An Objectivist Constitution

Posted by jrberts5 10 years, 9 months ago to Politics
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At some point, either in the somewhat distant future of this country or in secret enclaves hidden throughout it very soon, it will be necessary to write a document defining government and its role in guaranteeing freedom. I would be curious to see suggestions from the people on this website as to how such a document might read.


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  • Posted by drss1942 10 years, 9 months ago
    Congress shall make now laws, period turn the page. The president shall not have the authority to violate the Constitution. The president is forbidden to work his personal agendas using the power of high office and or the taxpayers money.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 10 years, 9 months ago
    I would suggest a copy of The Ayn Rand Lexicon edited by Harry Binswanger. In it under "government you'll find everything you'll need. She makes it very clear as to the function of government and illustrates it to a "T." Mr. Binswanger, as I understand it, gleaned the material from all of Rand's writing.
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  • Posted by $ jlc 10 years, 9 months ago
    The Constitution is an excellent document, but it was written in a world of towns of 250 people, where everyone knew each other and had a similar culture. Travel and communication were at the speed of a horse. This incredible document has done well in application to the modern world, but its weakest points are where a country of power and money and technology pushes the envelope of its design.
    I think that the single most important amendment I would make to it would be to require good accounting practices of all government and public departments. There should also be some provision for transparency. Money is the backbone of positive incentive and of negative corruption and striking at that point would, I think, do the most good.
    I have read (though I cannot now find the source) that there are about 30,000 laws and regulations that apply to each individual in the US. This boggles the imagination and makes humorous the adage 'ignorance of the law is no excuse'. Whatever laws we have must be manageable by an individual - and there is no concept in the Constitution of the law itself getting so far out of control. There needs to be some way of addressing this too.

    Jan
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  • Posted by rainbowstew 10 years, 9 months ago
    One thing I would have in it would be a provision that if some politician pushes some law, and makes promises or statements about the effect it will have on the people (such as "if you like your current health plan you can keep it" or "this will reduce your health costs by $2500 per year"), and it passes, and then those effects do not happen as promised, then that law is declared null and void, and the politician(s) who pushed it are immediately removed from office and disqualified from ever holding any other public offices, and do not receive any pensions or other benefits from it.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
    While I agree with many of the aforementioned comments, the one that needs to be dealt with most is related to Robbie53024's comment regarding "an earned right" vs. "an inherent right". Specifically, those who are net takers should have no vote, and the value of one's vote ought to be in proportion to the amount one pays in taxes. This is similar to what the Constituion said prior to being amended, when one could only vote if one owned property. This is not a racist or sexist comment in any way.
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    • Posted by rlewellen 10 years, 9 months ago
      So you want to make it so only the rich have a voice, that is already in place they are just the same on both sides of the aisle.
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      • Posted by $ MikeMarotta 10 years, 9 months ago
        Only taxpayers should vote? How about only BONDHOLDERS should vote? Moreover, not "one man one vote" but (as in business) one share one vote.

        That was one of the solutions in "The Secret of the League: the story of a social war" a novel from 1907 about the rich going on strike against socialism.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_...
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        • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
          I am in agreement regarding one share, one vote, as per my comment a little further below. Regarding BONDHOLDERS vs. taxpayers, that is an interesting question, I would be in complete agreement with the bond holders option if this indeed were a Galtish world. As long as we are still burdened with a Federal Reserve and federal government that can print a fiat currency that is not tied to something objective, the bond holders option will not work. I am still caught a la Dagny between GG and America until GG is a real place.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
        If one's vote is proportional to what one pays in taxes, it makes voting more like a shareholder's meeting for a corporation. Right now, the taxing and voting situation has a Marxian "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" feel to it. As a man of ability, I reject Marx and all his successors.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
        In my world, one would have the opportunity to keep their voting rights by electing to never take money from Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.. These are programs that we in Galt's Gulch never consented to.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
        I will agree that both parties on the same side of the political aisle. It is us against all of them, with the Democrats being like many of those in Atlas Shrugged and the Republicans (and some Democrats) best exemplified by Wesley Mouch.

        While I agree with Mark Levin's Liberty Amendments, as of about late 2006, America went past the point from which it is possible to recover. People quote the 17 trillion dollar debt being over $50 K per person. What they neglect is the over 100 trillion dollars in guaranteed obligations. That equates to more than most people will save per person in their lifetimes.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
        No, I don't want only the rich to have a voice, but what we have now is a two wolves and one sheep deciding what is for dinner. Now that 1% of the population pays 40% of the taxes and 50% of the population pays only 3% of the taxes, the opportunity to demagogue against the rich has gone past a critical point. I considered myself a patriotic American until America ceased being exceptional.
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    • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 9 months ago
      There are some merits to such a program. However, as rl voices a concern below, only such a mechanism would be viewed as "buying" control.
      Perhaps the mechanism would be to "earn" the right by public service - I would prefer this as only military service, but would be open to discussion of other forms of public service - and then a mechanism for weighting of the vote via taxes paid or even as Mike states below, perhaps by value of bonds held. It could even be apportioned differently between the House and the Senate, with house members being elected via one vote, and Senate by proportionate share of either taxes paid, bonds held, or even both.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
        The comments by Robbie53024 and rlewellen certainly are quite reasonable. All these comments point to the brilliance that Ayn Rand showed in establishing a gold equivalency for all actions. I am a big enough man to realize that my suggestions are well, suggestions.
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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 10 years, 9 months ago
    About a year ago someone posted a request for amendments to the Constitution. I'd like to see if we could collaborate by posting the original, then have Gulchers add amendments and changes in bold and italics to be voted on by other members. When completed we could present it to the world. We would need some rules to begin (Producers only?) as to who could vote on the changes but it might be a worthwhile exercise to leave behind a permanent document for posterity of our time in the Gulch.
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    • Posted by $ winterwind 10 years, 9 months ago
      Has anyone seen Neil Smith's New Covenant? It showed up the first time in his book "The Gallatin Divergence".
      I think it's a good start for discussion. Now, of course, I have to find my [signed] copy and give you the language.
      tomorrow is another day!
      Your question is good - something to start with is always better than a blank piece of paper looking at you, saying "well? get on with it!"
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    • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
      Only producers should have a vote. This would be enabled by a checkbox on a tax form saying that one would not accept money from Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. Violation of the checked box would be punishable by fine, revocation of voting priveleges, and perhaps jail time.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
        My imperfect idea about the checkbox assumes that America is worth saving. At this point, that is debatable. The difference between us and those in Atlas Shrugged is that there isn't a viable alternative yet to move to. If there were (is?) a Galt's Gulch to actually move to, I am still not aware of its existence. Until then, I am like Quentin Daniels (eventually Galt's assistant) toiling away at Florida (instead of Utah) Institute of Technology.
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      • Posted by $ winterwind 10 years, 9 months ago
        checkbox on a tax form? umm...tax form? Like I fll it out and send it in and include a payment....or else?

        no, no, no, no, no.
        did I say "over my dead body" yet?
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        • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
          The tax form idea came probably because I was just finishing my taxes and intentionally bypassed the "Do I want to donate $3 to politically candidates?". There would have to be some means of saying that we aren't going to accept government money from an accounting standpoint. But you're right in one respect. It would be like painting a target on yourself. I am past the point where I care about that anymore. I'm still waiting for a Galt's Gulch to actually move to.
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      • Posted by j_IR1776wg 10 years, 9 months ago
        Under an Objectivist constitution, speaking strictly for myself, there would be no income tax, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. Those unable or unwilling to provide for themselves would have to depend on the charitable impulses of the productive.
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