Initiatives v Oligarchy

Our Founders' Warning: “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.” (Thomas Jefferson)

SUMMARY

PROBLEM HAS DETERIORATED PAST GOVERNMENT’S ABILITY TO FIX

SOLUTION WAS ANTICIPATED BY, AND DESIRABLE TO THE FOUNDERS, BUT INFEASIBLE AT THAT TIME

CAMPAIGN FOR AMENDMENT PROPOSED BY CONGRESS OR BY LIMITED CONVENTION

BENEFITS FROM INITIATIVES AMENDMENT SOLUTION

  1. Authority to Declare War
  2. Automation and Jobs
  3. Balanced Budget
  4. Capital Punishment
  5. Climate Change Decisions
  6. Congressional Oversight by the People
  7. Congressional Term Limits for Representatives and Senators
  8. Constitutional Amendments Enacted by the Supreme Court
  9. Corporate Personhood (Citizens United v. FEC)
  10. Gerrymandering with Redrawn Districts to Favor Incumbent Sitting Members
  11. Instant Runoff, Alternative, and Transferable Voting
  12. National Debt, Congressional Controls, and Limits
  13. Plutocratic Contributions (McCutcheon v. FEC)
  14. Prescription Healthcare Drug Price Control
  15. Replace Electoral College by Popular Vote to Elect the President
  16. Retirement Benefits, Working in Retirement, and Worker-Retiree Ratio
  17. Supreme Court Justice Recall
  18. Winner Take All v Fair Representation
  19. World Population

DETAILS AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Citizens

  1. Is There a Summary of the Initiatives Amendment?
  2. What are Pro Con Features of Initiatives Amendment?
  3. What Might the Initiatives Amendment Save on Government Waste?
  4. Are Citizens Competent to be IQA Members?
  5. Is IQA’s Mandatory Duty Onerous?
  6. What is Public Opinion of Nationwide Initiatives?
  7. Does the Amendment Risk Tyranny by Majority or Minority?
  8. Will Voter Demographics at Elections Affect Campaign Success?
  9. What can I Do to Help?
  10. How Do I Lobby for Support?
  11. How do I Find Candidate’s Addresses?

Congress

  1. Why Are Sitting Members of Congress Almost Always Reelected?
  2. Is the Bleak Future for Our Children an Outrage?
  3. Does Congress Fail to Consider Critical Long-Term Issues?
  4. How Many Initiatives per Federal Election?
  5. Why Does Congress Find Some Critical Problems Intractable?
  6. Will Some Congresspersons Support Nationwide Initiatives?
  7. Can Congress and Oligarchs Prevent Solution?
  8. Why Not Include U.S. Referendums?
  9. Why Not Include Congressperson Recall by Electorate?
  10. Does Congress Create Policies that Harm the People and Favor Special Interests?
  11. Does Congress Hide Unfunded State and Inter-generational Debts?
  12. Does Congress Oppose the People Socially, Ethically, and Legally?
  13. How Does Congress Deny the People’s Choice of Representation?
  14. Does Congress Encourage Excessive Lobbying?

Constitutional

  1. What Did Founding Fathers Say Relevant to this Amendment?
  2. Can State Referenda Ratify an Amendment?
  3. Which Are the Amendment’s Enabling Documents?
  4. How Does a Schematic Show How the Amendment Advances?
  5. Doesn’t the Guarantee Clause Forbid Initiatives?
  6. Who Has Control of the IQA?
  7. What Does the Constitution Preamble Say?
  8. Why Didn’t the Founding Fathers Include Initiatives?
  9. Are U.S. Initiatives Constitutionally Legal?
  10. Are There Other Nationwide Initiatives Plans?
  11. What are Some Relevant Quotations?

Initiatives

  1. What is the Background and History of Initiatives?
  2. What is a Direct Initiative and an Indirect Initiative?
  3. What does it Cost to Propose an Initiative in a Newspaper?
  4. Which Large Cities Have Initiatives?
  5. What Are the Initiatives Amendment Campaign Cost Estimates?
  6. Is Crowd-sourcing Useful for Initiatives?
  7. How Do the People Propose Initiatives and Approve Them?
  8. What Safeguards are Provided in this Solution?
  9. Why Cannot the President Veto Initiatives?

