Change the US Constitution

[Masquerouge]

It was in the 1800's so the voters were just white males. Cut us some slack.

hey, I'm just sayin', you know... since you guys seem to be complaining about it... thought I could help

 

[ybbor]

EDIT: Crosspost with Godwynn, but still... why on Earth is Election day not on a day when people can go vote?

well federal law requires employers to give thier employees time off to go vote.

 

[Masquerouge]

well federal law requires employers to give thier employees time off to go vote.

But wouldn't it be simpler for the day to be off, like a Saturday or a Sunday?

 

[DaveShack]

I assume it is because the term "cruel and unusual punishment" has changed considerably since 1791. Originally it referred to things like torture devices. Today, not serving ketchup in a prison cafeteria is considered cruel and unusual.

That's part of it. Another part is that there are some punishments which would be more appropriate for juveniles than kidprison, if the 8th didn't intervene.

Then there's the only certain way to keep murderers from repeating their crime, which is neither cruel nor should it be unusual, but people argue against it on those grounds.

 

[DaveShack]

Wow. So you're still voting on Tuesdays because it says so in a document written when voters were white landowners who had nothing else to do on Tuesdays but go voting...

I understand not wanting to fix what's not broken, but we've hit the limit here, don't you think?

An explanation can be found here. Basically, the Constitution sets a date for the Electoral College to convene, and requires the states to choose their electors no more than 34 days before that date. Separation of church and state limits the availability of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday by virtue of their being the Sabbath or equivalent of several religions.

Moving forward to modern times, once we add in worship of Monday Night Football and humpday (Wednesday), and remember that election workers often have to work late the day after the election so Thursday is off the list (happy hour on Friday), the only day left is Tuesday.

 

[mdwh]

Rewrite the 1st amendment clauses relating to religion to reflect the original intent, which was to prohibit "establishing a state religion", not the current mis-reading of prohibiting "supporting any religion".

How do you mean? If a Government gives large support to a single religion, that's okay as long as it doesn't say "state religion"?

Fourth amendment revision limiting the practice of discarding questionable evidence to those cases where there is substantive evidence that it was or would have been obtained illegally. (assume cops are honest and criminals are not)

You mean "assume cops are honest and citizens are not" - which is a rather ridiculous and unfair assumption.

(The problem here is your assumption that all suspects are criminals...)

 

[bhsup]

I cannot believe I've missed this thread so far. Not much time at the moment, but I want to at least address the day off for voting real quick.

It should not be made hideously easy. Keep it where it is and make people actually think about juggling their day to vote. God forbid people are actually inconvenienced four or five times a year to participate in the running of their country.

If someone cannot be inconvenienced to the point of standing in line for an hour or two to help determine the direction of our nation for the next few years, well then they just don't love their country enough.

 

[DaveShack]

How do you mean? If a Government gives large support to a single religion, that's okay as long as it doesn't say "state religion"?

Size is not what matters. In "state religion" ca. 1780 (and before) nations could, and did, make the practice of religions other than the state religion a crime. Think Inquisition.

You mean "assume cops are honest and citizens are not" - which is a rather ridiculous and unfair assumption.

(The problem here is your assumption that all suspects are criminals...)

The citizens who are not criminals have nothing to fear from a search. A search won't find anything anyway. Take the electronic surveillence for terrorist activity. I don't care if the government scans everthing I send online, because I'm not doing anything illegal. If allowing them to
scan my legal correspondence enables them to find evidence of illegal activity of others, more power to them.

I'm talking about the "Law & Order" episode type problems, for example a warrant says search the 4th warehouse, when it was really the 3rd. Cops search the 3rd warehouse, find a boatload of stuff which actually is connected to the suspect. Judge throws out the stuff because of a typo on the warrant, suspect goes free. Bottom line is, it is his stuff and he's so obviously guilty no reasonable person could doubt it. What's really sad is when freed suspect goes on to kill someone. Another example, suspect talks before cop goes through Miranda, then confesses at the station -- but the confession is thrown out because the earlier statements are inadmissable, even though everyone over the age of 5 knows the Miranda statement.

Edit: rambled a bit but then liked the ramblings... putting that another way

(The problem here is your assumption that all suspects are criminals...)

In the case where there is evidence which proves the crime beyond reasonable doubt, they are guilty and therefore criminals. Let the jury hear the evidence and decide if it is credible or not, instead of throwing it out.

 

[Shadylookin]

term limits for judges- we don't need any 90 year old geezers that are way behind the times

election holiday- seriously who puts the most important moment for democracy in the middle of a work week during standard business hours? personally i think elections should last a span of a few days or maybe a week. that way everyone has a reasonable chance to get out and vote. but god forbid media agencies not know the outcome of an election 10 minutes after the polls on the west coast close.

election standards- federal elections should have a federal standard. and since it's all on the same ballot the state elections should follow suit

and i have another idea- end (partisan) gerrymandering. Incumbents win so often not because they're good, but because they don't even have to try.

