The Constitution is Outdated – Part I
The US Constitution is OUTDATED and has not been ratified since 1788. Ask yourself, does it really make sense that a document created almost two hundred and thirty years ago should be valid today?
If you really need an example of how obsolete the Constitution is, you need look no further than the Second Amendment which states the following:
“A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
Take a moment to reflect on life as it was just before the turn of the 19th century. There existed a constant threat of warfare against England, France and the native Indians. At that time, early Americans could not count on their government to supply weapons in times of conflict. Thus, the Second Amendment.
Did Washington and Jefferson even begin to contemplate handguns that would fire six bullets, let alone automatic and semi-automatic weapons? If someone joins the military today, do they bring their weapons with them? And yet, there are millions of Americans who really believe that the Second Amendment has given them an inalienable right to bear arms.
Nevertheless, the topic of gun control is not the main purpose of this blog. I want to discuss the structure of our Federal government and how it can be improved. Of course, it is very difficult to convince people to think outside the box and take the initiative to effect change. But sometimes, one has to bite the bullet, if you will pardon the pun.
In my opinion, nothing is completely sacred except the Golden Rule of “Do unto others” etc. Many Americans believe in the Bible, and yet few adhere to the laws in the Old Testament that prohibit the consumption of pork products and shellfish. Realistically, most of us recognize that rules such as those were appropriate at a time when refrigeration did not exist.
President Obama’s platform in his first presidential campaign promised an era of “Change”. Change implies the recognition that was what was the norm in the past, isn’t necessarily relevant in the future.
In the early 1900’s, there was resistance against the adoption of the automobile to replace horses. Today, life without cars is practically unthinkable and the next generation of Americans will likely have cars that drive themselves. Around 1985, a good friend of mine who was a partner in one of the big four accounting firms swore he’d never have a computer on his desk.
At this point, I want to stress that I only brought up the issue of one’s right to bear arms to prove that what was legislated so many years ago is not necessarily valid today. My real objective is to discuss the structure of our Federal government and to suggest how a broken system might be fixed.
Please note, I am not affiliated with either of the two major political parties in the United States. I am also not a member of any political organization whatsoever . I’d like to think therefore that my comments are unbiased.
King George Washington and King George the First – One in the Same
In my opinion, George Washington and King George the First of the United States were on in the same, since the U.S. Congressional system was actually modeled after the governing system in England. However, long before the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed, the English king had become not much more than a figurehead. In the centuries following the ratification of the Magna Carta in 1215, an elected Parliament assumed the rights and responsibilities of government. The last time a British monarch exercised the right to veto a measure passed by Parliament was in 1708.
In America, by way of contrast to the English model, the Founding Fathers decided to invest our President with numerous powers, including the role of Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, primary responsibility for the management of national and international affairs, and the right to veto bills approved by Congress. Some of these powers were contained in the Constitution and some evolved over time. Harry S. Truman summed it up nicely with the sign on his desk that read ” The buck stops here”.
Consider the many changes that have occurred over the past two hundred and fifty years that prove the constitution is outdated. In the early history of our nation, there was generally little need to consider anything more pressing than domestic issues – the concept of Manifest Destiny- which stood for America’s quest to expand its borders from coast to coast.
Compared to today, international trade was quite limited; there was no highly- sophisticated stock market, and the U.S. did not have to deal with enemies possessing weapons of mass destruction. In our time, I believe that it is clearly impossible for any one person to be knowledgeable and expert in all matters both foreign and domestic. In the decades after General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Presidency, has there been an American President who has had the experience to assume the role of Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces?
Any President must therefore choose his or her advisers wisely, and if the only readily available advisers are motivated by political leanings or, even worse, accumulating personal wealth, I believe that it becomes relatively easy to mislead a President-even if his or her intentions are well-meaning.
American Political Policy or American Political Heist
I believe that, perhaps the best example of recent bad policy, is the adoption of Obamacare (the topic of another blog in the not-to-distant future).Ask yourself: Why did George W. Bush invade Iraq? Was it the Iraqis who perpetrated 9/11? Did Saddam Hussein really harbor weapons of mass destruction? Was the second President Bush largely motivated to make up for his father’s decision not to send the American troops into Baghdad in 1991? Or was his decision made, at least in part, to protect our sources of Middle East oil? What influence did Vice President Dick Cheney, whose company Halliburton was eventually awarded contracts totaling $ 39.5 billion in Iraq, have?
I am not suggesting that the Office of the President should be replaced. I am, however, suggesting that we should consider changing the method of how the President should be chosen. At the very least, we should do whatever we can to ensure that all Presidents receive sincere and unbiased advice.
We should start by asking ourselves : What motivates people to vote for a particular Presidential candidate? Is it the party which he or she leads, or is it the person? If it is the person, the whole exercise becomes one of relative personalities. Who was more likeable- Kennedy or Nixon?
Ironically, in this coming election, the issue may very well boil down to who is least unlikable? Neither candidate has a positive approval rating.
If decisions should really be based on the platform of the party which he or she leads perhaps there should be no Presidential election.
In the second part of this blog, I will explain why the President should simply be the person who leads the party that wins the majority of seats in the House of Representatives. I will explain why The Senate and the House should have specific and separate mandates. I will explain why Executive Powers need not be given to any President and how there is an pressing need for judicial reform in the Supreme Court.
Permit me to close with one important observation. As we all know, it is very difficult for any government to function when its President and its Congress represent different parties .
In all the two-year periods between 1901 and 1954, (corresponding to the election cycles in the House of Representatives) the President and his Congress were only from different parties four times- eight years in total.
From 1955 through 2016, there were 21 two-year periods where the President and his Congress represented different parties – a total 42 years out of the last 61. I hope you will agree with me that this is not an effective method of governing a great country.
Please watch for my out-of-the-box proposals for Constitutional reform.
The post Face it America – The Constitution is Outdated appeared first on Thoughts From Outside The Box.
source http://thoughtsfromoutsidethebox.com/2016/09/28/face-america-u-s-constitution-outdated/