IQA

  1. What Are Deliberative Assembly (IQA) Operating Design Features?
  2. Can the IQA Improve Random Sample?
  3. How is the IQA a Deliberative Assembly?
  4. What Type of Organization is the IQA?
  5. Is an IQA of 500 Citizens Manageable?
  6. Why Not Let the IQA Pass Legislation Directly?
  7. What’s Different in the IQA and a Citizens’ Assembly?
  8. How Does the Assembly Ensure Its Wisdom?
  9. Must IQA Members be Registered or Eligible to Vote?
  10. How Much Will the IQA Cost?

States

  1. Can a State Initiative Call for an Article V Convention?
  2. Why Must State Legislatures Support this Amendment?
  3. What Are Practical State Benefits of the Amendment?
  4. What Are Pros and Cons of State Legislator Support for Amendment?
  5. Who Will Resist State Support of Initiatives Amendment?
  6. What Is the 2nd Method of Calling an Article V Convention?
  7. How Can States Avoid Article V 2nd Method Pitfalls?
  8. Can States Avoid Interstate Compact?
  9. Which States Have Initiatives?
  10. Where are there State Referendums but No Initiatives?
  11. What Are State Citizen Initiative Review Commissions?
  12. Can a State IQA Replace Signature Petitions?

Draft Peoples’ Initiatives Amendment

1.1: People Reserve Initiatives as their First Power

1.2: Legislative Powers in the People by Initiative Powers

1.3: Initiatives Qualifying Assembly (IQA)

2.1: Propose Initiatives

2.2: Initiative Power Parallel to Congress

2.3: Initiatives Emulate Congress Voting the Peoples’ Will

2.4: Initiatives Passed by Electorates’ Vote

2.5: Constitutional Amendments Proposed by Initiative

2.6: Initiatives Article V Ratification of Constitutional Amendment

2.7: Indirect Initiatives to Congress

2.8: Advisory Initiatives Guidance

3.1: Assembly Members are the People’s Sworn Deputies

3.2: Assembly Members Randomly Selected

3.3: Assembly Management Authority

3.4: Assembly Include Congressional Opinions with Initiatives Ballots

3.4: Assembly Include Congressional Opinions with Initiatives Ballots

3.5: Assembly Self-Governing Rules

3.6: Assembly Power Change Control by Supreme Court

4.1: Implementation of Initiatives Amendment by Government Actions

4.2: Governments Shall Preserve, Protect, and Defend Initiatives

4.3: Implementation of Assembly Charter and Rules

5.1: Guarantee Clause Clarification

6.1: Repeal Safeguard

7.1: State Ratification Within Seven Years

Draft Constitution Orders to Government

1.0: President

1.1: Convene the IQA

1.2: Manage Random Selection of Initial IQA Members

1.3: Provide IQA Facilities

1.4: Direction for IQA Convocation

1.5: Provide IQA Member Training

1.6: Provide Continuing Security

1.7: IQA Funds and Account

1.8: Law Enforcement

1.9: Access to Government Information

2.0: Congress Shall Enact the Following Legislation:

2.1: IQA Members’ Employer

2.2: Fund IQA

2.3: IQA Privacy Enforcement

2.4: Prevent Initiative Rights Abuse

2.6: IQA Members Evading Duty

2.7: Proposed Initiative Copyright

3.0: Governmental Combined Actions

3.1: Resolve Jurisdiction Issues

3.2: Enable IQA Members to Perform Their Duties

3.3: Excessive Hardship

3.4: Access Information

3.5: Election Ballots

3.6: Processing Requests

3.7: Avoid Delay

Assembly Rules: 1 Charter, 2 Bylaws, and 3 Order:

