U.S. Insight

We need a new Constitution! The original one is unequal to the ongoing task of establishing a well ordered, healthy, functioning democracy. It is significantly outdated, sometimes vague and heavily compromised. A new Constitution needs to have more specificity about what is and is not allowed clearly set forth and specific consequences detailed for violating those rules.

We need a new Constitution with the freedoms already defined to be clearly and unambiguously stated so as to be unassailable by those who wish to subjugate or denigrate others and not open to malicious or later (re)interpretation. (I would suggest some revision to the Bill of Rights amendments for clarification.) We need a new Constitution that clearly sets education, experience, criminal record, background security check and age requirements (with both minimum and maximum ages) for all federal elected and appointed offices. We need a new Constitution that clearly sets term limits for all federal offices and positions so that people don’t make a career of politics in order to accumulate power for themselves or their like-minded group. In addition, the position of Attorney General should be an elected office so that it cannot be weaponized or beholden to either a President or the Senate. (Three four-year terms for House Representatives – half elected every two years, two six-year terms for Senators – 1/3 elected every two years, two consecutive four-year terms for Attorney General and President/Vice President, two six-year appointed terms for all federal judges/justices – 3 SCOTUS justices appointed/reappointed every two years.) 

There would need to be specific rules and requirements for what each federal body can and cannot do; in particular that they cannot establish internal rules and procedures that allow them to do as they wish in lieu of the Constitution or to prevent others from proposing and voting on what they perceive as important. No legislative holds for individual Senators or Representatives; majority rule for every vote not required by the Constitution to be a supermajority. There is too much individual power and “celebrity” recognition for a person elected to Congress as opposed to being recognized primarily as a member of one of the legislative bodies; there should be no internal rules that elevate an individual legislator other than Speaker, Senate Leader (not Majority Leader) or committee chairman. If the new legislature contains a body that is non-representative of the general population (like the current Senate), then that body maybe should be limited or non-participatory with regard to operation, budgeting and spending governance of the country. In addition, House districts should be abolished, but the proportional number of Representatives still should elected at large from each state like the Senate – nothing to gerrymander, no party to identify with.

We need a document that clearly spells out federal voting rights and procedures and that takes the money and endless campaigning out of elections. Elections for federal offices should be federally funded with no other money allowed and every candidate equally funded; there should be limited, shortened campaign seasons that do not exceed three or four months with plentiful, mandatory televised debates, position papers and speeches. Political parties for the purpose of raising money and exerting partisan influence would be unnecessary and banned. The process of determining and selecting candidates to run for office, i.e. primaries, needs to be significantly overhauled to make it a more inclusive process that does not favor extremists or people with large, established power bases (rank-based voting). The above-mentioned qualifications and shortened campaigns would apply here and to the general election. Voting should be on the weekend or on a federal holiday for that purpose and the total of the actual votes cast should determine the winner without any need for either Congress, or a state or an over-arching body to have any role in the process other than to ceremonially accept/acknowledge the result. Voting probably should not be mandatory but should be encouraged by a notable benefit like an income tax deduction. 

The Constitution should be more easily amended to keep it current with the changing realities of the country, communications and technology. Amendments should be able to be proposed by Congress, the states or by a vote of the electorate. Passage and ratification of an amendment should still require a supermajority, but by a more achievable percentage, say 55%. There should be a Constitutional convention at least every 25 years to review the Constitution and the number of delegates from the currently seated Congress or state governments or judiciary should be very limited since they will be the most likely to resist needed change.

The Constitution we have may be the best compromise that could be achieved at the time (1789). But now that we’ve had if for 237+ years and seen its weaknesses and failings it is time to substantially overhaul it in response to the misuse, abuse and inadequacies now evident. We need a new Constitution that can carry us forward as the democratic republic that was intended with the proper specificity and guardrails we now plainly see are needed to prevent further threats to the inherent character of this country.

As of this date (2026), there is no possibility for any revision, amending or updating of our Constitution. With all of the partisanship, factions, scheming and narrow majorities we are locked into an archaic, ill-defined document with high (sometimes vague) principals, with flawed execution that has brought us to this point! If we should succumb to chaos or authoritarianism, then if we manage to overcome that dilemma a new Constitution, as imagined above, should be written and adopted to keep us from a future similar descent.

Unlike some, I want to see the country changed so it can survive as a healthy nation going forward. But we need to take the country forward, not by forcing people to behave and act in partisan ways, but by building a better framework for the country – the whole country. I would like to see a well-qualified government obliged to behave, function and to actually govern in accordance with the principals and laws of this country and for the benefit of all the citizens first and foremost.

(I will post a more detailed document with more details of a proposed new constitution at a later date.)

Dave L.