Convention of the States
The Proposed Article V Convention of the States will be a unique opportunity to update and save our 250-year-old republic, hopefully, for another 250 years, setting a world record for longevity.
The Wall Street Journal in front page news on June 23, 2024, stated for the first time that the United States debt will significantly exceed our net worth next year. The interest on this debt will exceed our defense budget. (CBO 2024) In the first seven-months of Fiscal Year, 2024 [1], spending on net interest has reached $514 billion, surpassing spending on national defense $498 billion. In all civilizations, when this scenario occurred, including the Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, and the French Empire, they have disappeared from the world scene.
This is the destiny of our United States within a couple of years if our entitlements
are not significantly reduced.
HENCE, WE SUBMIT THESE ARTICLES FOR THE PROPOSED
CONVENTION OF THE STATES WITH ONE VOTE PER STATE
WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL BE APPROVED WITHIN TWO YEARS,
SAVING OUR COUNTRY FROM THESE HISTORIC PRECEDENTS.
I: The House of Representatives
The term of office shall be extended to four years, with the first, third, fifth, etc.
representative of each state elected during the presidential election and the second,
fourth, sixth, etc. representative elected at the two-year or mid-cycle election.
No new states shall be created out of existing states or the District of Columbia.
Representatives shall be limited to three terms or 12 years. This will eliminate the
prolonged multiples terms but still allow for adequate experience to run the Peoples House
and give time for diligent service before running for re-election which currently begins almost immediately before serving their current term.
II: The Senate
The United States Senate shall continue with six-year terms and be limited to three terms
or 18 years. This will allow for adequate experience to run the Senate and also address the
issue of term limits.
The above 2 articles will allow a Congressperson up to 30-years of law-making service in the federal government if they progress from one house to the other and still resolves current issues on term limits.
Federal retirement precludes any further employment in the federal government in any related capacity they previously held.
Federal retirement benefits shall be limited to no more than two-thirds of the highest salary received during any federal employment.
III: The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court shall be limited to Nine Justices, appointed by the President for 20-year terms and confirmed by the Senate.
Each justice may be reappointed by the president for an additional 10-year term if approved by the Senate.
IV: Taxation
Income Taxation shall be limited to a 25 percent levy on net domestic income:
(Gross income minus the business cost of acquiring that income.)
No one should be required to contribute more than one-fourth of his annual earnings to run the Government according to a long-standing public poll by Reader’s Digest.
Excise taxes shall be limited to a 25 percent levy on luxury goods, imports, foreign income, Interstate Commerce, or inheritance.
V: Federal Budget
The Federal budget shall be balanced each year including in times-at-war and eliminate deficit spending.
The president may use the line-item veto to achieve this purpose.
VI: The Poverty Line for the United States
The Federal Poverty line shall be set at each 10-year census to equal not more than 25 percent of the average US income for the preceding decade.
There shall be no federal welfare programs. Welfare and assistance programs shall be limited to the States or to their local/county Jurisdictions.
VII: The retirement age in the United States shall be set at each 10-year census to equal 10-years prior to life expectancy.
Social Security benefits shall become available at the US retirement age and be limited to twice the poverty line.
Social Security was always defined as a safety net, never as a complete retirement plan. A safety net can only be defined as minimal coverage for food, shelter, clothing, and basic incidentals to prevent poverty.
VIII: Social Security taxes shall not exceed 10 percent of net income of employed individuals and their spouses which may be individually and privately held.
Individuals may add an equal amount tax free to their Social Security retirement accounts.
IX: The UNITED STATES will return to the GOLD Standard.
The Federal Mint is authorized to mint gold coins beginning with the Gold Eagle of one troy ounce, with no monetary stamp, which will fluctuate with the market.
The Gold rate has fluctuated from the old traditional value of $35 an ounce to $70 an ounce which was termed as absurdly high in the 1950s and absurdly low in the 1960s. The free market price of Gold was $125 an ounce when Nixon took us off the gold standard. The free market priced was $215 an ounce for an intervening period. The last price was $2422 an ounce in June 2024.
The Gold Eagle will float with the market with no coinage price stamped on it by the mint except the Eagle and its weight.
X: Silver will be used as the Fiat Currency
Stamped by the mint as autorized in one ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce, and one-tenth ounce denominations.
Nichol and copper may continue to be minted in their current forms.
Submitted for discussion and dialogue:
Delbert H Meyer, MD, Former Editor
Sacramento Medicine, 1993-1997
Editor: MedicalTuesday: 1997-2018
Columnist: 1994-2018
Hippocrates & His Kin;
Voices of Medicine;
Physician/Patient Bookshelf.
JULY 2024
Comments To: DelMeyer@MedicalTuesday.net [2]
CARPE DIEM
We will never SEIZE THE DAY as long as we allow the
DEMOCRAT PARTY TO CALL THE REPUBICAN PARTY RED
RED HAS DENOTED COMMUNISM AND SOCIALISM FOR
CENTURIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
MOST RECENTLY CONFIRMED BY HUNGARY,
WHICH GROUPED ALL SOCIALISTS WITH THE
COMMUNISTS AS RED
WE WILL NO LONGER SUPPORT THE PRESENT SUBTERFUGE
OF CALLING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THE RED PARTY
THE PROPOSED RE-ALIGHNMENT OF THE PARTY COLORS
MEDICAL TUESDAY WILL REFER TO THE
SOCIALISTS OR DEMOCRATIC PARTY AS
THE RED PARTY
AND THE
FREEDOM OR REPUBLICAN PARTY AS
THE BLUE PARTY
ADDENDUM TO TERM LIMITS
The issue is to eliminate the prolonged terms which extend into decades.
The various proposals on term limits shorten the terms to such an
extent which could result in inexperience lawmakers.
The above proposal will assure experienced lawmakers in both houses and eliminate
the prolonged terms which is the main issue that needs to be addressed.