FUND THE FIGHT

Bill of Reform

The Case for Reform: Restoring Balance to a Republic in Decay

The Tipping Point: A Nation in Decline. Our Nation has reached a critical juncture where the "math" of our survival no longer adds up. We are living on the stolen future of our children.
  • The Millstone of Debt: Every child born in America today enters the world with a $112,000 millstone of debt. This equates to over $284,000 per household.
  • Fiscal Collapse: For the first time, we spend more on debt service than on our entire National Defense.
  • Institutional Decay: As our healthcare system becomes unaffordable and our schools transform into “what-to-think” indoctrination factories, a corrosive cynicism is eating away at our foundation.
  • Calculated Conflict: Careerist politicians and special interests fuel culture wars to keep us shouting at our neighbors. As long as we are screaming at each other, we are not looking up at the “Castle Walls.”
  • The New Serfdom: We are witnessing the return of Feudalism in a Modern form. We are the serfs in the fields–unprotected from invading hordes and economic forces—while the monied “Davos crowd” sits secure, consolidating global wealth and resources.
  • The False Choice: The two-party duopoly offers us opposing rages but identical results. They refuse to act on the reforms that 80% of Americans consistently support: Voter ID, Term Limits, and a Balanced Budget.
  • The Deterioration: For 235 years, the “random forces” of human nature—greed, lust for power, and ego—have jiggled the parts of our political structure. Because there are vastly more ways for a system to be “broken” than “working,” we have drifted from a state of low entropy (Order) to high entropy (Disorder).
  • The Point of No Return: We are approaching a state of near total disorder. We can no longer “tweak” the system; we must counter the chaos with a “Designing Hand.”
  • We must first move beyond the “unending rage” of contemporary cultural issues and focus on the Structure of Governance, then we can address pressing contemporary issues effectively.
  • The Mission: We need a new generation of Patriots to draft a comprehensive Bill of Reform—a set of procedural “Design Changes” meant to engineer corruption “out” of the system and responsiveness to the Citizens “in”.
  • The Goal: To restore the balance of power between the Citizen and the Federal Government, ensuring that the Constitution once again functions as a shield for the people, not a tool for the elite.

“We are long past the point of asking for permission. It is time for the Citizens to step in and provide "Governance to their Government."
-Mark

Bill of Reform: The Draft

Citizens should consider the list of Reform Amendments to the Constitution presented here as a “draft”. True Reforms require formal Amendments in order preclude the possibility of the Courts, the Executive, or the Congress from quickly abandoning them for the sake of expediency in the future. By passing formal amendments to the Constitution, either as initiated by Congress or by Convention of States, and ratified as required by the States, these amendments become the Supreme Law of the Land until further constitutionally modified by Citizens or their Representatives.

The campaign welcomes Citizen input in terms of clarifications, additions and improvements.

Individual Reforms:

