America Saved, by the American People

Days before the 2022 mid-term election, I isolated myself from the news, up until Election Day.  I did not watch the returns that night. 

I was scared!

For months on end, I’ve been writing about what would happen should the Republican Party completely takes over Congress, the Senate, and the Presidency.

They would rig the voting system by gerrymandering and voter suppression, making it impossible for Republicans to lose any more elections.  If they did, the election would be overturned in favor of any Republican that’s running for that particular office.  Eventually, the Republican Party would become the only ruling party in the nation, making the U.S. a tyranny, possibly establishing a theocracy.  

White, neoconservative males would solely be in charge, oppressing women and minorities, reducing them to second-class citizens, or worse.  The wealthy would dominate, the poor would have no chance to improve their lot, literacy would be controlled via censorship, people who committed violent acts in Trump’s name (Jan. 6) would be pardoned, the U.S. Constitution would then be abolished, and this would only be the beginning.  

One party rule would be ugly, oppressive, and violent.

If this sounds far fetched, remember what Mitch McConnell once said, “I know it’s written in the Constitution, but I don’t care!  Make me!”

Trump himself at a party at Mar-a-Lago, with Q-Anon supporters, anti-Semites, and White Supremacists called for the suspension, even termination of the Constitution, to overturn the 2020 presidential election (still, after the 2022 election) to have himself restated as President.

What does that tell you?  Our Constitution would be no more, and shortly thereafter,  all our liberties would vanish.We, and the world, would then plunge into a new Dark Age.

I have already explained all this in previous essays I have written, all accessible on my blog, foundationandstate.blogspot.com.  You can look them up, for I stand by them.

Fortunately, we did not meet that fate!

The American people caught on to all this, and voted many of the extremists out in droves.  Many followers of Donald Trump and his factions, such as MAGA and Q-Anon who were candidates, lost the elections for whatever office they were running, and the more reasonable Democrats won.

ALL of Trump’s chosen candidates for the U.S. Senate lost their bids.  

It was these voters, (that’s you) who saved America, saved democracy as we know it, and preserved our freedoms.

America, which many thought would die after this election, survived.  What just passed was the biggest crisis since the Civil War, and again, we pulled through.

History is moving forward, and the American people finally realized what is at stake.  Here are examples:

In Wisconsin, Tim Michels, the Republican candidate for governor, also backed by Trump, stated that if he is elected, no Republican candidate will ever lose another election.  Go figure!

Instead, his Democratic opponent, Tom Evers, won, so all plans for stealing any future elections were dashed.  Integrity prevailed, and so it was across the country.

Every state-wide ballot in the country guaranteeing the right to an abortion also passed.

As of Saturday, November 12, the senate race for Nevada was called in favor of the Democratic incumbent, Catherine Cortez Masto.  This left Georgia for their special run-off election in December.  On December 6, the Democratic candidate Ralph Warnock won.  This leaves the Senate now with 51 delegates.  The U.S. Senate retains its Democratic majority.   (There are three Senators in that majority that are Independents, but they lean towards the Democratic side, so it doesn’t matter.)

Trump failed with his chosen candidates winning office, but he is still determined to take back the White House in 2024.  He announced his candidacy for President on December 8, 2022.

I’ll be daring; Trump does have a chance of being nominated and elected, but it is decreasing by the day.  First, the American people are tired of hearing him rant that “the election (of 2020) was stolen.”  It wasn’t, but that is all he ever says, and as a result, he is becoming crazier and crazier.

Second, it may destroy the Republican Party by, first irritating everybody, and second, forcing other potential candidates to run early, such as Ron de Santis and other Republicans.

More and more people, especially Republicans, are losing interest in Trump.  He’s already served one term, accomplished almost nothing, and caused a lot of trouble, both here (January 6th riots on the Capitol) and abroad.  

Trump acts like a spoiled child, which he is, throwing tantrums over his defeat in 2020, and the American people don’t want this anymore.  They want new blood!

