THE DEMOCRACY AMENDMENTS: How to Amend Our U.S. Constitution to Rescue Democracy For All Citizens

by Rick Hubbard

Overview

Our democracy is in trouble and we the people know it. Our U.S. political system is completely distorted as it’s currently financed and structured. Problems with the way we select our political leaders have been on full display in the 2016 Presidential election.

Once elected, Washington politicians are not equally and properly representing our broad citizen interests, since they regularly tip outcomes of law, policy, and regulation toward the interests of wealthy and influential campaign donors.

These actions regularly move large amounts of money out of our pockets and into theirs, distort and often delay action on matters important to our welfare, and undermine the very purpose of citizen representation our founding fathers worked to provide for us in our Constitution. This adversely affects the vast majority of us, regardless of whether we are conservative, moderate, liberal, or of some other ideology.

Amending our Constitution to achieve needed reforms is the paramount public policy issue of our time. Congress has refused to effectively act for decades. Thus it’s up to us – we the people - to initiate constitutional amendments to repair it.

But first we must decide how to best accomplish reform. Will we really fix the problem, or as most current amendment proposals would do, just fix a part, in a way that would not resolve the underlying real problem?

This book sets a high bar for discussion of all Amendment proposals. In it, I propose a comprehensive 28^th Amendment to result in complete reform of the way we structure and finance our political system.

If we citizens are going to get excited about reforming our democracy, let’s be bold and build a movement to fully and comprehensively amend our U.S. Constitution to regain full citizen control of our democracy. Together, we can accomplish this. Let’s do it!

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780998331614
Publisher:	Concerned Citizens Press
Publication date:	10/29/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Rick Hubbard is a native Vermonter, retired attorney and former economic consultant, now living in South Burlington where he writes and is an activist for reforming our democracy to better serve all citizens. Rick has a BA degree from the University of Vermont, an MBA degree from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School of Business, and a JD degree from Georgetown University Law School. He's a long time advocate for democracy reform who in the 1970s helped co-organize Common Cause/Vermont and subsequently, in the early 1980s, was twice elected to the national governing board of Common Cause. In 1999 and 2000 Rick, inspired by 89-year-old "Granny D's" 18-month walk across the entire United States to highlight the need for campaign finance reform, walked with her for a week in Kentucky. Subsequently Rick walked some 450 miles around three sides of Vermont to similarly advocate through interviews with more than 50 radio, newspaper and television discussions and stories as they covered his journey. He subsequently qualified across all party lines to raise these and other issues in the 2000 U.S. Senate race against Jim Jeffords. More recently he has joined other activists to support of efforts by Lawrence Lessig and The New Hampshire Rebellion to encourage New Hampshire voters to ask 2016 Presidential primary candidates the question: "What specific reforms will you advance to end the corrupting influence of big money in politics?" As part of these efforts Rick has: • Walked the length of New Hampshire, 185 miles, in January of 2014 with other NHR supporters in memory of "Granny D's" walk across the USA in 1999/2000 for Democracy Reform. • Walked New Hampshire again in January of 2015, 150 miles, from Dixville Notch to Concord (New Hampshire's capitol) as part of 4 marches from different corners of New Hampshire to all meet at the Concord state Capital in support of Democracy Reform. Rick walked in support of Democracy Spring's massive 140-mile march from Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to our Capitol in Washington D.C. from April 2-15, 2016 to demand that Congress take immediate action to end the corruption of big money in politics and ensure free and fair elections in which every American has an equal voice. Once there, he was one of over 1,200 citizens peacefully arrested on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in protest that our Federal political system no longer properly represents its citizens.

Table of Contents

Preface Dedication Introduction PART I -- The Democracy Amendments A. One Comprehensive Amendment or Many Separate Amendments? B. 28th Amendment Wording - The Democracy Amendments PART II -- A Vision of What Can Be PART III -- Each Amendment in More Depth 1. Right to Vote 2. Citizen Election Commissions 3. Citizen Financed Elections 4. Citizen Redistricting 5. Nonpartisan Blanket Primaries 6. Majority Voting 7. Use of Public Airwaves and Digital Networks 8. Shorter Election Cycles 9. Full Disclosure 10. Encouraging Voting and Reducing Fraud and Mistakes 11. Enforcement 12. Operability PART IV -- How You Can Help in Your State A. Considerations for Everyone B. As a Legislator or As a Citizen Appendix A -- Books and Authors that Make the Case for Reform Appendix B -- The Democracy Amendments As Ten Separate Amendments Appendix C -- A Model Resolution For States Afterward End Notes About the Author