Federal Election Integrity - Guarantee that every election is free, fair, honest, impartially administered with INDISPUTABLE results.
  • A Federal Standard but State administered.
  • Proof of Citizenship for registration.
  • Standardized voter roll scrubbing.
  • Mandatory Voter ID at polls.
  • 2-Day national holiday (with election year offsets from President’s Day, MLK and Juneteenth). Election Day(s) = Celebration of Democracy.
  • Restrict early voting to Senior citizens 65 or older (Polls open five days the WEEK before Election Day(s)).
  • Delivery of ballots to shut-ins by volunteers with at least two (2) political parties present (signed and sealed).
  • Eliminate mail-in voting (except for military).
  • Paper Ballots only.
  • No straight party line voting.
  • Manual ballot counting on site at precinct with minimum of 2 parties as observers.
  • Precint tallies reportable ONLY after election officials and at least two parties concur.
  • No official campaign or fund raising prior to 15 April of election Year. (most democracies take only 6-10 weeks).
  • State primaries on rotating schedule chosen randomly by lottery (eliminates the current competition to be first and gives all States an opportunity to be first, last, middle).
  • 1/3rd in June, 1/3rd in July, 1/3rd in August.
  • Conventions in early September.
  • Standard November Election Day(s).
  • General rules:
    • No foreign funds.
    • No non-Citizen funds.
    • No dark money intermediary legal entities (every dollar flowing to the public square should have a near real-time, identifiable and transparent source).
    • EVERY political contribution published within 24 hours by the receiving organization.
    • No bundling.
    • Heavy penalties for violating (make it NOT WORTH IT).
  • Issue Campaigns:
    • Contributions allowed from:
      • Individual citizens
      • Businesses
      • Trade Groups
      • Labor
    • No issue “org” can contribute to or spend money for/against any candidate for ANY Federal Office
    • Issue orgs accept money to promote policies and influence public debate, etc. but cannot transfer funds to candidates or promote or attack candidates
  • Federal Office Campaigns:
    • Contributions allowed from:
      • Citizens eligible to VOTE for the Office to be filled
    • Funds must come from individual donor’s personal funds.
    • Reasonable limit ($3500) per candidate per primary/general election cycle indexed to inflation.
    • Excess campaign funds post-election deposited with US Treasury to pay down national debt.
  • Miscellaneous Benefits:
    • This leaves Federal Officer holders relying solely on small donations from individuals within their district or State.
    • Eliminates business, labor, lobbyist, Congressional leadership PAC, out of State money.
    • Puts a premium on representing the interests of constituents ONLY.
    • Elevates the relative importance of a candidate’s ideas, organization and communication skills over fund raising prowess among a donor “elite”.
    • Requires the Candidate be responsible for all messaging (positive, negative, etc.). No “positive” candidate messaging while supportive PAC is in attack mode.
    • Eliminates incumbent war chests that provide huge advantage over newcomers and challengers.
    • Elevates to House and Senate leadership posts those individuals with best ideas, leadership qualities, organizational skills and de-emphasizes seniority and committee chair patronage.
    • Offers a clean model for states to emulate internally.
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  • House and Senate members are sworn in the first Monday AFTER Election Day(s).
  • POTUS is sworn in Dec 1st following Election Day(s).
  • Any legislation between Election Day(s) and new Congress requires super majority of two/thirds of BOTH Houses of Congress.
  • Rationale:
    • Air travel has replaced horse drawn carriage.
    • No more lame duck sessions “games” by weak-minded politicians.
    • No more opportunities for outgoing POTUS to spend 80+ days laying landmines to sabotage the incoming POTUS of a different political party.
  • House: Lifetime limit eligibility for election to six (6) 2yr-terms.
  • Senate: Lifetime Limit eligibility for election to two (2) 6yr-terms.
  • In either house, a special election or appointment for more that 50% of that chamber’s full term equates to a full term for term-limit computations.
  • Rationale:
    • Restores the “citizen legislator” model.
    • Provides for senior Chamber leadership to be equally experienced as POTUS.
    • See Balanced Budget Amendment.
    • See Redistricting Amendment.
  • Applies to all federal employees, members of Congress and Congressional staff. One execption: Members of the military.
  • No more than 12 consecutive years on the federal payroll.
  • A minimum break of 5 years between federal employment roles.
  • Rationale:
    • Reduces significantly the risk of Congressional term limits leading to a strengthened influence of the permanent, more experienced lifetime bureaucracy.