They’re getting it.  

Ron de Santis is a rising star, and he will run for President, and he will acquire a large following, taking voters away from Trump.  Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland and a lot of other now unknown candidates may do the same.  

Trump, however, still has hard-core followers.  There are also the extremists, such as the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, White supremacists and other racists, anti-immigration factions, and neo-Nazis who still support Trump.  These groups are extremely violent and Trump, out of desperation, will support them and condone their actions, as he did on January 6.

Trump has stated that if he wins the election, he will pardon everyone who participated in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

However, many, but not all, Republicans have realized this and are turning away from Trump as you read this essay.  Other candidates are stepping in, and where they will stand on issues still remains to be seen.

Trump has also stated that if he loses the Republican nomination for President, he will run as an independent candidate, splitting the Republican Party.

The Democratic Party will greatly benefit from this, and they will end up winning the 2024 election, no matter who runs.  This happens every time there is a party split.  That party always loses. 

Trump is now on his way out and there are many who say otherwise, but that doesn’t alter the fact that he is.

When Trump was acquitted during both his impeachments, many Senators who voted to acquit him, I believe, really wanted to vote to remove him from office, but were afraid to do so because of what Trump and his cronies threatened to do to them.  This is very similar to the Mafia when they call in favors.

Trump is now losing that power, due to many people deserting him, along with his problems in the courts, so more people of all strips are becoming emboldened to stand up to him.  Remember Liz Cheney.  She lost her Congressional seat in Wyoming, but that didn’t stop her.

Trump is of the lunatic fringe, and in the U.S., fringe candidate are bound to fail.  Just look at this past election.

Trump and his supporters failed in their efforts to seize control of the government.  There are 155 election deniers elected to Congress, and overall, the Republicans may have a slight majority in the House, but again, it doesn’t matter.  

The Republicans were doomed from the day, June 24, 2022, when Roe v. Wade was overturned.  This resulted in women getting mad and voting against everyone who favored this act by the Supreme Court, mainly male Republicans who had no right to control women’s bodies;  i.e. interfere with their reproductive rights.

This is what brought them and their party down.  As a result, they lost votes, and many, the election.

And Now The Test

Once again, Trump has declared his candidacy for President.  It was at Mar-a-Lago on the evening of November 15, 2022.

Few of the major networks broadcasted it, and I couldn’t find it, so I turned to C-Span, 10 minutes into his speech.  Not having declared his candidacy yet, he simply rambled on about how much President Joe Biden is destroying the country, in everything, from energy to the economy, and from Afghanistan (President Trump agreed on a pullout date with the Taliban, of which President Biden simply followed through on the agreement.  The fiasco that followed wouldn’t have been any different at any other date or time, or with any other President.) to Ukraine.  

Trump simply rambled on, and didn’t declare himself a candidate until 20 minutes into his speech.

Trump then revealed his plans of what he would do.  I turned off the TV, because I saw that it was the same old stuff.  Trump has nothing new to offer, and I remember all the chaos from his last term.  It was Biden that calmed everything down.

On the CBS Evening News the next day, I saw that much of the audience at Mar-a-Lago tried to leave early, except for the security detail that wouldn’t let anyone leave.

Many billionaires who regularly donate money to political candidates decided to support some other Republican in the future, whoever he or she may be. 

In other words, the world was not impressed.

There are many editorials and professionals, including political scientists, who believe that Trump may win the nomination, and some even fear that he might win.  These fears are not unfounded.  One third of all Republicans still support Trump, and many others fear this support may once again increase.

I disagree.

The world now knows Trump for what he really is.

If he chosen candidates in Congress he supported during the midterm mostly lost, or won the House by a bare margin but lost the Senate, and lost major state elections for governor and especially Secretary of State, Trump isn’t going to fare better in the 2024 Presidential race, even if he runs against Joe Biden.

It already shows.

The January 6 riots mere reflects Trump throwing a temper tantrum for losing the 2020 election.

