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Changes to The Constitution.

S

steve_bank

Diabetic retinopathy and poor eyesight. Typos ...
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Nov 9, 2017
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Basic Beliefs
secular-skeptic
For me a big one is a single 6 year term for president. Add to that a prohibition aaainst POTUS campaigning for a party and candates while in ofice.
 
TV and credit cards said:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
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A well regulated Militia seems to be the main problem with the 2nd. What it meant in 1791 is a lot different than it would mean to most people today. However, it's just going to be to hard to change anytime soon.
 
Presidential pardon powers needs a big revision. No president can pardon himself. A pardon can be nullified by a vote of the Senate. Purely political pardons are forbidden.
 
An explicit algorithm for determining the boundaries of congressional districts
 
Why have Presidential Pardons at all? They're a pointless relic of the attempt by the authors of the US Constitution to ape the powers of European monarchies, and most if not all of those monarchies that have survived to this day, have long since removed their kings' power to pardon criminals.

What useful purpose do they serve? If a person was wrongly convicted, they need an appeal, not a pardon. And if they were rightly convicted, they need to do their time even if the President is a personal friend, or takes a personal interest that contradicts the judiciary.
 
Any change that introduces term limits in positions where there currently are none, transitions away from the Electoral College in favor of a more democratic electoral system, fortifies the protection of digital privacy, curtails the influence of monetary contributions in politics, revamps our education system to prioritize merit over financial means, and illegalizes political parties to foster a more unified, non-partisan approach to governance has my preempted support.
 
Given the times and the colonial experience with the Brits I see 'well regulated militia' to mean an armed population is a hedge against the government using the military against the people.

COTUS autorizes a standing navy but not a perment army. Militia was the army.
 
Gospel said:
Any change that introduces term limits in positions where there currently are none, transitions away from the Electoral College in favor of a more democratic electoral system, fortifies the protection of digital privacy, curtails the influence of monetary contributions in politics, revamps our education system to prioritize merit over financial means, and illegalizes political parties to foster a more unified, non-partisan approach to governance has my preempted support.
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It also inadvertently gives much greater power to unelected government employees, who already run things to a much greater degree than most people realize.

Legislators are extremely busy, if they are doing their job and not just mugging for cameras and shit posting on social media --and in front of cameras. They heavily rely on the expertise and knowledge and skills and contacts of staff, as well as employees at the myriad of agencies that exist at the federal, state and local levels, very few of whom are elected or are direct appointees.
 
bilby said:
Why have Presidential Pardons at all? They're a pointless relic of the attempt by the authors of the US Constitution to ape the powers of European monarchies, and most if not all of those monarchies that have survived to this day, have long since removed their kings' power to pardon criminals.

What useful purpose do they serve? If a person was wrongly convicted, they need an appeal, not a pardon. And if they were rightly convicted, they need to do their time even if the President is a personal friend, or takes a personal interest that contradicts the judiciary.
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It's very uncommon, and I believe until Trump, actually unheard of for a presidential pardon to be given to a personal friend of the POTUS (or Governor). Yes, Ford pardoned Nixon but that was political and not based on close personal relationship.

Unfortunately, sometimes people are wrongly convicted and occasionally, state legislators and the state justice system is stubborn about overturning convictions or commuting sentences. I'm not fond of pardons in most cases anyway but sometimes the criminal justice system gets it very wrong.
 
My change? Change election to a Monday, make it a federal holiday. Of course, we can't even do that.
Shadowy Man said:
Cheerful Charlie said:
It gave a chance to undo miscarriges of justice. A check and balance on out of control justices and judges.
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But it also presents an opportunity to create a miscarriage of justice by an out of control President.
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Trump demonstrated the entire Executive Branch is at risk of such behavior with the wrong person in charge.
 
Toni said:
It's very uncommon, and I believe until Trump, actually unheard of for a presidential pardon to be given to a personal friend of the POTUS (or Governor). Yes, Ford pardoned Nixon but that was political and not based on close personal relationship.
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Clinton did a shady one, didn’t he?
 
Rhea said:
Toni said:
It's very uncommon, and I believe until Trump, actually unheard of for a presidential pardon to be given to a personal friend of the POTUS (or Governor). Yes, Ford pardoned Nixon but that was political and not based on close personal relationship.
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Clinton did a shady one, didn’t he?
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Yes.
His pardon of Marc Rich was an abuse of power, IMNSHO.
Nevertheless, by comparison to his Republican successors, it's obvious why they got their panties in a "whataboutism" wad.
Tom
 
Rhea said:
Toni said:
It's very uncommon, and I believe until Trump, actually unheard of for a presidential pardon to be given to a personal friend of the POTUS (or Governor). Yes, Ford pardoned Nixon but that was political and not based on close personal relationship.
Click to expand...
Clinton did a shady one, didn’t he?
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The Clintons are 95% shady... but they are competent at their jobs.

I'm not aware of much moral unshady stuff W did, but my goodness... it was a bumpy 8 years.
 
Toni said:
bilby said:
Why have Presidential Pardons at all? They're a pointless relic of the attempt by the authors of the US Constitution to ape the powers of European monarchies, and most if not all of those monarchies that have survived to this day, have long since removed their kings' power to pardon criminals.

What useful purpose do they serve? If a person was wrongly convicted, they need an appeal, not a pardon. And if they were rightly convicted, they need to do their time even if the President is a personal friend, or takes a personal interest that contradicts the judiciary.
Click to expand...
It's very uncommon, and I believe until Trump, actually unheard of for a presidential pardon to be given to a personal friend of the POTUS (or Governor). Yes, Ford pardoned Nixon but that was political and not based on close personal relationship.

Unfortunately, sometimes people are wrongly convicted and occasionally, state legislators and the state justice system is stubborn about overturning convictions or commuting sentences. I'm not fond of pardons in most cases anyway but sometimes the criminal justice system gets it very wrong.
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Of course it does, but how does the President know which cases are the ones they got wrong?

If a properly constituted court, with access to all of the lawfully admissible evidence, got it wrong, then how does the President know that they did? Is God whispering in his ear? (That's how the kings of old claimed that they knew a pardon was justified, though in fact it was all just a part of the eternal popularity contest that is required to maintain a grip on power).
 
Rhea said:
Toni said:
It's very uncommon, and I believe until Trump, actually unheard of for a presidential pardon to be given to a personal friend of the POTUS (or Governor). Yes, Ford pardoned Nixon but that was political and not based on close personal relationship.
Click to expand...
Clinton did a shady one, didn’t he?
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Ah, I forgot about Clinton. I did not care for him.
 
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