What amendments would you make to the American constitution?

[jimmy olsen]

If I made this topic before, I apologize. I was sure I had, but I searched for it and didn't come up with anything.

What amendments would you make to the American constitution? Why would you make them?

Note: One cannot abolish the senate or amend it to representative by population, as Article V specifies that equal representation in the Senate can not be amended.

My amendments

#1 - Outlaw Gerrymanding. Electoral districts must be as contigious as possible.

#2 - House Representatives must be reapportioned after each census, so that constituencies are as close in possible to size as the population of the smallest state. This will be accomplished by dividing the populations of individual states by the population of the smallest one, and then rounding those numbers to the nearest whole number.

#3 - Extend House terms to four years so that they're not continously campaigning and have time to actually sit down and govern. Half will be elected in presidenital years, the other half during off years.

#4 - The electoral college will be abolished and the President will be elected by popular vote.

#5 - Members of the House will have a five term limit, the senate and the President three.

#6 - The War Powers Resolution will be incorporated into the Constitution.

#7 - Supreme Court Justices will have a mandatory date of retirement upon reaching 70 years of age.

#8 - Abolish the silent filibuster. If they want to delay something Senators have to get out on the floor and speak.

[Monoriu]

Remove the right to bear arms clause.

I am not sure how the constitution can outlaw gerrymandering.  I imagine what it can do is to specify that the electoral boundaries be set by a neutral expert commission, having regard to factors such as population size. 

[MadImmortalMan]

I'd make amendments that specifically give the government the powers to do all the stuff it's currently doing. Just to shut up a lot of people.

[garbon]

Insert a clause about no Tims.

[CountDeMoney]

The right to smother Timmay with a pillow full of bricks until dead shall not be infringed.

[Tonitrus]

If I made this topic before, I apologize. I was sure I had, but I searched for it and didn't come up with anything.

What amendments would you make to the American constitution? Why would you make them?



Note: One cannot abolish the senate or amend it to representative by population, as Article V specifies that equal representation in the Senate can not be amended.

My amendments

#1 - Outlaw Gerrymanding. Electoral districts must be as contigious as possible.

Agree in principle, but it would be a bitch to spell out and enforce without states/politcos trying to game the wording and find loopholes.

#2 - House Representatives must be reapportioned after each census, so that constituencies are as close in possible to size as the population of the smallest state. This will be accomplished by dividing the populations of individual states by the population of the smallest one, and then rounding those numbers to the nearest whole number.

I thought this was done already.  In a related point, should we ease the cap on the total number of reps?

#3 - Extend House terms to four years so that they're not continously campaigning and have time to actually sit down and govern. Half will be elected in presidenital years, the other half during off years.

I dunno, I would think in general, shorter terms would have been far more limiting back in the early 19th century just because of the technology level in communication and travel.  It should be far more manageable today.  I think your point is more of a symptom of a bigger problem that increasing the term doesn't really solve.

#4 - The electoral college will be abolished and the President will be elected by popular vote.

Strongly disagree, the EC is the equivalent of the Senate idea for the executive branch, and should be maintained.  Though perhaps how the College works can and should likely be tweaked.

#5 - Members of the House will have a five term limit, the senate and the President three.

I am simply against term limits in principal.  I think they are an insult to the intelligence of the electorate (even if that insult is justified ) and are an admittance of failure in the electoral system.

#6 - The War Powers Resolution will be incorporated into the Constitution.

Meh.  We've gotten along without it, though it does make the current Constitutional rules on the subject seem very hollow.

#7 - Supreme Court Justices will have a mandatory date of retirement upon reaching 70 years of age.

I think I could agree on an age limit, but 80 would more reasonable.  Better than a simple age limit might be a mechanism for removing a "senile" justice (maybe something like a large congressional majority plus Presidential approval)

#8 - Abolish the silent filibuster. If they want to delay something Senators have to get out on the floor and speak.

Agree, but it might be dangerous to put micro-management of day-to-day congressional rules into the Constitution.

[Sheilbh]

Insert a clause about no Tims.

These United States constitute a 'No Tims Club'. Agreed.

[Ed Anger]

The right to smother Timmay with a pillow full of bricks until dead shall not be infringed.

New York...doesn't abstain.

[MadImmortalMan]

Isn't senility is a good enough reason for an impeachment if it comes down to it?

[DontSayBanana]

8 doesn't require a constitutional amendment, just a Senate rule change.

[Capetan Mihali]

The XXI Amendment is repealed. 

[otto] None of the Amendments to the Constitution, including those known as the Bill of Rights, shall any longer be considered as incorporated against the individual States. [/otto]

[11B4V]

one six year term as prez

no more than two terms in senate

no more than two terms for house

no more than 12 years total time in house/senate

[garbon]

no more than two terms in senate

no more than two terms for house

no more than 12 years total time in house/senate

Why would anyone run? "I just wanted to take several years away from my money making career in the private sector to sure that my skills deteriorated and that younger, hungrier folks could take my job."

[11B4V]

no more than two terms in senate

no more than two terms for house

no more than 12 years total time in house/senate

Why would anyone run? "I just wanted to take several years away from my money making career in the private sector to sure that my skills deteriorated and that younger, hungrier folks could take my job."

It shouldn't be a career. It should be treated like a activation in the reserves/NG

[jimmy olsen]

#1 - Outlaw Gerrymanding. Electoral districts must be as contigious as possible.

Agree in principle, but it would be a bitch to spell out and enforce without states/politcos trying to game the wording and find loopholes.

#2 - House Representatives must be reapportioned after each census, so that constituencies are as close in possible to size as the population of the smallest state. This will be accomplished by dividing the populations of individual states by the population of the smallest one, and then rounding those numbers to the nearest whole number.

I thought this was done already.  In a related point, should we ease the cap on the total number of reps?

#1 Most countries seem to be able to do this, so it's doable.

#2 It's reapportioned after every census, but it is not related to the population of the smallest state, but instead it is simply divided against the 435 seats required by law.

According to wikipedia if the Wyoming rule was in effect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming_Rule

568 House seats would be required to implement the Wyoming Rule, based on the 2000 Census results.[1] However, the decade leading up to the 2010 United States Census saw Wyoming's population increase at a greater rate than that of the U.S. as a whole; as a result, the required House size to implement the Wyoming Rule was reduced to 542.

The wide disparity in population among the states combines with the cap on House membership to lessen the effective representation for people who live in more populated states. The most glaring example is California, which, according to the 2010 Census, had a population (37,253,956) approximately 66.1 times that of Wyoming (563,626). Yet, because of the cap on House membership, California has only 53 representatives to Wyoming's one. Therefore, under the Wyoming Rule, California would have 13 more House members than it currently has. Another example of the dilution of voting power can be seen by comparing the most populous state with only one Representative, Montana, to Wyoming. A vote by one of the 989.415 residents of Montana is worth only 0.5697 of the vote of a resident of neighboring Wyoming.