Proposal For A Conservative Reduction Of Federal Government

[ExiledV20]

Constitutional Amendments

Amendment XXVIII: (a) The 17th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. (b) Senators for the representation of a state will be chosen from a slate of candidates provided by that State's Governor, ratified by a 2/3rds majority of the house(s) consisting of a State's legislature.

Amendment XXIX: (a) The 16th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. (b) The sole source of revenue to the Federal Government will be 25% of taxes collected by the State governments, which will be turned over by the States upon completion of collection. (c) Withholding of funds from the federal government is a crime and will be handled by the Department of Justice.

Changes To The Federal Government Entire
- The federal government controls interstate commerce only on the following items: petroleum products, foodstuffs, radioactives, bioproducts, and precious metals.
- Concepts may only be patented after they have been demonstrated. If someone else can find another way to perform or produce that idea afterwards, then a license fee must be paid.
- Federal ID cards will be issued by the government; these will be tied to DNA/fingerprints. They are not mandatory, but they take the place of all passports, must be shown when a citizen wishes to use federal government services, and are required for the purchase of firearms.
- All laws restricting purchases of firearms are repealed. States may not make laws regulating firearms. The only requirement of purchasing a firearm is to provide a Federal ID. The serial number of the firearm will then be registered as belonging to that Federal ID.
- The Federal Weapons Statute: If a gun that has been tied to your Federal ID is used in the commission of a crime, you are liable for that crime, unless you have previously reported this weapon as lost or stolen and have had this report filed with your local police agency.

Changes To The Executive
- All war-making powers are completely revoked, although any domestic peace-keeping action is fully within the power of the office.
- The Cabinet is reduced to the following departments:
* Department of State
* Department of Defense
* Department of Homeland Security
* Department of Commerce & Treasury
* Department of Justice
* Department of Health, Education, & Human Services
* Department of Energy
* Department of Agriculture & Interior

Changes To The Legislature
- A 2/3rds majority is required to pass a bill in each house.
- A bill cannot be amended or otherwise changed after it leaves committee.
- More than 12 abstentions in a given year by a Representative or Senator will result in removal from office.
- Congressional 'sessions' are eliminated. There is a three day recess for each national holiday. Otherwise, Congress is constantly working.
- Deficit spending is absolutely forbidden.

Changes To The Bureaucracy
- The Secretary of Defense is not appointed by the President, but by the Senate alone by unanimous vote. He is not replaced with the rest of the administration. Only the Senate may replace the SOD. The SOD cannot have ever been on the National Security Council or the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- The CIA, FBI, NSA, ATF, and DEA are folded into the Department of Homeland Security and no longer exist separately.
- The Secret Service is no longer response for investigation of currency fraud and forgery; they are solely response for the protection of the President. The new enforcement arm of the DOC&T will be called the Treasury Service
- The DOJ now controls only the Bureau of Prisons, the Special Prosecutor's Office (handling crimes within the government), the Federal court system, and the Federal Marshall's Service. The DOJ no longer reports to the President, but to the Supreme Court.
- The DOHE&HS is nominally responsible for all social programs administered by the government. The only items it actually operates are the NIH, the CDC, and the FDA.
- The DOE regulates all power generation and is the central broker for power between states.
- The DOE operates the Energy Management Cooperative, a privatized monopoly similar to the postal service that is traded on the stock exchange.
- Due to the repeal of the 16th Amendment, the IRS is permanently abolished.
- The sole purpose of the DOA&I is to act as a salesperson and lessor for corporations or charities wishing to purchase and make use of federal lands. They are also responsible for management of the park system.
- Food inspection, the postal service, the IRS, EPA, NEA, NASA, FCC, Social Security, Medicare, and all other separate entities or departments not hereby mentioned are abolished.