 

[Drewcifer]

I would like to see the electoral college abolished and just have a straight national vote for the presidency.

It would also be good to restrict the interstate commerce clause because right now it is interpreted to mean that congress can more or less regulate anything it wants, in it's current form it voids the tenth amendment.

 

[LucyDuke]

Separation of church and state limits the availability of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday by virtue of their being the Sabbath or equivalent of several religions.

I don't see how that is impacted by church and state. Nor is "church and state" in the Constitution. It might interfere with "the free exercise thereof", but hell, let's have a two-day election party and that ought to take care of everyone who's got worship to fuss with. Election weekend!

The citizens who are not criminals have nothing to fear from a search.

That attitude is completely at odds with what this country is about.

 

[Godwynn]

I would like to see the electoral college abolished and just have a straight national vote for the presidency.

Another one I can get behind.

 

[mdwh]

The citizens who are not criminals have nothing to fear from a search. A search won't find anything anyway. Take the electronic surveillence for terrorist activity. I don't care if the government scans everthing I send online, because I'm not doing anything illegal. If allowing them to
scan my legal correspondence enables them to find evidence of illegal activity of others, more power to them.

You are lucky that the Government does not criminalise anything you do - not all crimes are necessarily just. Of course yes, the answer there is to fix the laws - so get rid of all the stupid laws, _and_ guarantee me that a corrupt Government will never in future take advantage of such a surveillance system (either persecuting people, or using flimsy amount of evidence based on such surveillance to convict ppl of terrorism), then sure.

There are other problems though, such as the way searches conducted. If there aren't any rules, then it's a lot easier for a policeman to break in and plant evidence, or just produce it and claim it was found on you

Perhaps a better system is - radical idea, I know - is that the law enforcement follow the procedures, rather than mucking up and using that as an excuse to take away rights.

Yes, there may be silly cases, such as a typo (do you have a link to that case?) and I don't necessarily support all such cases. But that's not an argument to throw every one of our rights out.

What's really sad is when freed suspect goes on to kill someone. Another example, suspect talks before cop goes through Miranda, then confesses at the station -- but the confession is thrown out because the earlier statements are inadmissable, even though everyone over the age of 5 knows the Miranda statement.

What's really sad is when innocent people are locked up for years, because of a false confession.

And the jury decides if someone is guilty beyond reasonable doubt - this is not decided beforehand.

 

[mdwh]

Separation of church and state limits the availability of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday by virtue of their being the Sabbath or equivalent of several religions.

And:

Size is not what matters. In "state religion" ca. 1780 (and before) nations could, and did, make the practice of religions other than the state religion a crime. Think Inquisition.

Has it actually be ruled that it can't happen on a day which is a religion's sabbath?

Because otherwise I can't help feeling your overestimating how much "separation of state and religion" is used (hence your belief it should be cut back).

Clearly the logic is ludicrous, because all you need is for a few more religions to spring up declaring their sabbath on other days of the week, and then the vote can't happen on any day! And if they only favour the mainstream existing religions, _that_ would be a violation of separation of church and state.

So if anything, I'd say the reverse - separation of church and state means that Friday/Saturday/Sunday should _not_ be treated as religious days by the Government.

 

[Ecofarm]

Abolish the IRS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax

 

[aneeshm]

No More Flag Burning: New Amendment banning the burning of the flag
Abolishing the income tax
Making Presidential Election day a national holiday
Creating a national set of standards for election procedures
Creating a civil service test for ambassadors
The Arnold Rule: Allowing non-americans to serve as president


I have one additional idea - that voting, specially for the Presidential Elections, be made compulsory.

 

[IglooDame]

and i have another idea- end (partisan) gerrymandering. Incumbents win so often not because they're good, but because they don't even have to try.

Oh man, I'd completely forgotten about that - yes, some sort of party-neutral (not "bipartisan") method of determining new voting districts would be excellent.

 

[downtown]

Oh man, I'd completely forgotten about that - yes, some sort of party-neutral (not "bipartisan") method of determining new voting districts would be excellent.

One of the cool things about federalism is that we can try stuff like this with states before we make it Federal law. A couple of states do just that (Washington State is the first that come to mind, although I know there are others), either using a raw, mathmatical formula, or creating a bipartisian commission, (retired judges?)

The public would love it, but no political interest would supoort it.

 

[Godwynn]

Abolish the IRS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax

Although that would greatly help me since I barely spend any money at all, it is regressive in nature since the poor spend a greater percentage of their income.

 

[JollyRoger]

Abolish the IRS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax

By destroying the U.S. economy?