would you suggest any constitutional reforms dealing with the separation of powers or checks and balances?

Answer 1

Absolutely; The bill of rights leave in tact but anything after that needs removing and reworking to reinstate majority rule of the people! Starting with a voting system that is verifiable & fool proof, plus permenate removal of electorial college which is not needed and could never be trusted! The list goes on but in order for USA to maintain superpower status it must become an all inculsive progressive society not the excluesive only for the few it currently is and majority rule and control involvement can only do that! To the have nots who understand your limitations and don't want to continue being forced too remain in this status,YOU MUST ORGANIZE & ACT, or you will continue to be herded as sheep by the less than 1% ruling wealthy class "NOT OK by me"! Representative Government? certainly not in the free-loading abusive form we have now with no means of effective immediate dismisal by the public, come on congress voting thier own raises now their BASE pay approaching $200,000.00 a year Thats is close too Two hundred thousand annual! Not includeing the corporate or special interest underhanded pay off's for popular district's. What are you making and now you see where some of these retail prices you can not but exist come from!

Answer 2

I've always thought it was a bad idea for one party to dominate two branches of the government. Frogie is only partially correct. In theory and constitutionally we have checks and balances. However in practice the minority party has no authority to hold hearings and has no subpoena power. That means that if the executive and legislative branches are of the same party and things are as partisan as they are now then there is no over site. That means that as long as a presidents party back him he can do pretty much whatever he wants. I would change things so that the minority would have the ability to act (i.e. hold hearings) if they feel the president or some other department or entity is not acting in the best interests of the country.

Answer 3

Separtation of Power and Checks and Balances is beautiful on paper. The trouble is, the system can be and has been "gamed" by the government.
We the people, could use what the founding fathers have given us and take back the government. If only we had a brain.

Answer 4

Hi 'nobody', you are 'somebody' to have come out with a somewhat good question. I would rather suggest an overall review of the constitution as it has been in operation for so many years and there is nothing wrong in conducting a review by experts which need not end up in any amendments! For instance, it is worth considering if the President should be allowed to stand for election for a third term (of course we don't want the incumbent President to do so) as some Presidents who get elected at an early age has the potential to make more valuable contributions to the country. Or, alternatively, the term of presidency may be extended to five years, instead of the present four, as in some other countries.

Answer 5

Well, there are a few changes that I'd like to see added to the existing Checks and Balances.

For example, Senators (and I believe members of the House of Representatives, too... I'm not sure) get free medicines (they sometimes bring in their neighbors' and in-laws' prescriptions to be filled out), they also do not pay for Social Security and they get a pension once they retire whereupon they get about as much as they earned while in office... THEY passed these bills to benefit themselves! I would abolish these and other similar perks.

Likewise, I would outlaw lying to the public in the media (TV, radio, public speeches, Internet, print, etc) or public speeches. It would be heavily fined and if repeated would be grounds for mandatory jail time and impeachment ("I was misinformed" would not hold much water if those that did the misinforming remained employed).

I would likewise outlaw those special interest groups like the lobbyists that too often do things that border on illegality (fancy dinners, paid vacations and/or vacation perks like the use of hotel suites, yachts, free air/train travel, etc) and expensive gifts.

Lastly, I would make it mandatory jail time for politicians that break the laws they are paid to protect and help enforce as per their oaths of office, and make it twice what the general public would have to spend behind bars. That would also prevent a Presidential Pardon (like Ford did with Tricky Dicky).

Abuse of powers would likewise make it mandatory jail time and impeachment (having government-paid secretaries and other personnel doing research for their children for school assignments, for example; or the use of government vehicles to chauffeur friends and relatives). Use of government personnel/property to spy on political opponents would likewise be a mandatory jail sentence, a fine worth a few years' worth in fines, impeachment and no possibility of Presidential Pardon.

These are just some that I'd love to see made into a reality to end abuse that costs the public hundreds (perhaps thousands) of millions dollars every year.

I would also seriously scrutinize those Pork Barrel handouts to some politicians' states receive year in and year out, like the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska that was nothing more than a total waste of government funds (several hundred million dollars) during the aftermath of Katrina!

Answer 6

No, leave the constitution alone. It is a fine document and sets the table for what has been the best social experiment that ever was anywhere in the world. Do not fix something that is not broken. It is bent with the present administration but not broken and it will heal itself if you just wait and watch.

Answer 7

Senate needs to reform the power of the Supreme Court. They have usurped the power state and federal legislature. The courts must stop "legislating from the bench". That is the job of our elected representatives, not tyrants in black robes.

Answer 8

Yes, only people with an income of $25,000 or less can be a politician

Answer 9

I'm sorry what school did you go too! We have checks and balances now.

Answer 10

NO ABSOLUTELY NOT , AMERICA WORKS JUST FINE
AND
I WOULDNT WANNA GO THROWING A MONKEY-WRENCH INTO THE GEARS OF FREEDOM THAT HAVE WORKED SO WELL FOR 200+ YEARS