    • Rotates people from private enterprise (cost conscious) into government service and vice versa.
    • See Ethics Amendment.
  • The 10-year Census must produce a version of the census that includes citizens only.
  • The citizen census is the basis for congression seat allotment to State and internal re-districting for multi-House Seat States.
  • Congressional districts (in multi-district States) are generated automatically by:
    • Designating a start point quadrant: NE/SE/SW/NW.
    • Consolidating the citizen population of contiguous 5-digit zip zones until a district population size is reached without regard to:
      • Race
      • Sex
      • Ethnicity
      • Political party affiliation.
    • ID the next, unassigned 5-digit zip and repeat until all districts are defined.
    • Rotate the start point quadrant clockwise by 90 degrees every six (6) years.
  • Rationale:
    • No safe seats for anybody.
    • Ends gerrymandering either by State legislatures or “neutral” commissions.
    • Higher probability of more diverse seats, which in turn should produce more moderate members of Congress.
    • House members that survive this process will be those with the very best reputation, leadership qualities etc. The sludge will get washed out.
    • Saves a lot of wasted time in State Legislatures.
    • Saves a lot of time in State & Federal Courts and SCOTUS.
    • Makes the basis for House redistricting a function of proximity (locals work, live and play together) and automatically adjusts as population make up shifts.
    • Eliminates the perennial Civil Rights ACT litigation.
    • Applies same standard to ALL States.
  • Shift to a 2-year budgeting cycle YR1-Oct1 to YR3-Sep 30. One budget cycle per Congress.
  • Achieve balanced revenue and spending within three (3) budget cycles:
    • Cycle 1 – one third of projected deficit
    • Cycle 2 – one half of projected deficit
    • Cycle 3 – full deficit elimination
    • ALL future – balanced
  • Individual budget by Federal department must be passed by BOTH houses AND be signed by POTUS NLT 15 April following the swearing in of a new Congress.
  • If ALL federal department appropriateions have not been signed into law by 15 Apr OR the deficit objective is not met, then:
    • Congress assumes a “caretaker” status
    • Under caretaker status:
      • Congress can be in session no more than 1 week each month
      • Congressional pay and staff size is cut by 50%
      • Whitehouse pay and staff size is cut by 50%
      • Any congressional legislation during caretaker status requires a three-fourths super majority from both Houses
    • All discretionary spending for all Executive branch departments takes a 5% real reduction beginning the next FY.
    • A new Federal Election Cycle is initiated with:
      • 50 percent of House and Senate names drawn by lottery to be ineligible to run for next 6 years or 3 cycles
      • Either POTUS or VPOTUS to be randomly drawn and ineligible to run for the next 8 years or 2 presidential cycles
    • Post budget passage into law (whether under normal or caretaker status) any law requiring subsequent appropriation of funds must be either supported by contingency fund withdrawals or offsetting tax increases.
    • Rationale:
      • Requires congress to do their primary job (raise revenue and set spending priorities) OR LOSE THEIR JOB!
      • This is an American version of a parliamentary “no confidence” vote but maintains separation of Legislative and Executive powers.
      • Forces Congress, CBO, OMB and POTUS to collaborate on spending priorities for the Nation.
      • Less preening in front of Cable TV cameras; more work getting done.
      • Eliminates debt ceiling crises.
      • Eliminates federal shutdown threats.
      • BBA is the key to decreasing size of government. Citizens (rightly) will rebel at some level of taxation. Congress will have little choice but to sunset programs, reduce bureaucratic bloat, etc.
      • Avoids specific caps based on pct of GDP, exceptions for Declaration of War, etc. If DoW emergency operations or natural disasters of the magnitude that unbudgeted funds are needed, Congress must simultaneously raise taxes to pay for it.
      • Brings advanced certainty around spending to each department.
      • Incents Congress to build a surplus/rainy day fund into the budgeting process to avoid having to repeatedly raise taxes (sure loser for voters).
  • After the completion of the budgeting cycle initiated at the beginning of each Congress, the maximum number of weeks per month that Congress may be in session is two (2).
  • Members of Congress should consider Washington DC to be a “work trip”, not a new permanent home.
  • Codify the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate for all legislation, including budget appropriations.
  • One Bill, One Subject to eliminate omnibus bills.
  • Seventh-year anniversary reauthorization or sunset provision for every piece of legislation ongoing or recurring program requiring federal outlays. Seven-year reviews designed to see if the legislation is actually accomplishing its objectives, not what its “intentions” were.