It also reflects those who participated in the riots, and the politicians who condoned this action because of their gullibility in believing everything Trump says.  

“If Trump said it, then it’s true!”

Trump coddled up to dictators, especially Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un.   Note in his speech Trump said that he never would have let Putin invade Ukraine.

Yes he would, and if Trump were President when Russia invaded, Ukraine would have gone down in defeat, being totally occupied and annexed by Russia.    Trump would not have sent a single weapon to Ukraine for self-defense.

Trump had no regard for the environment, allowing more pollution and deforestation.  

He messed up the economy, cutting taxes to favor the rich while leaving the poor and middle class out in the cold.

Trump alienated the rest of the world, greatly embarrassing the United States.

Do we want to go through all this again?

I think not, and neither does the rest of the country, Democrat or Republican

Trump is losing it, though, by his temper tantrums, his rambling speeches, his lies, his misinformation, and his age.  Biden is older than Trump, but he has more control of himself and his actions.  

Republicans are going to want fresh blood.  They will want younger candidates with clear minds, and voters will be able to tell the difference between Trump and his younger competitors.  They will also know Trump’s weaknesses, and they will exploit it.

Trump still has a good chance of getting the nomination, with one-third of all Republicans still following him regardless of what he says or does.  

A lot can happen in two years.

Does Trump have a chance of winning?  He may have a chance now, but it is decreasing.  Judging from the mid-terms, and looking at Trump for what he is, more voters, even hard-core Republicans, will either be tempted to vote for the Democratic candidate or and Independent, to Trump’s detriment.

There is also the subpoenas from the January 6 committee, along with Georgia and New York.  Many are calling for the 14th Amendment to disqualify Trump from running for President because of his part in the January 6 insurrection.  Of course, there are politicians who have no regard for the Constitution will to look the other way.

We have a two year show ahead of us.

Stay tuned!

Trump’s Legal Problems

This is what may finally bring him down, and his sins are finally catching up with him.

Trump’s residences at Mar-a-Lago and other mansions are constantly being raided by the F.B.I., and more and more documents are being found, confidential documents that he is not suppose to have.  They should have been turned over to the national archives.

Trump’s tax returns are finally in the hand of Congress, and they will investigate them.  Already, there is evidence of tax fraud by Trump’s organizations, and more is being uncovered.

The January 6th committee has subpoenaed Trump, though he is resisting.

There is evidence of fraud in both Georgia and New York.

Trump is doing everything he can through his lawyers to say that he is innocent, but he is now on the losing side.

A lawyer, Jack Smith, from prosecuting war criminals in Bosnia, has been appointed to investigate his attempts at voter fraud, overturning the election through the electoral process leading to January 6, and his handling of stolen document from the White House.  He is a professional investigation, ruthless, and will show no mercy towards Trump.  This will be the biggest investigation since Watergate.

If Trump were innocent, then he wouldn’t have to worry about any investigation.  He could simply say, “Bring it on.  You got nothing on me.”

Instead, he is ranting and raving about these investigators, accusing them of being pawns of the Democrats, say that they hate him and want to get rid of him.

What has he got to hide?

Trump is also running for president a year early, thinking that no legal system can touch him if he is a candidate.

Again, what has he got to hide?

If Trump is innocent, then he wouldn’t have to worry about any investigation

Where do we go from here?

Both the Democrat and Republican parties still exist, and both parties still have power.

Many say we should abolish the Republican Party, but that is not going to happen.  The Democrats control the Senate, but just barely.  The same goes for the Republicans controlling the House.

Many 2020 deniers (about 155 of them) are still in office, including many who participated in the January 6 attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol.

Here is a tally of election deniers:

155 House wins

    9 Senate wins

    7 Governor wins

      5 State Attorneys General

    2 Lt. Governors

    3 Secretaries of State

In the categories of Sectaries of State, we were lucky, for they have the power to overturn elections in favor of another candidate.  

