed by the Congress are suspect. Only an independent body, convened for the specific purpose of proposing amendments can formulate, debate, and promulgate amendments which will address the legimate concerns of the people of the United States.
This is not a constitutional convention charged with the task of rewriting our fundamental law. It is rather a convention empowered under Article V of the Constitution to propose specific individual amendments one at a time.
Thomas E. Brennan
Constitutional amendments proposed by the Congress are suspect. Only an independent body, convened for the specific purpose of proposing amendments can formulate, debate, and promulgate amendments which will address the legimate concerns of the people of the United States.
This is not a constitutional convention charged with the task of rewriting our fundamental law.
Thomas E. Brennan
Constitutional amendments proposed by the Congress are suspect. Only an independent body, convened for the specific purpose of proposing amendments can formulate, debate, and promulgate amendments which will address the legimate concerns of the people of the United States.
Let’s Amend the Constitution - Yet More! - The WashingtonWatch.com Blog
[...] pointed out new constitutional amendments a couple of times here. Well, a bunch of new ones are on Congress’ [...]
Let’s Amend the Constitution - Yet More! | Republican News
[...] pointed out new constitutional amendments a couple of times here. Well, a bunch of new ones are on Congress’ [...]
Maybe We Should Leave the Constitution Alone - The WashingtonWatch.com Blog
[...] it looks like we’re your full-time constitutional amendment monitoring [...]
Maybe We Should Leave the Constitution Alone | Republican News
[...] it looks like we’re your full-time constitutional amendment monitoring [...]
Bill Vinson
This in regards to what the average
citizen can do in order to acheive economic freedom and give the congress a civics lesson. By using Article V
http://www.americancommonsenseparty.net/ArticleV.html
Bill Vinson
http://www.americancommonsenseparty.net/ArticleV
karen Kelly
This is ridiculous!!! Term limits are for the protection of the people. Not having term limits only protects the politicians against removal. We, the people, need to stand up and say NO to No term limits.