Constitution 2.0
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| Proposed new U.S. flag, representing sun, land, water, and the regulation of business |
- Expanded preamble section including guiding policy and rights of citizens
- Direct legislative branch control of foreign policy and the military
- Streamlined ideological voting
- No politics in the executive or judicial branches
- Regular public-driven updates
- No president!
This is what I have so far on a proposed revision of the US Constitution. This first appeared on Medium as a slightly expanded version. I welcome comments, ideas, suggestions and critique. The parts of the Bill of Rights that don't appear here are basically the same as in the current Constitution (v1.28).
Preamble
We the People, in order to form a more perfect union of member states, establish just laws and policies, provide for our common defense, and promote the general welfare and thriving of all, do establish this updated Constitution.
Guiding Principles
- Solve international disputes through negotiation and other non-military means.
- Shrink the military to the minimum necessary for direct defense of the nation, withdrawing the military from all other nations.
- Strive towards peace and justice all over the world.
- Align with other nations that are just to their citizens and the rest of the world.
- Give precedence to national citizens over the interests of business, especially multinational corporations.
- Advocate for all species on the planet, set aside as much land as possible which is off-limits to all humans, and encourage all nations to work together to solve global environmental problems.
Basic rights of citizens
Healthy air, water, food and land
The government shall guarantee the right of all citizens to breathe air, and have access to water, food and land inside the nation, that is healthy and can sustain not only human life, but all life. No entity, foreign or domestic, shall have the ability to supersede this right while operating in this nation.
Access to medical care
The government shall guarantee that all citizens of the nation have access to affordable medical care — both preventive care and treatment.
Right to representation
All citizens shall have the right to be represented in Congress.
Freedom of religion
There shall not be any national religion or any religious activities associated with government, nor any prohibition of the free exercise of religious activities outside of government, unless those activities violate any of the other rights granted by this constitution.
Freedom of expression
Freedom of speech is guaranteed, whether it be expressed as spoken word, writing or electronic communication, and shall not be abridged by the government. Freedom of the press to report all activities of the government is also guaranteed, as is the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition the national courts for a redress of grievances. These rights are not reserved for artificial economic or social constructs, but do extend to other species and even the natural environment.
Article 1 — Legislative
Section 1
All legislative powers herein granted are vested in a Congress, which will consist of a single body of representatives of political parties, in proportion to the membership of qualified voters in their respective parties.
Section 2
All citizens age 16 and over shall be required to join a legal national political party (party) for the purposes of representation in the Congress. Parties shall not charge fees for membership. Each year, after this Constitution is ratified, on January 20, the Department of Elections, part of the executive branch, shall certify the membership of all parties, and determine the percentage representation in the Congress from this information. All parties with 1% or more of the qualified total voting population of the nation shall be granted representation in Congress. Representatives chosen by the parties shall meet, either in person or remotely, throughout the year, debate policy, and develop bills that shall require a majority percentage (i.e. greater than 50%) of party representation plus at least two parties’ votes. Votes shall be tallied by party.
Article 2 — Executive
The executive branch will be composed of agencies that Congress feels are necessary to carry out the guiding principles and procure the basic rights set out in the preamble. The agencies will do research requested by Congress to formulate policies and laws that satisfy the guiding principles and basic rights in the preamble, and also that help Congress to make laws that are within its powers as described in Article 1. The agencies will also be responsible for enforcing regulations and other facets of laws that Congress passes. Agency structure will be determined by Congress, and hiring and administration of employees of the agencies will be done by the Department of Administration, part of the executive branch, or another agency that Congress deems able to provide these services.
Article 3 — Judicial
The judicial power of the nation is vested in a system of courts administered by the Department of Justice in the executive branch. Judges, lawyers and other employees of the courts will address grievances of citizens and determine the proper execution of laws created by Congress if there is a question of satisfaction of the preamble requirements.
Article 4 — Mode of Amendment
The Congress may at any time propose and make changes to this Constitution that conform with the preamble guiding principles and basic rights. Citizens can also request at any time that changes be made by redressing the courts, when the citizen feels that any of the articles within conflict with the preamble conditions.
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