We need to go beyond a two party system, having members from multiple parties elected to the House and the Senate, like they do in Europe.  This will result in many new ideas from many other points of view.

Everyone should also talk to each other, reach across the aisle once again, so the U.S. will never again revert to a state of polarization, where nobody speaks to anyone else with views different from their own.

If the Republican Party is to continue to exist, it has to change, but they do not have to become Democrats.

The Republican Party was at one time a noble party.  Many prominent Republicans had working class backgrounds, where many candidates worked all their lives, unaided, received an education, sometimes by working their way through college, and worked their way up into politics.

The Republican mantra was that you should make it on your own to be successful.  The term “Nixon Republican” (regardless of what happened with Watergate) meant the workers, as opposed to “Reagan Republicans” which meant the rich, who later hijacked the party.

Back in the 1970s, the Republican Party abided by the U.S. Constitution.  Case in point, Watergate.

When Watergate first occurred, the Republicans stood behind Nixon, being President and of their party.

As time went on, the Watergate hearings commenced, and the truth of what was really going on in the White House came out, the Republicans then turned against Nixon.  The reason was obvious.  Either they, the Republicans in office in 1974, had to choose, Nixon or the Constitution.  They chose the latter, and Nixon was forced to resign in order to avoid impeachment and removal from office.

This had to be done.  Nixon’s actions were clearly illegal and threatening to the legal system, which, if left unchecked, could have led the U.S. to becoming a tyranny.

It is the same thing that in happening today.  Unfortunately, many in today’s Republican Party are extremists, have no moral compass, and will stop at nothing to get what they want, mainly wealth and power.  It doesn’t matter to them have the American public feels.

This has got to change.

How?  Here are a few ways.

1. Get rid of the lunatic fringe.  That is, the extremists who want to steal elections any way they can, and will even resort to violence.
2. Go back to ethics, morals, and abiding by the Constitution.
3. Do not tolerate dishonest people.  Don’t even tolerate people who behave badly in Congress.  Throw them out!
4. Be open to change.
5. Cross the aisle and talk to people of other parties.  
6. Have a multiple party system.
7. No more lying, cheating, and stealing.
8. Participate in rebuilding America, with rebuilding the infrastructure and other such projects.

We have barely escaped becoming a tyranny by the skin of our teeth.  The American people have spoken, and they have spoken wisely.  They knew what we were up against and they fought it through their votes, and won.

Trump is still here, and he is still strong through his followers, but there are still two years to go before the 2024 election.  A lot is happening, Trump is being investigated for his crimes, and the recently appointed prosecutors will not be so lenient towards him as others were.

Trump is going down, slowly, but surely.

Like Nixon before him, Trump will fall. 

Reason and common sense prevailed.  May it continue to do so.

Alastair Browne

The Constitution of the United States, updated and revised

 The Constitution of the United States of America

(Revised 2024)

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Article I

Section 1: Congress

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Section 2: The House of Representatives

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every fourth Year by the People of all States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.  Each person serving in the House shall be limited to only two terms.  No person who has held the office of Representative, to which some other person was elected, for more than two years of a term shall be elected to that office of Representative more than once.  There will be a ten year limit for any person serving in the House.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he or she shall be chosen.

Representatives shall be apportioned among all the States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers.  The actual Enumeration shall be made within every Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.  The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative. 

In the alignment of Congressional Districts, which may occur due to the change in population according to the Census, the alignment will be completed through an independent non-partisan districting commission with no members of the House or Senate, or their associates, involved.  The primary standard will be straight lines and right angles as each state will allow, with an equal population in each district, without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, or party affiliation.  Gerrymandering, meaning Congressional districts being drawn according to the resident’s political beliefs, race, creed, color, or religion, will not be permitted.

When vacancies occur in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers;  and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Section 3:  The Senate

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

The number of terms each Senator can serve will be limited to two terms.  No person who has held the office of Senator, to which some other person was elected for more more than three years of a term, shall be elected to that office more than once.  There will be a 15 year limit to which a Senator will be able to serve in that office.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he or she shall be chosen.