Changes To The Legal System
- Pleas bargaining and probation are absolutely eliminated.
- Appeals at any level have a maximum time period of 3 months in which new evidence can be produced; after that the appeal is considered to have failed.
- Self defense is defined as "any instance in which the assailant can show just cause that his/her life, or the life of another party, was threatened in circumstances where a duly appointed officer of the law could not be summoned, or where it was impossible to restrain the injured party by any other means".
- All narcotics laws are repealed.
- Punishments for crimes committed will be standardized as follows:
* Assault & Battery - 7 months imprisonment, $10,000 fine.
* Assault With Deadly Force - 7 years imprisonment, aversion therapy, $100,000 fine.
* Burglary - Exile from state/metropolis where crime committed, 7 years imprisonment.
* Conspiracy - Exile from state/metropolis where crime committed, 7 years imprisonment.
* Counterfeiting & Forgery - 15 years imprisonment, $500,000 fine.
* Extortion & Blackmail - 15 years imprisonment, $100,000 fine.
* Homicide, 1st degree - Death.
* Homicide, 2nd degree - 20 years imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine, exile from state where crime committed, aversion therapy.
* Kidnapping & False Imprisonment - 20 years imprisonment, $100,000 fine, aversion therapy.
* Larceny, Theft, or Robbery (by force) - 20 years imprisonment, $500,000 fine, exile from state where crime committed, aversion therapy.
* Malicious Mischief & Vandalism - 6 months imprisonment, $1,000 fine.
* Rape - 20 years imprisonment, chemical castration, $1,000,000 fine, exile from state where crime committed, aversion therapy.
* Resisting Arrest & Obstructing An Officer - 9 weeks imprisonment, $1000 fine.
* Rioting or Incitement Of Violence - 7 days imprisonment, $1000 fine.
* Trespassing - 7 days imprisonment, $1000 fine
- Exile will be accomplished by the surgical implantation of RFID chips in the spinal cord of the criminal. Should the metropolis/state detect the presence of said RFID chip within their boundaries, all law enforcement are required to pursue and execute the criminal without trial.
- All fines will be paid for by the convicted criminal. If they cannot pay the fine or someone will not pay it for them, all possessions will be sold at auction to help meet the fine requirements. Work opportunities will be provided during imprisonment, with all salary donated towards the fine. Should the fine still be extant when imprisonment ends, military or hard labor conscription will be required at standard wages until fine is paid.
- Execution will be done by a single .45 slug at point blank range.

[draco664]

Tell me, have you ever heard of the law of unintended consequences?

[radiocerk]

I don't think I want to live in your world. Just saying.

[Greenday]

I'd move. In a heartbeat.

[crashhelmet]

So this is the plan after your coup takes effect?

CH

[guywithashovel]

These are some interesting---and sweeping---changes to our government. However, it would have been helpful if you presented some explanations for why you think these changes would make life in our country better.

For example, why would it be better for the DOJ to report to the Supreme Court rather than to the president? How would your proposed changes to the way senators are elected make our lives better? Why is it better to forbid changes to bills after they leave committee?

[ZedOmega]

Tell me, have you ever heard of the law of unintended consequences?

I don't think I want to live in your world. Just saying.

I'd move. In a heartbeat.

This, this and this.

An excellent plan of action. Too bad such massive changes to the government would only be enacted by a massive revolution. Good luck with that recruiting run.

Plus, I want to point out a few things wrong with your proposed New World Order:

- Lack of postal service would effectively kill off government-run parcel delivery options. Combine that with the increased cost-of-living due to the elimination of the IRS (Federal income becomes 25% of state income? For serious, dude? You know some states don't have a state tax, right?), and you've just gotten us started on a whole mess of things to go wrong with delivery systems.

- Homicide 1 scores an instant death penalty? Even in self-defense? I'm a supporter of the death penalty, but the concept of 'due process' seems to be a huge problem in your game of Evony there.

- Food inspection is one of the major domains of the FDA. Elimiate food inspection and you've knocked the food supply's quality back to that of roughly the 1200s.

- Your willingness to dissolve both Social Security and Medicare just guaranteed that the average lifespan of everyone in the country matches that of a third-world country. If you've ever had an elderly relative get sick, you'd know that that funding does a lot towards helping them recover. Oh, wait. Someone translate that into Klingon, please?

- 7 years imprisonment and state exile for a conspirator? Man, if it wasn't contradictory of your entire post, I'd say they were getting off light. And a week's imprisonment for trespassing, on the other hand, is overkill unless intent to commit either burglary/robbery, assault/rape/murder or arson can be proven at the same time. Not to mention you didn't even list any punishment whatsoever for illegal entry of the country, smuggling of any kind, especially human traffickng, DWI/DUI (just because you repealed all drug laws doesn't mean people won't drive drunk/high anymore)...

- That degree of control over firearms purchases and possession only makes the old expression 'if guns were outlawed, only outlaws would have guns' that much more true. And what about people with out-of-country weapon registrations? Would they have to turn them in to the Border Patrol?

[ExiledV20]

For example, why would it be better for the DOJ to report to the Supreme Court rather than to the president?

