Wikipedia A More Perfect Constitution is a non-fiction book by American _political scientist_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_scientist) _Larry J. Sabato_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_J._Sabato) , published in 2007. In it, Sabato calls for a new _constitutional convention_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_convention_(political_meeting)) to update the _United States Constitution_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution) . Sabato draws on his three decades of experience as a political analyst in proposing this radical step, making reference to historical and political events as he makes his case. He draws his idea of revision from the _founding fathers_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States) , who felt that the constitution should not last forever but should instead be revised by each generation._[1]_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_More_Perfect_Constitution&printable=yes#cite_note-0) Sabato notes that, after the _Bill of Rights_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights) , there have only been seventeen _constitutional amendments_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_amendments) over the past 220 years, and makes the argument that a constitutional convention is overdue Congress * Expand the Senate to 136 members to be more representative: Grant the ten most populous states two additional senators each, the fifteen next most populous states one additional senator each, and the District of Columbia one senator. * Appoint all former Presidents and Vice Presidents to the new office of "National Senator". * Mandate non-partisan _redistricting_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redistricting) for House elections to enhance electoral competition. * Lengthen terms of Representatives from two years to three years, and set Senate terms to coincide with all _presidential elections_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election) , so the entire House and Senate would be elected at the same time as the President. * Expand the size of the _House of Representatives_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives) to approximately 1,000 members (from current 435), so House members can be closer to their constituents, and to level the playing field in House elections. * Establish _term limits_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Term_limit) in the House and Senate to restore the Founders' principle of frequent _rotation in office_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotation_in_office) . * Add a _Balanced Budget Amendment_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_Budget_Amendment) to encourage fiscal fairness to future generations. * Create a Continuity of Government procedure to provide for replacement Senators and Congressmen in the event of extensive deaths or incapacitation. Presidency * Establish a new six-year, one-time presidential term with the option for the President to seek two additional years in a referendum of the American people. * Limit some Presidential war-making powers and expand Congress' oversight of war-making. * Give the President a _line-item veto_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-item_veto) . * Allow men and women not _born in the United States_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_born_citizen_of_the_United_States) to run for President or Vice President after having been a citizen for 20 years. Supreme Court * Eliminate _lifetime tenure_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifetime_tenure) for _federal judges_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_judge) in favor of non-renewable 15-year terms for all federal judges. * Grant Congress the power to set a _mandatory retirement age_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandatory_retirement_age) for all federal judges. * Expand the size of the Supreme Court from 9 to 12 to be more representative. * Give federal judges guaranteed _cost of living_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_living) increases so pay is never an issue. Politics * Write a new constitutional article specifically for the politics of the American system. * Adopt a regional, staggered lottery system, over four months, for presidential party nominations to avoid the destructive front-loading of primaries. * Mend the Electoral College by granting more populated states additional electors, to preserve the benefits of the College while minimizing the chances a President will win without a majority of the popular vote. * Reform campaign financing by preventing wealthy candidates from financing their campaigns, and by mandating partial public financing for House and Senate campaigns. * Adopt an automatic registration system for all qualified American citizens to guarantee their right to vote is not abridged by bureaucratic requirements. Universal national service * Create a constitutional requirement that all able-bodied young Americans devote at least two years of their lives in service to the country. National constitutional convention * Convene a new constitutional convention using the state-based mechanism left to Americans by the framers in the current constitution
-- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