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate shall choose their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he/she shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Section 4: Elections

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of choosing Senators.

No person under criminal investigation or prosecution shall be qualified to run for either Senator or Representative, nor shall any person shall be a candidate to avoid criminal investigation or prosecution.  Any Senator or Representative found guilty of a crime shall be removed from office, with loss of pension and all benefits for life, upon sentencing.  No ex-official serving time in prison for past crimes shall be qualified to be a candidate for Senator or Representative, and shall remain disqualified for such offices for life.

The terms of Senators and Representatives shall end at noon on the 3d day of January; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 5: Powers and Duties of Congress

Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.

Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.

Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.

Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

Section 6: Rights and Disabilities of Members

The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he/she was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his or her Continuance in Office.

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.

Section 7: Legislative Process

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Any and every Bill that reaches the Senate must immediate pass through the Senate for approval or disapproval.  It may not be cast aside to be neglected or ignored by the President pro tempore or any other official. 

Any legal proceeding such as an impeachment must immediately pass and may not be delayed for any reason. 

Neither the President pro tempore nor any other member of the Senate or the House may adjourn during times of impeachment for the benefit of the defendant being tried.

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he/she approves, he/she shall sign it, but if not, he/she shall return it, with his or her Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Working Days after it shall have been presented to him or her, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he/she had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.

Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him or her, shall be passed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.

Any bill appropriating revenue for any cause, project, or public service shall go through the House and the Senate in its original form.  No additions, or earmarks may be attached to this bill.  Should any Senator or Representative request funds for any other cause, project, or service, it must be submitted separately and independently of any other bill passing through Congress.

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.

Section 8: Powers of Congress

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States;

To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy, a Coast Guard, an Air Force, and a Space Force;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land, air, naval and space Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards and other needful Buildings;-And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Section 9: Powers Denied Congress

The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any Monarch or foreign State.

No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

No filibusters of any kind, for any reason are permitted.

Neither Senators nor Representatives may become lobbyists for ANY entity during or after their terms of office.

No contributions of any kind for any reason from major corporations, or any other entity with the expectation of “controlling” any senator or representative, for the purpose of gifts, special favors, or money from the federal budget that would benefit these entities shall be permitted.  

No involvement in any commission to form a Congressional district for the benefit of any Representative, for any reason.

In any given vote, each vote from any Senator or Representative shall be his or her own, and shall not by force, blackmail, bribery, intimidation, coercion, or any other means made to vote by any other Senator, Representative, or any other entity to vote any other way than what that individual Senator or Representative decides. 

No Senator or Representative shall be threatened by or suffer any retaliation by any other Senator or Representative, or outside entity, should he or she vote against their interests. 

No vote shall be bought by any business interest, party or other entities, and no Senator or Representative shall accept any bribe on how that Senator or Representative shall vote.  

This law shall be strictly enforced by a court of law, and any violation shall be subject to a fine, jail sentence, and removal from office.

No Senator or Representative or any other government official, may use his or her office for any form of personal gain, nor can he or she use their office to profit from any business interest, or any other entity or individual regardless of their previous involvement in that business or entity or of their past position in it.  No Senator or Representative or any other government official shall accept any salary or gift from any other business or individual, public or private, except that of the office he or she presently occupies.  This law shall be strictly enforced by a court of law, and any violation shall be subject to a fine, jail sentence, and removal from office.

No Senator or Representative shall deny a Congressional hearing for any candidate nominated for Supreme Court, Cabinet member, or any other Federal Office by the President of the United States.

Section 10: Powers Denied to the States

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Control of the Congress.

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

Article II

Section 1

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.

He or She shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:

The qualifications to run for President and Vice-President shall be: a full security clearance, the release of all tax returns, and a full psychiatric and medical evaluation done by non-partisan professionals in their respective fields.

No person under criminal investigation or prosecution shall be qualified to run for either the President or Vice-President. 

