Moreover, the front- and backyards of these neighborhood school districts could be used for organic, local food production. These cohesive neighborhoods could evolve into a new and modern form of tribalism. Local groups would probably search the Internet to compare school philosophies and curricula, and the residents, in the process, would be forced to think independently about the important things of life.
But what are other reasons for having a new constitution? The world is changing at an accelerating speed since the constitution was written in 1787 and then implemented with the presidency of George Washington in 1789. There have been 27 amendments added to the constitution, some of which expanded democracy a little. But an entirely new, supreme civil document is now long overdue. The Bill of Rights, which was the first 10 amendments, was not added until two years later in 1791. Thus, having a Bill of Rights for citizens was not the original intent of the oligarchic founding fathers.
Many people resent the fact that our current, supreme document makes reference to how slaves are counted (Article I, Section 2) and how slavery is to be allowed until 1808 (Article V). Article V of the constitution tells how the constitution can be amended, and it is, as mentioned earlier, more difficult to amend than any other constitution on earth. Moreover, there is absolutely no place in the constitution that tells how it can be totally abolished, which, by the way, Thomas Jefferson recommended with every new generation!
Article I, Section 8, says that only Congress has the ability to declare war, but current Presidents start wars all the time without first getting the approval of Congress. It would also seem that the National Security Administration (NSA), the Pentagon, the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, and transnational corporations--that is, the military-industrial complex--pretty much does whatever it wants in regards to foreign policy and domestic surveillance. Considering how Congress largely represents the wealthiest one percent, the following saying rings true: "If voting could change anything, it would be illegal." John Perkins, author of the book Confessions of an Economic Hitman also expresses the proper sentiment: "We cannot have homeland security until the whole earth is our homeland."
To make it easier to amend and to abolish our current constitution-- a constitutional amendment must be passed to revise Article V. After Article V is revised in the manner described below, it will then be possible to have a safe and fair Constitutional Convention to create the ideal constitution as described above. The most important feature of the ideal constitution is the use of proportional representation to empower 7 political parties in a unicameral national legislature. And the most important feature of the ideal Constitutional Convention, as readers will soon see below, is the same.
Constitutional amendments are difficult to pass when the issues are polarized. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, however, which reduced the voting age to 18, was passed in a few months. But if a new Twenty-Eighth Amendment proposal could show how a constitutional convention could be held that totally levels the political playing field among Republicans, Democrats, and five other political parties, this idea could become popular across the political spectrum.
People are extremely alienated with government and tired of the gridlock. When they see a comprehensive way to remove the corruption and unfairness in the system, many of them will become politically mobilized for this cause. They will demand that their U.S. Congressional representatives and their state representatives pass this amendment. Here is how the amendment proposal could be written:
Proposal for a Twenty-Eighth Amendment to Revise Article V: How to Amend and to Abolish the Constitution More Easily
The United States government can be modified any time new amendments are added to the constitution. The U.S. government can also be modified when Congress passes new federal laws or statutes. But to change the federal government completely by abolishing the constitution, there has to be a Constitutional Convention to rewrite a new constitution.
How to Add Amendments to the Current Constitution More Easily
To modify the federal government by merely adding amendments to the Constitution, the United States Congress (including both the House and the Senate) must pass any proposed amendment to the Constitution with at least a 67 percent majority in both Houses. The previous, additional ratification by 3/4 of the state legislatures is no longer required.
Amendments can also be added to the constitution anytime 51 percent of the state legislatures, while bypassing the U.S. Congress altogether, call for a national Amendment Convention. U.S. citizens, using a system of proportional representation, will then select 100 delegates from the 7 largest national political parties who will meet at an Amendment Convention for no longer than 3 months to get any proposed amendments passed with a 51 percent or higher majority.
Since the delegates will have been chosen fairly, their Amendment Convention is also permitted to become a Constitutional Convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution, in which the delegates will have no more than 3 months to create a document approved with a 51 percent or higher majority.
Another Way to Abolish the 227-Year Old Constitution
The Constitution is the supreme civil law of the land. A radically new constitution and government can be formed through a Constitutional Convention. It can be achieved in a fair, orderly, and nonviolent way. A new constitution would not need to throw out the best of the old. The American people have a right to choose whether they want a new constitution. Through their chosen representatives, an entirely new constitution can be made. For now on, the decision to create a new supreme document will be considered by the American people at every presidential election.
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