No government is perfect; in fact every country on Earth suffers from bureaucratic inertia and political infighting. The US is no exception. The framers of the US Constitution and those that have followed have crafted a government that has stood the test of time. Our constitution has functioned well with only minor alterations over the past 230 years. Nonetheless, we at the Phalanx would like to suggest some modifications.
For the Executive Branch, the Phalanx would like to suggest that we lengthen the term of the president to 6 years and limit presidents to one term. Furthermore, we should abolish the winner-take all, electoral system and assign electoral votes proportionally based on the popular vote in each state. The president should be given a line item veto, just as many governors have, enabling them to better combat pork barrel politics.
The executive departments should also be streamlined, eliminating such bastions of bureaucracy like the Departments of Education, Labor, HHS, and HUD, to include only: Defense, Justice, State, Treasury and Commerce. The federal government should not be involved in administering social service programs, such efforts should be relegated to the states, if at all (any national norms or federal mandates would be administered by the states, with the Justice Department charged with overseeing compliance).
The Legislative Branch should also undergo some changes, beginning with term limits. Elected representatives to the House and Senate should be restricted to 12 years in office (6 terms for the House and 2 terms for the Senate). The Congress should also be brought into compliance with the 27th Amendment, which expressly forbids pay increases, without an intervening election. At present, Congress gets around this restriction by calling them “cost of living adjustments.” Any subsequent adjustments in pay should not apply to current members of Congress.
A strict limit should be imposed on the amount time Congress sits in active session. Congress should convene for no more than 100 calendar days in a given year (barring special legislative sessions convened by the president).
With regard to the Judicial Branch, federal judges (including the Supreme Court) should be restricted to a 20-year term. Anyone over age 65, should be limited to 10-year term and justices must be forbidden from citing foreign law in any court rulings.
Beyond these structural changes, Congress would be required to pass a balanced budget unless a 2/3 majority of Congress authorizes otherwise.
Finally with regard to federal elections, no one should be allowed to vote in federal elections without passing a written competency test. Just as we prohibit the criminally insane and those who are mentally deficient from participating in the electoral process, those who are ignorant of our democratic process should also be excluded, as they are easily manipulated and are a threat to our republic. Such a competency test would be similar in scope to a citizenship test and would include similar questions such as:
How many states are there in the Union (the United States)?
What do we celebrate on the 4th of July?
Independence Day celebrates independence from whom?
What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
Who was the first president of the United States?
Who is the President of the United States today?
Who is the Vice President of the United States today?
Who elects the President of the United States?
Who becomes our President if the President dies?
What do we call changes to the Constitution?
What are the three branches of our Government?
What is the legislative branch of our Government?
How many Senators are there in Congress?
Name the two Senators from your state.
How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?
Who is the head of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government?
Name the highest part of the Judiciary Branch of our Government?
What is the supreme law of the United States?
What is the Bill of Rights?
What is the capital of the state you live in?
Who is the current governor of the state you live in?
Who becomes President if both the President and Vice President die?
Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
What were the 13 original states?
Name some countries that were our enemies during World War II?
What was the 49th state added to our Union (the United States)?
How many full terms can a President serve?
What are the requirements to be eligible to become President?
Who nominates judges for the Supreme Court?
How many Supreme Court justices are there?
What is the head executive of a state government called?
What is the head executive of a city government called?
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
What is the minimum voting age in the United States?
Who signs bills into law?
What is the highest court in the United States?
Who was President during the Civil War?
What was the 50th state added to our Union (the United States)?
What branch of government has the power to declare war?
What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
Name one right or freedom guaranteed by the first amendment?
Who is the Commander-in-Chief of the United States military?
In what month do we vote for the President?
In what month is the new President inaugurated?
How many times may a senator or Congressman be reelected?
What are the two major political parties in the United States today?
Frankly, anyone who can’t answer each and every one of the above questions (correctly) should forfeit their voting privilege, until such time as they can demonstrate mastery of the material and the larger concepts.
