Real Iowa

If you’ve read my previous posts, you may think that I am against any change to the Constitution, whatsoever.  Actually, I’m only against changes that are either against the original intent of the founders, or that are made outside of the means of the amendment process (i.e. unconstitutional laws and judicial activism).

Here are some areas where I believe the Constitution ought to be changed:

1. Repeal the 17th Amendment.  The founders wisely intended that the U.S. Senate be first and foremost the voice of the States in the federal government.  For that reason, prior to the 17th Amendment, Senators were chosen by the state legislatures to represent their interests in Washington.  Direct election of Senators flies in the face of the founders’ intent, as well as the very purpose for having a bicameral Congress.  It weakens the standing of the United States as a federation of free and sovereign States, and helps to reduce the states to mere administrative regions of the national government
2. Repeal the 16th Amendment.  The founders intent was that the federal government derive its subsistence primarily from the states (in proportion to their population), as well as from duties on imports.  It was a good plan, and successfully maintained the federal government at a reasonably small level.  Today, thanks to the direct taxation on the citizens of the various states, the federal government has grown deadly obese.  We can trim of fat as much as we want in a given session of Congress, but while the source excess nutrients remains the problem will recur.  As in other cases of moribund obesity, radical surgery is required to limit the intake of food – repealing the income tax is the operation the government needs to enable the permanent reduction of bureaucratic girth.
3. Enshrine the sanctity of life.  In my article on Declaration principles, I discussed the fact that rights exist because they are granted by the Creator, not because government grants those rights or deprives us of them.  The right to life is one such – but in this era when the public has been deluded by decades of judicial legislation and Congressional collusion, it has become necessary to clarify the fundamental protections by an amendment as follows:  “Recognizing that life is the gift of the Creator, and the ending of life His prerogative alone, the term ‘person’ as used in the fourteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States shall apply from the time of conception until natural death.”
4. Restrain the federal government from usurping the role of religion.  Marriage is not an institution of the federal government (nor of the states), but of God.  Therefore the federal government does not have the power or authority to alter or abolish the institution or the term.  Further, the institution of marriage predates the institution of government by many years, and is a more necessary pillar of society.  In that spirit, I offer the following amendment:  “The institution of marriage, being outside and independent of government, the federal government of the United States of America shall not recognize in any law or regulation any definition of marriage except that between one natural man and one natural woman, nor shall it recognize any relationship that seeks to confer the benefits of marriage by a different name.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 6th, 2009 at 5:33 pm and is filed under Amendments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.