Nor shall any person shall be a candidate for President of Vice-President to avoid criminal investigation or prosecution.

The President, and the Vice-President shall be elected on the same ballot by the popular vote, meaning that each citizen of the United States shall have one vote, and shall cast his or her vote for their candidate for President of choice, throughout the United States.  The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President.  He or she shall then be sworn in as President on the twentieth day of January following. 

In the event of multiple parties being on the ballot for President, voters will rank one to up to five choices for President, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Representative, in order of the voter’s preference, depending on the number of candidates running for each office.  A candidate who receives a majority of over half the votes of the population in that district, state, or the United States, will be elected.  If no candidate receives a majority of votes of one half or over, the candidate with the fewest first choice votes is defeated.  Then the remaining candidates will receive the next choice votes of voters, whose first choice candidate on that ballot was defeated.  This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of the combined votes.  In a primary election, a voter may only rank candidates within one party.

There will be no voter suppression of any kind.  No denying, hindering, or preventing any U.S. citizen from voting due to threats, intimidation, or lack of accessibility to polls.  All polls shall be placed in individual districts with 3000 people maximum, or in rural areas, every ten square kilometers maximum, with easy transportation provided.  The hours for voting shall serve as a convenience for any and all citizens who vote.

There will be no passing of laws denying any citizen the right to vote who presently holds this right, except as a punishment of a crime thereof.  Should the convicted regain his or her voting rights, they shall not be denied that voter unless another felony is committed.  

The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary and election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of race, creed, color, national origin, or sex.

The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Once a citizen is registered to vote, that name may not be taken off that list unless in the event of death, or when that voter registers in another location.

In a national election, there shall be a centralized and independent election management system, responsible for designing the ballots and tabulating the votes accurately and securely, without interference from any political party or entity.  The designing and printing of ballots shall follow a standard procedure which shall be used in all parts of the United States, where they will then be tabulated, without any confusion of any kind.  

Automatic voter registration shall be available to anyone not yet registered, and can be performed while interacting with the Department of Motor Vehicles or any other federal and state department to which an American citizen conducts business.

If necessary many forms of voter identification shall be available to anyone qualified to vote, including a voter ID one may receive upon registration.

Each polling place reserves the right whether or not to require a voter ID upon voting.

The politicized removal of election officials shall not be permitted. 

Congress may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.

Election Day shall be declared a federal holiday in order to give every qualified voter the chance to vote.

Early voting shall be performed throughout the United States, for the convenience of the voter.  National standards shall be set for early voting, including voting by mail, and there shall be many and easily accessible ballot boxes for every American citizen, regardless of where he or she may reside, to collect these ballots.  Early voting shall commence no later than 15 days before Election Day.

In case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President before the twentieth day of January next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President.— 

But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

No Person except a natural born Citizen shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of President more than once.

In case of the removal of the President from office or of his or her death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his or her written declaration that he/she is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his or her office, and until he/she transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his/her office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

     

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he/she shall resume the powers and duties of his/her office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his/her office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his/her office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his/her office.

If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his/her term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his/her Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.

No President may use his or her office for any form of personal gain, nor can he or she use their office to profit from any business interest, or any other entity or individual regardless of their previous involvement in that business or entity or of their past position in it.  No President shall accept any salary from any other business or individual, public or private, except that of the office he or she presently occupies.  This law shall be strictly enforced by a court of law, and any violation shall be subject to a fine, jail sentence, and removal from office.

Before he/she enter on the Execution of his Office, he/she shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Section 2

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he/she may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he/she shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

He/She shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he/she shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

Section 3

He/She shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he/she shall judge necessary and expedient; he/she may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he/she may adjourn them to such Time as he/she shall think proper; he/she shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he/she shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

Section 4

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Article III

Section 1

The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

Each Justice of the Supreme Court shall serve a maximum of twelve years.