  • Require both Houses to pass/amend executive department final regulations by simple 50% majority (vote not subject to Senate filibuster).
  • At the beginning of each Congress, all members of the House, Senate, POTUS, VPOTUS and SCOTUS Justices and their spouse, siblings and children must submit a summary of Net Wealth by category including all assets within $5K range in EACH category.
  • Financial status to be transparent and visible to the Citizens.
  • All liquid, investible assets must be enumerated.
  • Liquid assets may be SOLD, proceeds optionally spent for living costs, real property, but ONLY re-invested in Federal Treasury bonds for the duration of service of the Federal Office holder.
  • NO other financial instruments may be purchased or traded.
  • A revised report is due annually on each anniversary of service.
  • Rationale:
    • This tightens up the current system of extremely wide “range” reporting.
    • Any Citizen NOT willing to be completely transparent as to financials should simply not run for federal elected office.
  • Each Member of Congress must publish a full and complete daily interaction log with NO more than 24 hours lag accounting for every interaction with another non-excepted person involving topical material associated with:
    • pending legislation
    • recommendations for changes to future government policy
    • recommendations for appointment to federal government positions
    • future post congressional service employment
  • Log must be available and searchable on-line
  • Log must be completed with these elements:
    • Date, start time, duration, location
    • specific name(s) attending
    • Whether each Individual is self-representing or representing a (named) third party
    • topic(s) discussed
    • Position or recommendation relative to the topic(s) discussed
  • Definition of Excepted Persons
    • Other CURRENT members of Congress
    • CURRENT congressional Staff (including CBO)
    • CURRENTLY employed members of Federal Executive Departments at Cabinet level and their DIRECT reports
    • Sitting POTUS and VPOTUS
  • Rationale:
    • This amendments flips the script for reporting from the highly generalized topic, no-names, 3-6 month lag for lobbyists (for whom the Citizen has no idea even who they are) to 535 KNOWN elected officials.
    • Anyone not willing to submit to public scrutiny associated with their public “service” should not run for Congress.
    • Penalty for malicious failure: Expulsion from Congress.
  • This is the current “Keep the Nine” proposed Amendment.
  • Eliminates all the threats and games around Court packing by all sides.
  • Congress cannot provide benefits for themselves not available to All citizens other than salary, publicly visible 401(k) match, essential security services.
  • Congress cannot EXEMPT themselves from any requirement placed on Citizens.
  • Note: this would eliminate the Defined Benefit Pension plan available to all Federal employees but only approximately 14% of employees in the private sector.
  • No federal judge shall serve more than two (2) nine-year terms.
  • A presidential “re-appointment” of a sitting Judge or Justice does not require advice and consent of the Senate
  • On the first Federal election cycle following the third-year anniversary of their appointment or term renewal, each judge/justice shall be subjected to a Citizen Retention plebiscite covering their territorial jurisdiction.
  • A justice must receive at least a 45 percent “keep” vote or vacate the Bench.
  • This amendment applies to federal district courts, circuit courts and SCOTUS.
  • Rationale:
    • This ensures NO LIFETIME tenure.
    • Courts are already political.
    • It ensures that a highly partisan judge securing confirmation but not displaying wisdom in votes/decisions is not beyond the reach of the Citizens to apply corrective action.
  • No pre-emptive pardons allowed.
  • No pardons allowed for immediate family (parents, siblings, children) or their spouses OR memember of Cabinet level posts within own administration unless confirmed by a simple majority vote of both houses of Congress.
  • No pardons of ANY type allowed in the ninety (90) days PRIOR to POTUS election (MUST “show your hand” BEFORE voters go to polls).
  • All pardons require individual, hand-written signature of POTUS.
  • Clarify conditions under which POTUS can use kinetic force of Armed Forces without a Congressional Declaration of War.
  • Limit the duration of any Declaration of War or Authorization to Use Military Force to one (1) year unless expressly renewed by Congress.
  • POTUS should be incented to work with Congress to eliminate objectionable content before passage and signing.
  • Reduces the use of Executive Orders.
  • President cannot explicitly defy existing Law.
  • POTUS retains power to emphasize and prioritize of elements of law enforcement. Those, however, are political decisions of the Office Holder.