The Revolution of 1776 just ended...the leaders of a new country now sit with a blank piece of paper to draft a Constitution. In 1776 governmental and political information is disseminated on paper by horseback messenger. Protection of freedoms is top priority, along with creating a system of checks and balances, so the USA does not end up with a tyrannical King.
233 years later..."checks and balances" have become "gridlock, compromised solutions, and solutions favoring special interests." Politics is broken.
This revolution is about changing a lot of things at once, in an instant...designing a new America starting with a blank piece of paper. The organization chart of our federal government needs to be reorganized to faciliate effective government.
First, let's get a nasty word, "revolution" on the table. The word "reform" would be change from within. The word "revolution" would be change from the outside. This revolution proposal is all about changing a lot of things at once, in an instant. It will require at least 65 million votes of CITIZENS who are voting for the platform, not the candidate. If you believe that politicians will reform the political system themselves, or that CITIZENS can pressure politicians to reform the system, then you won't vote for me !
Jeff Block for President 2012 (for 100 days - I'll resign on day 101)
PREAMBLE
For me this started when I watched this 20/20 report ("Guide to Politics") with Jon Stossel:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerindex?id=6062018
Stossel states "people do talk about their candidate as if he'll perform 'magic'!"
It seem our CITIZENS really want a benevolent dictator, so why don't WE give our elected Presidents the tools, systems, and power to accomplish "magic" ??? The answer turns out to be "because of our Constitution". Articles 1, 2, 3, and 4 authored in the late 1700s define how WE run things today, in 2009 !
Then there's the 1976 movie "Network"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074958/
known best for the line, shouted "I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE !".
I hear and read that lots of CITIZENS during the past 33 years since that movie was made are "as mad as hell", but, but, but...NOTHING CHANGES. Why ? The answer turns out to be "because of our Constitution". Articles 1, 2, 3 and 4 basically say if WE don't like whatever our government does, our only recourse is to just vote in who you want and vote out who you don't want in the next election. How's that been working for US lately? OUR "power of the vote" is powerless - so it really doesn't make a difference how mad WE get.
We seem to think that if WE only vote in the "right" people, then all will be well. I believe WE have voted in lots of the "right" people and yet all is not well. Are we just not good at voting in the "right" people? Maybe it's not the people that are the problem? Maybe it's the system they're being voted into? With the current system we seem to spend lots of time arguing who or what is right, and who or what is wrong, but WE end up "doing stupid" anyway! WE have to STOP DOING STUPID !
Most CITIZENS think of the Constitution in terms of being about free speech, right to own guns, right to vote, etc., but few realize that our Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government are defined in OUR Constitution as well as State's Rights and Powers. Why does our organization chart for the federal government look today like something designed in the 1700's ? Well, it was designed in the 1700's. I think highly of our Founders, but I highly doubt any of them could envision a USA with 300 million CITIZENS, with Senate and House floors broadcast live on TVs in every Citizen's home. I doubt any Founder could envision the information available to every CITIZEN via the internet. I also doubt any Founder could envision the daunting job description of the President of the United States today in 2009. For example, do you think our Founders would say today that a 4 year term for President Obama is enough time to accomplis what he wants and needs to accomplish?
So the revolution begins: Vote for me and the first thing I'll do as President-Elect is to ask the Supreme Court to do whatever they have to do to authorize President Obama's government to stay in place for an additional 100 days. If a nuclear weapon needs launching during my 100 days as President then it's going to be President Obama's fingers on the launch codes, not mine. My Presidency is only to be YOUR transition man.
And here's what we're going to do in my 100 day term as President of the USA:
THE REVOLUTION
Article 2 of the Constitution defines the Presidency:
So how do WE give the tools, systems and power to this President to achieve his/her "magic"? To just do whatever he/she thinks needs to be done? Be our benevolent dictator? Well, WE can't. How would WE control the power of just one person?
So WE give the tools, systems and power to 3 Presidents - that's right, a triumvirate "Office of the Presidents" requiring 2 votes to agree to sign or veto anything.
3 Presidents each serving 12 years without re-election, a new one voted in every 4 years and 1 leaving every 4 years. Anything and everything they do requires a 2 of 3 vote or agreement among the Presidents. I'd like to see Bill Gates, Barack Obama and the Dali Lama running this country together! What triumvirate would you like to have running the country? WE would immediately hold a popular vote election - top 3 become Presidents (or are offered the Presidency) for 12 years, 8 years, and 4 years respectively.
If you're stumbling right now about the concept of 3 Presidents, thinking it could never work that way, that 3 people can't be in charge of an organization, then try re-labeling them as Senior Vice Presidents. 3 Senior VPs will run our country reporting to only one boss: YOU! and 300 million Citizens too!
1 Vice President (fourth in line of succession) will serve a 4 year term wtih the job title of Liaison to the States' Governors (see Article 4 below).
Article 1 of the Constitution defines the Legislative Branch
The House of Representatives will be closed.
The Senate and 100 State Senators become the "States Advisors to the Office of the Presidents" and they are also tasked with drafting all legislation. Senators will serve 8 year terms without re-election.
Article 3 of the Constitution defines the Judicial Branch
The Supreme Court remains the same but with term limits - 12 years. 3 of them go every 4 years and 3 new Supremes appointed every 4 years by the Office of the Presidents by at least 2 votes, and confirmed by the Senate with at least 51 votes.
Article 4 of the Constitution defines State's powers and limits.
Governors run their States. The Governors of each State become a much more integral part of the Federal government. The House of Representatives was established to give CITIZENS in districts in each State a direct representative in the Federal government. Making sure districts in each State get their fair treatment from Federal programs will now be the job of the Governor and 2 Senators of that State. The Governor will be the conduit for all Federal programs impacting his/her State.
SUMMARY
So WE have:
3 Presidents (Office of the Presidents)
1 Vice President (Liaison to the States' Governors)
9 Cabinet Secretaries (see Discussion tab)
9 Supreme Court Judges
100 State Senators
50 Governors
172 of the "right" peple running our country. WE give them the tools, systems, power and mandates to do the job WE want them to do.