Topic category:  Government/Politics

Is the demise of our Constitutional Republic inevitable? How is it to be stopped?

These questions can only be answered by time and those who we choose in our next few election cycles to shape political events of our future. Unlike recent elections, in future we need to choose wisely.

From my perspective, there appears to be only one way to save this country peacefully and it involves a massive wrenching of the political system from its unconstitutional status quo.

No simple patches can save this Republic from the oblivion into which it is rapidly descending. Just look at how unemployment figures have skyrocketed since socialists took control of Congress in 2007. Remember, these are lowered figures for unemployment based on new methods of computation. If the same basis were used that was in place 20 years ago, the figures would be considerably higher than shown.

The salvation of this nation lies in its "Restoration"; a restoration of strict compliance with Constitutionally-restrained Federal governance. The economy will take care of itself if federal government is constrained to its legitimate constitutionally-authorized role. States will fill any legitimate requirements of the people and they will do so in a manner appropriate to the people of each state.

We need to get political power out of Washington and back to the states where it belongs.

Our Constitution contains checks and balances designed to restrain each branch of government to its legitimate constitutional role. Those checks and balances have been altered and ignored.

The groundwork for constitutional abuse was laid by the "progressive" movement of more than 100 years ago and spearheaded by the actions of the McKinely-Roosevelt-Wilson administrations. These "progressives" were the primary force behind passage of both the 16th and 17th Amendments that have provided the foundation for today's massive problems.

The 17th Amendment took the power to appoint Senators from state governments and gave it to the people under the guise of "democracy." This simple step destroyed carefully constructed congressional checks and balances whereby the People's chamber (House) and the State's chamber (Senate) would have to work out legislative issues that were supportive of both interests. The destruction of this balance set the stage for massive increases in Federal power, diminished State power, and led to the emergence of special interest politics funded by lobbies that have isolated Congress from the people.

By taking the election of Senators out of the hands of the state governments whose interests Senators were created to represent, "progressives" weakened states and set the stage for a unrestrained Federal power. Passage of the income tax amendment (16th), another "progressive" initiative, provided the conduit for ever greater concentration of power in Washington.

Today's mess is the inevitable result.

Don't be fooled by those who claim it is just bad politicians who have created this mess. It is fundamental alterations in our constitutional government that have enhanced the emergence of bad politicians. There will always be bad politicians. The important thing we must do is restore the Constitutional system that prevented such bad politicians from taking and holding power indefinitely.

Essentially what needs to be done is a deconstruction of the mess created by "progressives" and a restoration of our nation to it's original Constitutionally limited Federal system.

We need to start by amending the 16th Amendment and repealing the 17th Amendment.

Few of the current crop of politicians in Washington are suited to instituting changes necessary to save our nation and restore Constitutional governance. Draconian changes are necessary to deconstruct the unconstitutional massively bloated Federal bureaucracy and restore the proper balance of power between States and the Federal government. The only peaceful solution is a massive change in Congress that must include putting into power people who have the persistence to undertake this restoration effort and see it to a successful completion.

Here is what I believe must be done:

1. Repeal the 17th Amendment, restoring to States their proper role in the Federal Government and returning the checks and balances within Congress that enactment removed. Make contributions of any kind from lobbyists illegal, including dinner and other common "favors".
   
   
2. Amend our Constitution to limit terms to one (raising House terms to four years, half of each state's representatives elected every two years). This would eliminate "re-election" politics and ensure that better people are turned through the process regularly. It will also assure there are no "career" politicians feeding off lobbyists at the expense of the people. Members of the House and Senate will have to live within the constitutional laws and regulations they create. The influence of special interest lobbies would be radically diminished as would the cost of elections.
   
   
3. Amend our Constitution to require every bill leaving Congress to include the specific enumerated constitutional power authorizing Congress to enact such legislation. Prior to consideration by the President, every bill would be submitted to the Supreme Court for review of its constitutionality and assurance that the cited authority exists within the enumerated powers. Should the Supreme Court find a bill lacking constitutional authority, then it is returned to the Congress with deficiencies cited. This provision would not apply to any congressional action required by our Constitution (e.g., funding, defense).
   
   
4. Amend our Constitution to prohibit any Executive Order that is not pursuant to constitutionally consistent enforcement of legitimate Federal law. Require the same citation of constitutional authority in the preamble to every Executive Order and submission of each Executive Order to the Supreme Court for affirmation or rejection on the basis of constitutional authority.
   
   
5. Rapidly phase in a turnover of the inefficient and bankrupt Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid programs to states. Each state can tailor its own plans to suit its needs. States are free to privatize or otherwise reform their versions of SS/Medicare/Medicaid. For example, border states could prohibit medicare/medicaid services to non-citizens.
   
   
6. At a minimum, scrap the CPSC, EPA, HEW, DoE and a host of other extra-constitutional "agencies" whose benefits do not match their costs and for which there is no constitutional authority for their existence as a Federal agency. Scrap Obamacare before it gets started. States have the legitimate role currently played by these agencies. States are free to engage in cooperative ventures with other states to achieve regional or national cohesion and more efficiently tailor such initiatives to satisfy their purposes.
   
   
7. Scrap the IRS and the income tax by amending the 16th amendment to replace income tax with a national sales tax (not a VAT) constitutionally capped at 1%. Since restoration will re-establish a federal government that will be constrained to operate within its constitutionally limited powers, there will be little need for a huge bloated bureaucracy, enormously reducing the need for Federal tax revenue.
   
   These measures would eliminate all federal payroll deductions (income tax, Social Security, Medicare). This would further serve constitutional restraint by eliminating any vehicle for wealth redistribution, an concept alien to our Constitution and civilized productive society. Truly needed programs should be the business of state government where people are better able to control programs and institute real reforms (e.g., tort reform) that wouldl significantly lower costs and increase effectiveness.
   
   
8. Pay DOWN the national debt (not just the debt service).

It might.

Bob Webster
WEBCommentary (Editor, Publisher)

Biography - Bob Webster

Author of "Looking Out the Window", an evidence-based examination of the "climate change" issue, Bob Webster, is a 12th-generation descendent of both the Darte family (Connecticut, 1630s) and the Webster family (Massachusetts, 1630s). He is a descendant of Daniel Webster's father, Revolutionary War patriot Ebenezer Webster, who served with General Washington. Bob has always had a strong interest in early American history, our Constitution, U.S. politics, and law. Politically he is a constitutional republican with objectivist and libertarian roots. He has faith in the ultimate triumph of truth and reason over deception and emotion. He is a strong believer in our Constitution as written and views the abandonment of constitutional restraint by the regressive Progressive movement as a great danger to our Republic. His favorite novel is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and believes it should be required reading for all high school students so they can appreciate the cost of tolerating the growth of unconstitutional crushingly powerful central government. He strongly believes, as our Constitution enshrines, that the interests of the individual should be held superior to the interests of the state.

A lifelong interest in meteorology and climatology spurred his strong interest in science. Bob earned his degree in Mathematics at Virginia Tech, graduating in 1964.