Imagining
the
Next
Republic
Half of the American people live in
fear or
poverty, without hope. The proportion grows.
As "wealth accumulates and men decay," the
media pontificates upon new "paradigms" and
other "new" buzzwords. "Progressives" dream
of the Good President and amuse themselves
with "reforming the electoral process" in
pursuit of that chimerical goal.
Do you suspect that the trifling reforms
suggested by "political scientists" are akin to
arguing over the water bill instead of fixing the
plumbing?
You're absolutely right!
The time for action has
passed.
It's time to start thinking.
.
So, what can we do?
It happens that the founding fathers prepared for just
such a crisis.
They outfitted the U.S. constitution with procedures
for amendment and
even a new constitutional convention.
Before the constitution was ratified, Patrick Henry
was already calling
for a new convention.
The tactic so rattled the proponents of ratification
that they moved to
mollify the opposition by adding a Bill of Rights.
To be sure, a new convention, like the old one, would
most likely be
dominated by the rich and the powerful. In our age, they would be joined
by the vicious, the demented, the superstitious, and the downright silly.
The amendment process, however, is more open to the
Voice of the
People than the legislative process is. Moreover, there is no limit to the
scope of an amendment: one omnibus amendment could literally replace
the existing
constitution.
has been founded to
generate discussion of the Next Republic and the strategy
that might bring it about.
CNC Proposals for the Next Republic are
offered as a
framework for discussion.
Each addresses the structure of power at the fundamental,
constitutional level:
rooted in ward-republics" and town
meetings
governed by workers, communities
and consumers
A
definition of
property
that justly encompasses
public,
common, cooperative and private rights, and the rights of
posterity
Provision
for
free and open access
to electronic and other
means of communication
A
judiciary with the requisite
independence to protect
human rights but without the power to alter the
constitution
The Center for a New Constitution
1725 17th Street NW
Washington DC 20009