Everyone knows the U.S. Constitution was flawed, to put it mildly, the day it was ratified by the ninth and decisive state of the original thirteen.* The document has since been amended 27 times, but that number has not been nearly enough to align our Constitution with the stated ideals of our Declaration or to ensure the survival of democracy and justice.
I’m sure you have your own wish-list of Constitutional fixes, which I invite you to share in the comments. My Top Ten list may have many in common with yours:
No. 28: The Second Amendment to this Constitution is hereby repealed. Congress and The States may regulate the manufacture, sale and possession of military-grade weapons, repeating firearms, and all instruments of mass destruction.
No. 29: Presidents may not grant self-pardons for their crimes or misdemeanors nor may they grant pardons for acts committed by their family members, as Congress shall define. Presidents may not grant pardons for acts that have yet to take place or for which charges have not been filed.
No. 30: Neither Congress or any State shall make any law to obstruct, delay or sanction the medical termination of a pregnancy in the first trimester, nor any life-saving medical procedure for a pregnant woman of any gestational stage.
No. 31: Any marriage between two persons that is lawfully contracted in one State shall be recognized by all States, and by the United States, as a legal marriage for all purposes.
No. 32: Election of the President by popular vote. Section I. The Electoral College and its related provisions are repealed. Section II. The winner of a Presidential election shall be the person who receives a plurality, but no less than 40%, of the votes from all those who may lawfully vote for President. If no one receives 40%, a national run-off election shall be held between the two leading vote-getters 21 days after Election Day; the person who receives more votes in the run-off shall be elected President. Section III. No votes for President shall be counted for a person who, in any of the 90 days prior to Election Day, was serving a felony sentence for a Federal or State crime. Section IV: Election Day, and the run-off election day if required, shall be a Federal holiday.
No. 33: Section I: Justices of the Supreme Court who are confirmed after ratification of this amendment shall serve a 20-year term, or until age 80, or until they resign, or until they are impeached and removed, whichever occurs first. Section. II: In light of their duty to impartially uphold the law, no Justice or members of their immediate family may accept gifts, gratitudes, services or other items of more than token value from any domestic, foreign or corporate source.
No. 34: United States currency and coinage shall not bear the name or likeness of any person who owned slaves, or who waged war against indigenous people who inhabited what is now the United States, or who engaged in insurrection against the United States. The Treasury shall issue complying currency and coinage within two years of ratification of this Amendment and shall remove non-complying currency and coinage from circulation within three years of ratification.
No. 35: The Comprehensive Equal Rights Amendment. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex or gender preference or gender identity.
No. 36: The number of members in the House of Representatives shall be based on the most recent decennial Census: 1) The least populous State shall have one representative. 2) The number of representatives for each other State shall be the ratio of its population to that of the least populous State, rounded to the nearest whole number. 3) The District of Columbia shall have one representative with the same privileges as all representatives.†
No. 37: Persons detained under the military authority of the United States, but who have not been designated Prisoners of War, must be given the opportunity to be remanded to Federal custody and be arraigned in Federal courts within three years of their detention. The Supreme Court may grant one-year extensions to such detentions.
No. 38: Upon ratification of this Amendment: Section I. The National Dog shall be the Golden Retriever, being necessary to the security of a free State, and so damned lovable. Section II: The National Vehicle shall be the Ford F-150, with a Golden Retriever in the passenger seat, and the driver yelling, “Yeehaw! Is this a great country or what!”
I wonder which of these Amendments would get passed first. Or ever! Thoughts?
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* The ninth state to ratify (nine was apparently selected so as to assure ratification by a majority of the people of all states) was New Hampshire, on June 21, 1788. Virginia missed its chance to be the decisive ninth state by four days.
† If the 36th Amendment were in effect now, the House would have 538 members instead of 435. No state would lose a House member. The largest states would gain the most: Pennsylvania (+6), New York (+9), Florida (+9), Texas (+13), California (+17). This illustrates how un-representative and small-state biased both the House and Senate are today.
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USE ARROWS OR DOTS TO ADVANCE
Let’s all pray for another downpour.