Is it time for a new Constitutional Convention?

[Elessar78]

I'll add that the only 2 amendments I see now are to reverse the Citizens United decision and one to limit the term of the USSC justices. People are living longer, so appointees have a much longer time to influence one way or the other. Although I do prefer a more progressive court.

But then you wouldn't have mind blowing gems like John Roberts casting the deciding vote to uphold Affordable Care Act. These guys might be labeled as partisan but that ruling made me think there is more to these justices than meets the eye.

---------- Post added October-8th-2012 at 01:45 PM ----------

agreed, No way you get anything half as good with these current jerks running things.

We need tweaks to our system. Not the constitution. Popular vote for President. Strict terms for judicial appointments at all levels (you can always keep moving up). Term limits all over the place.

Law of unintended consequences tells me that it'll be much worse. Justices who vote based on popular sentiment. Popular vote? Hmm.

One of the beautiful things about America is our rule of law. How many other countries in 2000 who had our election outcome would've had tanks rolling. He had the aggrieved loser, with a legit claim, more than willingly step down based on Supreme Court decision.

---------- Post added October-8th-2012 at 01:44 PM ----------

agreed, No way you get anything half as good with these current jerks running things.

We need tweaks to our system. Not the constitution. Popular vote for President. Strict terms for judicial appointments at all levels (you can always keep moving up). Term limits all over the place.

Law of unintended consequences tells me that it'll be much worse. Justices who vote based on popular sentiment. Popular vote? Hmm.

One of the beautiful things about America is our rule of law. How many other countries in 2000 who had our election outcome would've had tanks rolling. He had the aggrieved loser, with a legit claim, more than willingly step down based on Supreme Court decision.

[Destino]

There are many reasons I can think of why now is a horrible time to pen a new constitution but these two stand out:

1 - Americans have stopped believing in inalienable natural rights, even if most of them haven't realized it.
2 - Money equal speech and so you'd have to wonder who would be most likely to write a new constitution.

[thebluefood]

There are many reasons I can think of why now is a horrible time to pen a new constitution but these two stand out:

1 - Americans have stopped believing in inalienable natural rights, even if most of them haven't realized it.
2 - Money equal speech and so you'd have to wonder who would be most likely to write a new constitution.

This part especially make me very, very sad.

[mjah]

Popular vote for President.

Politically this would be a conservative's nightmare. There's a reason why 100% of states (plus DC) that have passed National Popular Vote legislation are left-leaning.

Under a popular vote scheme for President, the basic practice of maximizing converted votes per campaign dollar spent would not change at all. What would change would be the regions that float to the top of the spending priority list, and therefore receive the most campaign dollars, when the votes-per-dollar optimization problem is no longer constrained by state boundaries.

Hello cities and farewell countryside.

That's a big part of the reason why a popular-vote Presidential election, if it ever happens, won't happen until a day when the urban/rural split between parties is not so stark.

[Prosperity]

I don't like the idea that people that founded the country 200+ years ago have so much dead hand control over the governance of living Americans, but I like even less the idea of starting over.

Citizens United should be overturned though, so I'd be ok w/ an amendment on that point.

[twa]

Can we pass a balanced budget first?...or even a budget in a timely fashion

Baby steps

[Madison Redskin]

No. Why should we? We can always amend the Constitution.

[elkabong82]

I don't trust the current political climate to get such a thing right. Constitution can be viewed and interpreted as a living document, it is fine. We have SCOTUS, Congress, and the Amendment process to affect change through the proper channels. A revamp, with the current politicians in place, would be disastrous IMO. They can't even agree on balancing a budget.

[mjah]

Can we pass a balanced budget first?...or even a budget in a timely fashion

Why balance it? There is nothing wrong with some deficit.

An unhealthy deficit load ain't so good, however. I'd be fine with "balanced" being defined as "constraining the annual deficit to be no larger than x% of GDP." Let people argue over the correct x, but certainly there is no need for it to be zero.

[LadySkinsFan]

Yes, forgot popular vote for president and doing away with the Electoral College.

[twa]

Having no debt is not going to be a issue for awhile, but I agree w/o past excesses a deficit is not bad at times

Think we could throw in a balanced one every decade or so for laughs?

[thebluefood]

Not an economist by any stretch of the imagination (and I tend to be more of an Adam Smith kind of guy), but I've heard from Keynesians that deficits aren't always the enemy. Why is that?

Let me repeat: I'm not an economist and I probably understand economics less than any other political matter.

[FanboyOf91]

Not an economist by any stretch of the imagination (and I tend to be more of an Adam Smith kind of guy), but I've heard from Keynesians that deficits aren't always the enemy. Why is that?

Let me repeat: I'm not an economist and I probably understand economics less than any other political matter.

During recessions, aggregate demand falls, unemployment increases, and gross domestic product falls. Public spending can boost private income and provides jobs to laidoff workers.

Example: The US ramping up for World War 2 and becoming the Arsenal of Democracy.

[TheGreatBuzz]

To me, this is a lot like many of the ideas that Democrats come up with. In a perfrect would, they are the best ideas ever. But we aren't in a perfect world so some idiot would screw it up.


The partisan part of me points out that is why I am not a Democrat.

[Prosperity]

To me, this is a lot like many of the ideas that Democrats come up with. In a perfrect would, they are the best ideas ever. But we aren't in a perfect world so some idiot would screw it up.


The partisan part of me points out that is why I am not a Democrat.

Same reason I'm not a Republican

Isn't that interesting?

I'm referring specifically to the role of charities and the free market