Upon the death, removal, or expiration of tenure of the Supreme Court Justice, the President shall nominate a candidate for the vacant position, to which hearings shall begin no later than 30 days of the nomination.  This is not to be postponed or cancelled by the President pro tempore nor any other official, under any circumstances.

Upon termination of the hearing, the Senate will decide, by majority vote, whether or not the candidate will hold a seat on the Supreme Court. 

Section 2

The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;--to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;--to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party.

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.

The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment; shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.

Section 3

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

Article IV

Section 1

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may, by general Laws, prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

Section 2

The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in any and all other States.

A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he/she fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.

Section 3

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

Section 4

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

Article V

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress.

Article VI

All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Any Senator or Representative who refuses to exercise their duties according to the Constitution shall be subjected to impeachment and removal from office.

Any Senator or Representative who delays due process of the law for the benefit of their party, the person being tried, and/or for their own personal benefit shall also be subjected to impeachment and removal from office.

Article VII

The Ratification of the Conventions of thirty-four States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.

First Amendment

Section 1

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Section 2

No person authorized to act as an officer or representative of the United States or its territories, or the American people in the capacity of a government agency, whether federal, state, county or municipal, or within the U.S. military establishment, shall enact any law or policy, or establish any rule restricting or prohibiting a woman’s or pregnant person’s right to an abortion, or to choose natal care in the consultation with the health or medical professionals of their choosing.

Section 3

The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Second Amendment

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Third Amendment

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself or herself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Sixth Amendment

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Seventh Amendment

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed two thousand dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Eighth Amendment

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Ninth Amendment

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

10th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

11th Amendment

Section 1

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

12th Amendment

Section 1

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 2

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the inhabitants of such State, being eighteen years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such citizens shall bear to the whole number of citizens eighteen years of age in such State.

Section 3

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States;  but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5

The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

13th Amendment

Section 1

In the event of a war, police action, intervention, should an inhabitant of that country or region render aid of any kind to U.S. forces or agencies, that inhabitant, if desired, along with his or her family, will be granted permanent asylum in the United States for protection from any hostile entity that poses a threat to that individual or his or her family.

Section 2

Any non-citizen of the United States who serves in the armed forces of the United States shall automatically have permanent residency in the United States and shall be eligible for United States citizenship. 

Section 3

The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

 

14th Amendment

The District of Columbia shall have three Representatives, each to be elected by the people they represent, to serve in the House, with the rights, privileges, and responsibilities equal to that of any other Representative serving in Congress. 

15th Amendment

Section 1

The rights protected by the Constitution of the United States are the rights of natural persons and do not extend to for-profit corporations, limited liability companies, or other private entities established for business purposes or to promote business interests under the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state.

Section 2

Such corporate and other private entities established under law are subject to regulation by the people through the legislative process so long as such regulations are consistent with the powers of Congress and the States and do not limit the freedom of the press.

Section 3

Such corporate and other private entities shall be prohibited from making contributions or expenditures in any election of any candidate for public office or the vote upon any ballot measure submitted to the people.

Section 4

Congress and the States shall have the power to regulate and set limits on all election contributions and expenditures, including a candidate’s own spending, and to authorize the establishment of political committees to receive, spend, and publicly disclose the sources of those contributions and expenditures.

16th Amendment

In an election campaign for President, United States Senator, or United States Representative, each candidate, confirmed by their state or federal government, shall each be allotted a fixed and equal amount of money in two installments, the first during the primary and the second after a candidate is nominated for their party, to be used solely for campaign purposes during these respective periods.

This funding shall originate from their state government, if running for Senator or Representative, or the federal government if running for President.  The state and federal government may accept from individuals or business entities in the form of campaign contributions for the election year.  Any individual or entity contributing to this fund shall do so with the knowledge that the donation shall be allotted equally among all candidates, regardless of political affiliation.

No candidate shall receive any donations from any individual, business, corporation, or any other entity.

The acceptance of any campaign contribution in all forms, from any and all entities, are no longer permitted.