We are rapidly approaching our 250th birthday as a republic. And the nation is in need of a tune-up.
With just a few tweaks of our Constitution, we can put the nation on a path that would allow it to go another 250 years. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, but we, the people, can add to it whenever we want.
No gas-run car can run incessantly without needing a tune-up at some point. We have reached that point.
The areas that need tweaking are very obvious. Pardon me, but we need to stop being fat, dumb, and lazy.
The problems have demonstrated that they cannot self-correct. The time and energy we spend on them and the cost to our democracy could be such that they could tear us down so that we would not be leaving future generations of Americans with the America we once had when we were young.
Back in the early part of the 20th Century, when Americans were not couch potatoes, and we were willing to get off our derrieres, we not only passed a constitutional amendment, but we passed a constitutional amendment revoking the one we passed less than 20 years prior. Amazing.
January 16 marks the 105th anniversary of the Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution on Prohibition (of Alcohol). It was the inadvertent catalyst for creating organized crime and allowing the infamous Al Capone to earn a reported $100 million a year.
In 1933, the nation reversed itself, adopting the 21st Constitutional Amendment, repealing Prohibition. It must have been the "abortion" issue of its day, so to speak.
Today, we are too fat, dumb, and lazy even to try to seek real change.
When I was in office, we put forth a constitutional amendment initiative to require a balanced budget and a constitutional amendment that banned the desecration of the U.S. flag. Though they were noble concepts 30 years ago, they did not get far.
Most state constitutions have a balanced budget component, though states circumvent that rule via the use of bonding expensive projects to a budget that is off the books. Yes, it is a form of borrowing. And people just stopped burning American flags - thank you.
In an ideal world, I would like to see the following constitutional amendments:
1. Age-limit constitutional amendment
Under this proposal, no federal worker would be able to hold a position in the federal government at the age of 80. For president and vice president, a candidate would be prohibited from running if he or she would turn 80 during the term.
Guess what? Our Biden vs. Trump dilemma ends there. We would also automatically get rid of a portion of Congress.
2. Speaker protection constitutional amendment
Like the president and vice president, the third most important person in our government, the Speaker of the House, should not be subject to removal after being duly elected by the House of Representatives at the start of the session. This should be enforced for the entirety of his/her term - other than being subject to impeachment by the House and a conviction by the Senate.
Do I need to say what headaches would have been avoided if this was in place today? It would be the end of the "tail wagging the dog." The speaker would have the true power to do what is best for the country without fear of being fired for doing so.
3. The federal incompetency fine constitutional amendment
This is a measure to help reduce political gridlock.
Every Fortune 500 executive is rewarded or punished based on their achievements or failures. Every professional athlete has this in their contract. Do well, you get a bonus.
And if you don't do well? This proposal would punish failure. Congress and the White House must achieve the basics of their job: passing a budget on time, passing all (each independently) Appropriations/spending bills on time, and raising the national debt ceiling. If they fail to do the "basics," they would be subject to a federal incompetence fine. This would put an end to Continuing Resolutions per spending bills and the fear of a government shutdown.
Members of Congress and the president and vice president of the United States would be subject to a personal fine of up to 15% of their adjusted gross income (jointly filed taxes if married). By using the AGI, it would treat the member of Congress who is living paycheck to paycheck the same as the mega-millionaire member of Congress.
Carrots and sticks - the carrots part is simple. Members of Congress should be paid more. Fresh out of law school, first-year associates at major law firms make more money. Members of Congress should also be eligible for a yearly bonus.
Their state officials could decide on the amount of bonus payments based on achieving the objectives on which each person campaigned. That is how they got elected, so why not hold their feet to the fire?
The good, sincere members would flourish, and the charlatans, the folks who over-promise to their constituents, would not. It would make everyone more focused and realistic in their approach to government. But the bonus could be substantial if achieved, and partial bonuses would also be in play.
So, to give America a tune-up as we move deeper into the 21st Century and beyond would make America stronger and more productive.
Let's lose "weight," stop being fat, put in the "study" time, stop being dumb, get "involved," and finally stop being lazy.
After all, America is too great a country to have it fail because of you.
Gary Franks served three terms as U.S. representative for Connecticut's 5th District. He was the first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years and New England's first Black member of the House. Host: podcast "We Speak Frankly." Author: "With God, For God, and Country." @GaryFranks
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