The Supreme Court as a whole is far more impartial, therefore the pursuit of justice will be less tainted by political ideology from the executive.

How would your proposed changes to the way senators are elected make our lives better?

One of the large complaints amongst conservative and libertarian factions is the loss of representation of the state governments in federal government. I must agree that the 17th Amendment causing Senators to be popularly elected did cause such a loss of representation, which was against the Founder's original intentions as stated at the Constitutional Convention. This would redress that balance, thereby leading to a return of layer-cake government as opposed to marble-cake.

Why is it better to forbid changes to bills after they leave committee?

This action takes care of pork riders and the 'mauling' of bills into forms almost unrecognizable from their original committee approval, as in the recent Jobs-Relief-Morphed-Into-A-War-Appropriations bill.

Lack of postal service would effectively kill off government-run parcel delivery options. Combine that with the increased cost-of-living due to the elimination of the IRS (Federal income becomes 25% of state income? For serious, dude? You know some states don't have a state tax, right?), and you've just gotten us started on a whole mess of things to go wrong with delivery systems.

This is assuming that such revenue only comes from a state income tax. It would be 25% of ALL tax revenues collected by the state - ad valorem, sales, etc.

As for the issue of the postal service, yes, that is the point. Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide a more equitable solution to the government-run postal system.

- Homicide 1 scores an instant death penalty? Even in self-defense?

Homicide 1 has always been pre-meditated cold-blooded murder. Self-defense has never been equated as that legally and nothing I propose makes that equation. As for due process, that still happens. These are just mandatory penalties; you still have to be tried, convicted and go through appeals.

- Food inspection is one of the major domains of the FDA. Elimiate food inspection and you've knocked the food supply's quality back to that of roughly the 1200s.

Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide a better solution.

- Your willingness to dissolve both Social Security and Medicare just guaranteed that the average lifespan of everyone in the country matches that of a third-world country. If you've ever had an elderly relative get sick, you'd know that that funding does a lot towards helping them recover.

Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide better solutions and that charity will no doubt fill any gaps.

Not to mention you didn't even list any punishment whatsoever for illegal entry of the country, smuggling of any kind, especially human traffickng, DWI/DUI (just because you repealed all drug laws doesn't mean people won't drive drunk/high anymore)...

It's a short list for a short post. That would certainly be expanded on in actual legislation.

- That degree of control over firearms purchases and possession only makes the old expression 'if guns were outlawed, only outlaws would have guns' that much more true. And what about people with out-of-country weapon registrations? Would they have to turn them in to the Border Patrol?

Control? What control? I'm perfectly confused here.

The system I describe involves you walking into a shop, buying the gun, slapping down your Federal ID, serial number of the gun is registered by the seller, and you walk out the door with it right then and there. Boom, that's it. Also, no restrictions laid down on what you can buy. Fully automatic assault weapons, grenades, bazookas - whatever you want to walk out with. I'd say that's UNRESTRICTED and should please 2nd Amendment activists.

As for non-citizens with out-of-country weapon registrations, well, they're not citizens, are they? Therefore no rights, therefore no 2nd Amendment for them.

[ZedOmega]

This is assuming that such revenue only comes from a state income tax. It would be 25% of ALL tax revenues collected by the state - ad valorem, sales, etc.

That all seems well and good, but what about the people who're anticipating decent tax returns because they've signed up to have extra money taken out of their paychecks for the taxes? Does that get eliminated also, or are they still entitled to some of the assistance the IRS gives in the form of deductions and EITC?

As for the issue of the postal service, yes, that is the point. Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide a more equitable solution to the government-run postal system.

Something like that might work in theory, but dissolution of the postal service will end up losing the guaranteed funding that postage fees bring in for the government. The only way I could see the treasury make up for the lost income from fifty states, one federal district and six territories' worth of fees would be for the postal service to fall under corporate or state control. That could get ugly in a hurry.

Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide a better solution [to food inspection measures].

The free market has the one vulnerable weakness of human/corporate greed. All it would take is a few written orders from an unscrupulous CEO and we're back to having animal waste and pesticides in foods that eventually became safe to eat by current standards.


(on dissolution of Medicare and Social Security)

Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide better solutions and that charity will no doubt fill any gaps.

Most of the charity groups in the country are run by religious groups. Expecting them to fill in any gaps that the free market would leave open is asking for the church to directly involve itself in what would end up falling back into state matters. Plus, with the current market in place, insurance companies are already adding clause upon clause to claims processing; the free market would give them majority control, if not complete.