1.0: IQA Charter

1.1: Repair Deficiencies and Confirm Completions

1.2: Definitions

1.3: Precedence of IQA Rules

1.4: Direct Democracy Guidelines

1.5: Composition of the IQA

1.6: Member Selection Method

1.7: Size of IQA

1.8: Term of Service

1.9: Protect IQA and Members

1.10: Members’ Basic Job Description

1.11: IQA Reduced Operations

1.12: IQA Requirements for New Members

1.13: IQA Facilities

1.14: Duration of Relationships

1.15: Remuneration

1.16: Members Rewards Recognizing Performance

1.17: Budget

1.18: Philanthropic Funds

1.19: Incorporation as a nonprofit Corporation

1.20: Excessive Hardship Excuse

1.21: Losses Not Borne by the IQA

1.22: Type of Initiatives

1.23: Obligatory Initiatives

1.24: Minimum Size of Citizen Group

1.25: Minimum Requirements for Organizations

1.26: Initiative Submittal Fee

1.27: Initiative Proposer Identification Validation

1.28: Maximum Number of Initiatives Per Citizen

1.29: Rewards to Authors of Successful Initiatives

1.30: IQA’s Authority to Propose or Change Initiatives

1.31: Quorum

1.32: Plenary Session Voting

1.33: Readings of Candidate Initiatives

1.34: Members are Equal

1.35: Member Independent Opinion

1.36: IQA Member’s Oath of Duty

1.37: Notice of Initiatives

1.38: Congressional Right to Overrule

1.39: Legal Review

1.40: Self Education and Advice

1.41: Limit on Candidate Initiatives

1.42: Number of Indirect Initiatives

1.43: External Communication

1.44: U.S. Classified Information

1.45: Confidential and Sunshine Provisions

1.46: Tampering or Influence Avoidance

2.0: IQA Bylaws

2.1: Content and Format of Candidate Initiative

2.2: Method to Submit Proposed Initiatives

2.3: Minimum Size of Citizen Groups

2.4: Limit on Proposed Initiatives Per Citizen

2.5: Initiative Fee

2.6: Rewards to Authors’ and Supporters’

2.7: Expedite Initiatives

2.8: Initiative Type

2.9: Publication of Initiatives and Feedback (Also Order 3.6)

2.10: Secret Voting

2.11: Straw Vote

2.12: Selection of New Members

2.13: Employees at IQA

2.14: Advise and Consultation

2.15: Proposed Initiative Testimony and Advice

2.16: Meeting Record

2.17: Separate Facilities

2.18: Discipline

2.19: Excessive Hardship Excuses Defined

2.20: Excuse from Service

2.21: Time Limits

2.22: Statistical Method to Select Members

2.23: IQA Membership Size (Also Charter 1.7)

2.24: Service Duration

2.25: Duration of Protection

2.26: Additional Oath

2.27: Authority to Expend Funds

2.28: Acronyms and Abbreviations

3.0: IQA Majority Rules

3.1: Rules of Order

3.2: Election of Moderator and Secretary

3.3: Address the IQA

3.5: Motion

3.6: Selection of Publisher

3.7: Permanent Committees

3.8: Time in Position of Authority

3.9: IQA Sessions

3.10: New IQA Facilities

3.11: Security

3.12: Selection of New Members

3.13: Size of Citizen Group

3.14: Member’s Employment

3.15: Electronic Devices

3.16: Members’ Resign in the First Year

3.17: Orientation and Training of New Members

3.18: Task Forces

3.19: Deliberative Task Force (DTF)

3.20: Initiative Stages of Progress

3.21: Initiative Selection Process

3.22: Readability Indexes

3.23: Polls and Surveys

3.24: Public Hearing

3.25: Initiative Opinion

3.26: Advisory Initiative

3.27: Multiple Choice Initiatives

3.28: Voter Education Materials

3.29: Proposed Initiative Content

3.30: Support and Service Personnel

3.31: Information Technology

3.32: Websites Publication

3.33: Ex-Members’ Non-Disclosure Period

3.34: Library Archive, Publication, and Recognition of Effort

3.35: Accessibility

3.36: Medical Problems

INITIATIVES AMENDMENT PLEDGE

Draft State Constitutional Initiatives for Applications to Congress

0: State Constitutional Initiative

1: State Problems

2: States’ Responsibility for Solution

3: Structure of Solution

4: Legislative Intent

5: Prototype Text Of Initiatives Amendment

6: Legislature Application for Limited Convention

7: Avoiding Dispute

8: Agreement or Compact

9: Application Procedures

10: Resubmit

11: Passage In Both Houses

12: Convention Delegates’ Commitment

13: Time Limit For Applications

14: Time Limit to Call The Convention

15: Adoption

16: Captions

17: References

18: Severability

19: Date Effective

20: Title

Draft State Referendums for Applications to Congress

0: State Referendum

1: State Referendum Act

2: Additional Unique Text

Draft State Legislation for Applications to Congress

0: State Bill

1: State’s Citizens Denied Constitutional Rights

  1. 2: Constitutional Assurances Made to States
  2. 3: The People Established This State’s Constitution
  3. 4: This State Endorses the Initiatives Amendment
  4. 5: Additional Unique Text