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By David W, March 10, 2010 6:01 pm

The American Restoration Project

It is time to outline an agenda for the coming new age of conservative governance. Despite the fact that in the event of conservative victories resulting majorities in both House and Senate in the November 2010 elections, we will still have a very liberal, socialist- leaning president. Nevertheless, it is time to compose a plan that will return the United States to founding, Constitutional principles. With the highly Washington- centric, central planning legislation limping through Congress currently, the message from the American people is very clear. Most of our fellow Americans simply want to plan their own lives, provide for their families, jobs and lives in the uniquely American way. They want to be simply left alone without the feds continually interfering with their lives and their commerce.

Unlike the Constitution, this is a living document. You are encouraged to enlarge and enrich the concepts outlined below, and to provide additional, intellectually based policy solutions to in this restoration of government by the people.

It will begin with some basic concepts, but the construct will be to consider and assess various policy issues as they enhance a return to re-establishing balance in the three branches of government, responsive to the will of the people. Second, it will be devoted to re-establishing the republican form of government, giving appropriate recognition to the restoration of states as provided by the 10th amendment.

1 Taxation/ Revenue policy

Our revolutionary beginnings were based on the concept of fair representation wherein the Founders did not believe it appropriate to tax without representation in Parliament (a basic tenet of the Magna Carta). We are now at risk financially as a nation based on the fact that 1% of the electorate shoulders 40% of the tax burden, and that a substantial portion of the populace pays no taxes at all. All this is a result of the great progressive movement that resulted in the 16th amendment to establish a federal income tax and not to apportion revenues to the states. According to Judge Andrew Napolitano, the first priority is to lower the federal tax power and to squeeze the lard from the system, and the related special financial benefits provided. This includes the vast entitlement industry and bloated social and military budgets that are destroying our economy. There are several good ideas, such as the fair tax, the flat tax, and requiring a super majority in both houses of Congress to authorize additional revenues. Zero based budgeting is another. I will entertain additions and substantive arguments to add to this list.

2 Federalism

With the advent of the 17th amendment, lobbyists no longer found it necessary to get representatives of state legislatures to support their issues, by allowing “popular election” of Senate candidates rather than election by state legislators. It was the intention of the Founders, even before the composition of the Bill of Rights and the 10th amendment, to guarantee states rights on issues not specifically given to the national legislature. This was best accomplished by the states having a direct voice in national government through the United States Senate. If a senator failed to adequately represent the will of their state or to recognize the just rights of the state, they would not be re-elected for a following 6 year term. It also provided for a national body that was closer to the people and sensitive to the needs of the citizens of the state. This is indeed an example of that to which Ben Franklin responded to curious citizens at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention who asked what form of government they were to have. His response: “A republic if you can keep it.” We are far down that road of losing it.

I would recommend add comments and that you look at Professor Barnett’s website for remedies to this wound to the Constitution. www.federalismamendment.com

There are many issues that confront us in the restoration of the Republic, such as education, health care policy, redundancy and the excess of national government, including the federal agency, in Kent Masterson Brown’s words, “unelected and unconstitutional.” We will entertain them, but should be considered in the context of the above two principles, the power of taxation and restoration of republican governance.