From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Mon Jul 30 2001 - 14:58:08 MDT
Reason wrote:
>
> > The founding fathers also did not think enough ahead to institute
> > mechanisms that would act to limit the growth of government authority,
> > like mandating sunset clauses, term limits, as well as preventing
> > congressmen from being appointed to the Supreme Court, and preventing
> > families of civil servants from establishing bureaucratic dynasties.
> > This lack of foresight was inherent in the fact that the founders were
> > generally of agrarian extraction, with little experience in the courts
> > and bureaucracies of the european governments. They lacked the vision to
> > forsee that the US would ever rival the european powers in governmental
> > inertia.
>
> Nonsense. Who was it with the revolution every couple of hundred years
> quote? The founding fathers of the US had enough sense to know that anything
> they did was futile in the long run. At least they kept the initial
> consitution pretty simple.
Actually, Jefferson thought a revolution every generation would be good,
but he, and the rest of them, never built it into the Constitution. The
process of amending the Constitution doesn't constitute a just method to
replace revolution, because the system is controlled by the parties in
power. You can't get an amendment on the books that hasn't been proposed
by the leaders of both houses of congress.
One of the things I like about the NH state constitution is that it is
written with a secession clause in it.
>
> If you can come up with a set of bureaucratic rules that will prevent bloat
> of bureaucracy on a timescale of centuries (i.e. will alter the very essence
> of human societal nature), I'd like to see them. Ever played Nomic? It's a
> very enlightening game that aptly demonstrates politics on fast forward.
a) every new law must sunset an old law (whose funding it appropriates)
or else imposes a new tax.
b) all new taxes must pass by a super majority (passed in Washington
State 5-6 years ago), except as part of a declaration of war act.
c) unless the nation is operating in a state of war or national
emergency, no presidential orders can be issued which are not explicitly
for the purpose of fulfilling a law or policy passed by Congress.
d) all presidential orders and congressional acts passed during a war or
emergency must be rescinded upon the conclusion of said war or
emergency, and must be reviewed every two years by their appropriate
congressional committees during the war or emergency.
e) growth in the number of federal employees must remain the same as a
percent of the general population, excluding during war or national
emergency, and all new employees during war or national emergency may
compete for the posts of pre-war/pre-emergency bureaucrats upon its
conclusion.
f) Having had parents or grandparents serve in bureaucratic posts
detracts from the score of candidates for bureaucratic employment, to an
increasing degree with increasing rank.
g) eliminate congressional salaries. Pay congresscritters gas/airfare
money and per diem 75% of their cost of living while congress is in
session. Make receipt of any other funds from the public purse or
private donations from groups or corporations by congresscritters equal
to high treason: a hanging offense.
h) All aspects of the life of any congresscritter or bureaucrat above
GS-8 is freely available to the public.
i) Bribery of bureaucrats is similarly high treason, for both briber and
bribee.
j) No law firm can maintain offices within a 100 mile radius of the US
capitol.
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