Constitutional 110412

The concept of constitutional government is relatively new.  As nation states evolved from the muck of feudalism and royal abuses the people began to demand better government.  By the end of the 18th century the royalist were in retreat and wary populist movements demanded protection from a return to the past.  The answer became a written constitution, a contract between the governed and the government. 

Constitutions tend to follow two models, one is hundreds of pages long spelling out in detail what the state and the people can and can not do.  This model is really the nation’s codified law requiring frequent changes as the dynamics change.

An early proponent of constitutional protections the United States originated a different model.  This model is short, only seven brief Articles and in over 200 years has only been amended 27 times.  The first 10 amendments were passed immediately and are known as the Bill of Rights, protecting the people from their government.  The strength of the American model is if brevity and clarity.   It establishes the basic structure of government, allocates the relative powers of its branches and guarantees the freedoms of the individual.  More importantly it provides a national philosophy and culture that endures.  The American Constitution has served as an idealized model for many emerging nations in the two centuries since it ramification.

Every soldier, sailor, cop and government employee is sworn to uphold the Constitution.
Even lawyers and elected officials swear to uphold the Constitution.  Leave it to lawyers to search for creative ways around the Constitution, getting their names into law books.  Many newly elected officials however immediately after swearing the oath, begin campaigns to overthrow the Constitution.

The drafters of the Constitution could not foresee how advanced technologies would change American elections nor, would they understand the uninformed populace.  After the last vicious election cycle there will again be a number of partisan proposals to change the Constitution. 

Consider some non-partisan changes to better serve and protect the people.  A new right could be added to limit national political campaigns to thirty days.  After all with television, Facebook, Twitter and Robo Calls candidates can deceive and alienate voters much more quickly than politicians of the 18th century.  Another amendment would restrict the President to one, six-year term of office.  Senators would still serve six years but half would stand for election every three years.  Representatives would be elected for a three-year term, all standing for reelection every term.

These simple amendments protect the people from unreasonable prolonged invasions of their lives, their sanity and humor protected and neighborhood feuds reduced. A change in the voting cycle also saves the taxpayers the excessive cost of frequent elections and continuous campaigns.  Voters would be allowed to recover between campaign assaults and might even get better government.