The system I describe involves you walking into a shop, buying the gun, slapping down your Federal ID, serial number of the gun is registered by the seller, and you walk out the door with it right then and there. Boom, that's it. Also, no restrictions laid down on what you can buy. Fully automatic assault weapons, grenades, bazookas - whatever you want to walk out with. I'd say that's UNRESTRICTED and should please 2nd Amendment activists.

Provided the federal ID would have an indefinite expiration date, the system may work. But placing that much firepower into the hands of the citizenry would place everyone from government officials to annoying neighbors in serious danger. As much as I'd like to carry a Mauser C96 and a half-dozen tear-gas grenades at work, the thought of a customer walking up to my door packing a Deagle and wearing a broadsword on his belt would ruin my night.

As for non-citizens with out-of-country weapon registrations, well, they're not citizens, are they? Therefore no rights, therefore no 2nd Amendment for them.

There's always a work-around, even if it involves international waters and exchanges at sea. Eventually it comes back on the buyers, but people are crafty little fuckers.

[Arcade Man D]

As for the issue of the postal service, yes, that is the point. Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide a more equitable solution to the government-run postal system.

The funny part about that is that all the major package delivery services haven't entered the first-class mail arena because they wouldn't be able to do the job as cheaply as the USPS does.

And no, before you say anything, it's not due to unfair competition because the USPS is funded by the government. In fact, it isn't. The USPS operates completely on its own. It receives zero tax revenue, and makes its operating funding on what it sells.

Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide a better solution.

Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide better solutions and that charity will no doubt fill any gaps.

The free market will never provide food safety without a swift kick in the jimmies from outside forces, at which point it's no longer a full free market. If you want to know what food (and working) is like without government oversight, read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair (it was originally published in 1906, so you don't even have to buy it, it's now a public domain book.

[HYHYBT]

Too many problems to go through, but why would you deliberately write a gun law that would, for instance, put the blame on the original purchaser of a gun for any crime committed with it *before he knows it's been stolen?* For instance, under your system, someone whose house is burgled while he's on vacation (not an uncommon occurrence), with the weapon(s) found used that day, could be "guilty" of who knows how many robberies and murders he could not rationally have been expected to prevent before he could report them stolen.

[AdminAssistant]

Conservative and libertarian factions state that the free market will provide a better solution.

I don't understand libertarians. You don't trust the government, but you trust capitalism? A system where the very rich are out to get as much money as possible from the very poor? Nice way to send us back to the 1930's.

[Stormraven]

I don't usually get involved in political posts, and I have issues with this one, but I did want to correct one minor issue.

The events fictionalized in 'The Jungle', while they did happen, are not an indictment of unregulated industry. The meatpacking industry in Chicago was regulated, by State and City inspectors. Those inspectors were bribed to look the other way.

I admit to being interested in the difference between Chicago's meatpacking plants and the others in the country at the time - and whether or not any of the others were regulated by their states/cities.

[Anthony K. S.]

If you want to know what food (and working) is like without government oversight, read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair

The events fictionalized in 'The Jungle', while they did happen, are not an indictment of unregulated industry. The meatpacking industry in Chicago was regulated, by State and City inspectors. Those inspectors were bribed to look the other way.

Stormraven, that doesn't really negate Arcade Man D's point in bringing up The Jungle.

He stated that it was an example of working "without government oversight." And if those inspectors were paid off to not do their jobs, then the industry actually was working without government oversight.

In any case, if there were no inspectors and no regulation in the first place, then it would have been even easier for the corruption in the meatpacking industry to thrive. So The Jungle is still relevant to this debate, as a warning of what can happen even with government regulation, let alone what might have happened without it.

[Stormraven]

But my point was that we don't know the situation with the other meatpackers. For all we know, they were operating without government oversight, and were doing fine. They could also have been worse than Chicago, but I think we'd know if that were the case.

And the fact that the overseers were being bribed doesn't prove the necessity for more overseers, either.

One of the problems of government oversight is that people tend to view it as a given - "If the USDA approved it, it's gotta be good." - which doesn't always work if the government agents are being bribed, don't have enough time or manpower to do the job properly, etc.

When government sets minimum standards, they tend to become maximum standards as well. (Not always, but the tendency is there.)

And for the market making sure that food is good, just look at Kosher and Hillal - while it's conceivable that a Rabbi or Imam might take a bribe, I don't think it's quite as likely as a government inspector.