Introduction to the United Amendment

Revision as of 14:18, 7 January 2014

The United Amendment is a comprehensive Amendment to the U.S. Constitution currently being written by ordinary people right on this website. A number of factors have lead the government to point far from our common values of Freedom and Fairness. Our current crop of representatives has the lowest approval rating in history, and it's well-deserved. A combination of gerrymandered districts, government-controlled media, low citizen participation, and a general erosion of values has produced the most corrupt, insular, and incompetent menagerie that Washington has ever seen. And the country has just endured two of the longest, most costly, graft-ridden and unnecessary wars in our country's history.

We no longer trust our representatives and we don't trust our government. The country needs to rebuild, but the folks currently running the show are not up to the task. So we're going to do it ourselves.

As part of a larger effort to rebuild the country, we're drafting an Amendment that will reestablish a government that is more fair, more free, and has the integrity and compassion needed to carry us forward. With input from just a few hundred people, we've already developed many fresh, innovative ideas that solve long-entrenched, difficult problems.

The current draft of the Amendment is based on the two common values that our nation has always had since its inception: Liberty and Justice. Everyone here believes in Freedom and Fairness (Liberty and Justice). If someone in the U.S. doesn't believe in Freedom and Fairness, they're living in the wrong country. Using those values as a guide, the United Amendment will restore Integrity and Compassion to our government and provide a new foundation on which to rebuild our country.

The Amendment is written in a language that is more specific than that of the original Constitution, which means it's a longer document -- nine pages. The original Constitution is only four pages. The reason for this specificity is because of the abuses that have taken place throughout the years while interpreting the text of the Constitution. We've often heard the phrase "Living Document" when referring to the Constitution. The implication is that the interpretation of the Constitution can change over the years to accommodate changes in society. That sounds good in theory, but in practice, it means that our highest law is made by nine guys who are not even elected by the people. That's not democracy. That's not a republic. It an oligopoly.

The United Amendment corrects that abuse by writing the law more specifically. But what happens as society changes? Getting an amendment ratified is a long, difficult process. Won't we be locked into an obsolete law? The United Amendment makes it a little easier to amendment the Constitution, either by the original method or directly by the people, so any needed changes can be addressed while preserving our democracy. To provide an additional check on the oligopoly, a Citizens Jury is established to veto any Jurists' opinions that infringe our rights or corrupt justice.

The Amendment addresses corruption in Congress by implementing several provisions to prevent bribes (aka. lobbying), make politicians more accountable to the people, and attract candidates to run for Congress who will have the country's best interests in mind rather than their own.

The current draft of the Amendment is composed of 23 sections:

Section 1 - Citizenship and Immigration Section 2 - Suffrage Section 3 - Taxes Section 4 - Rights Section 5 - Duties Section 6 - Equity Section 7 - Freedom to Worship Section 8 - Commerce Section 9 - Respect for Life and Nature Section 10 - Powers Section 11 - Representation Section 12 - The Treasury and the Central Bank Section 13 - Defense Section 14 - Privacy Section 15 - Legislative Procedure Section 16 - Supreme Court Section 17 - Statehood Section 18 - Integrity Section 19 - Basic Assistance Section 20 - Census Section 21 - Foreign Policy Section 22 - Amendments and Referendums Section 23 - Definitions