About That Twenty-Eighth Amendment
By James Donahue
Because of the shenanigans going on in Washington there has been talk about a proposed Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. There presently are 27 ratified Constitutional Amendments in existence. Another five have been proposed, but all have failed to pass the state ratification process established in Article V in the Constitution. It requires approval by three-fourths of the states before an amendment can become Constitutional law.
Here how the predominant twenty-eighth amendment proposal reads:
“Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.”
That amendment, if ever accepted, would tend to equalize the growing pay and benefits gap between elected federal legislators and the general public. It also would equalize all other laws affecting the citizenry, prohibiting voted immunity for elected members of Congress.
Other amendment proposals on the books would seek to reverse the high court’s controversial rulings declaring that corporations are “people” and thus legally allowed to be big money backers for congressional candidates; declaring money to be property rather than free speech, and setting term limits for elected and appointed federal positions. Constitutional laws like these have not been popular among legislators. This is because too many have made careers out of their high-paid public service positions. Once in office they tend to work hard at staying there.
The framers of the Constitution originally perceived a government of the people and by the people. They created houses of elected state representatives and senators; all sent to Washington at certain times of each year to actively consider and debate issues behind the operation of our nation. These elected local representatives were supposed to fill temporary public service positions, with Congressional members returning home to their regular jobs and families between sessions at the Capitol.
Members of the Constitutional Congress never dreamed that those public service positions would evolve into the full-time high-paid power positions they have become. The original idea was that each state would retain its own sovereignty, with a weak central government existing to hold everything together as a nation.
In the years following the Revolutionary War it was not long before the colonies were engaged in yet a second conflict with England. It was during the War of 1812 that amendments to the Constitution were adopted thus creating a federal navy, calling up state militia for national defense, establishing the power to tax and eventually dealing with things like freedoms of speech, assembly and religion. As more and more of these amendments went on the books, states began to consider a growing threat to their own sovereignty.
The Ninth and Tenth Amendments, ratified in 1791, were drawn from the Bill of Rights. They assure the states of continued autonomy in handling internal affairs. The Ninth Amendment reads: “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people;” and the Tenth Amendment says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
The issue of slavery drew the states into the Civil War. After the Union Army won that bloody war the powers of the central government were established. Thus began the build-up the U.S. military power, our involvement in international affairs, interstate commerce, a national highway and communication system, and involvement in education, health and welfare issues.
As the power of the central government grew, so did the power and wealth of the men that ran it. The salary of elected senators and representatives is currently $174,000 a year. The president pro tempore and party leaders get $193,400. The Speaker of the House gets $223,500. In addition to their salaries, legislators receive retirement and health benefits. They are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System or Civil Service Retirement System. They also contribute to the Social Security and Medicare tax programs. They receive a rich pension for life upon retirement. In 2006 the average annual pension for retired senators and representatives under CSRS was $60,972. Those that retired under FERS was $35,952.
In addition to the above, these elected representatives get up to 239 days off from their jobs in Washington, which most of them use by returning home and making appearances before their constituents as they vie for re-election. They also receive health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and up to one year of salary in death benefits.
Many of the retired legislators are millionaires.
The last constitutional amendment to be ratified was the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, which delays changes in the congressional salary until the following election cycle. This prevents legislators from voting themselves pay raises during their elected term in office. This amendment was ratified in 1992, over 202 years after it was submitted in 1789.
It is a logical conclusion that the proposed Twenty-Eighth Amendment will never see the light of day.
By James Donahue
Because of the shenanigans going on in Washington there has been talk about a proposed Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. There presently are 27 ratified Constitutional Amendments in existence. Another five have been proposed, but all have failed to pass the state ratification process established in Article V in the Constitution. It requires approval by three-fourths of the states before an amendment can become Constitutional law.
Here how the predominant twenty-eighth amendment proposal reads:
“Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.”
That amendment, if ever accepted, would tend to equalize the growing pay and benefits gap between elected federal legislators and the general public. It also would equalize all other laws affecting the citizenry, prohibiting voted immunity for elected members of Congress.
Other amendment proposals on the books would seek to reverse the high court’s controversial rulings declaring that corporations are “people” and thus legally allowed to be big money backers for congressional candidates; declaring money to be property rather than free speech, and setting term limits for elected and appointed federal positions. Constitutional laws like these have not been popular among legislators. This is because too many have made careers out of their high-paid public service positions. Once in office they tend to work hard at staying there.
The framers of the Constitution originally perceived a government of the people and by the people. They created houses of elected state representatives and senators; all sent to Washington at certain times of each year to actively consider and debate issues behind the operation of our nation. These elected local representatives were supposed to fill temporary public service positions, with Congressional members returning home to their regular jobs and families between sessions at the Capitol.
Members of the Constitutional Congress never dreamed that those public service positions would evolve into the full-time high-paid power positions they have become. The original idea was that each state would retain its own sovereignty, with a weak central government existing to hold everything together as a nation.
In the years following the Revolutionary War it was not long before the colonies were engaged in yet a second conflict with England. It was during the War of 1812 that amendments to the Constitution were adopted thus creating a federal navy, calling up state militia for national defense, establishing the power to tax and eventually dealing with things like freedoms of speech, assembly and religion. As more and more of these amendments went on the books, states began to consider a growing threat to their own sovereignty.
The Ninth and Tenth Amendments, ratified in 1791, were drawn from the Bill of Rights. They assure the states of continued autonomy in handling internal affairs. The Ninth Amendment reads: “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people;” and the Tenth Amendment says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
The issue of slavery drew the states into the Civil War. After the Union Army won that bloody war the powers of the central government were established. Thus began the build-up the U.S. military power, our involvement in international affairs, interstate commerce, a national highway and communication system, and involvement in education, health and welfare issues.
As the power of the central government grew, so did the power and wealth of the men that ran it. The salary of elected senators and representatives is currently $174,000 a year. The president pro tempore and party leaders get $193,400. The Speaker of the House gets $223,500. In addition to their salaries, legislators receive retirement and health benefits. They are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System or Civil Service Retirement System. They also contribute to the Social Security and Medicare tax programs. They receive a rich pension for life upon retirement. In 2006 the average annual pension for retired senators and representatives under CSRS was $60,972. Those that retired under FERS was $35,952.
In addition to the above, these elected representatives get up to 239 days off from their jobs in Washington, which most of them use by returning home and making appearances before their constituents as they vie for re-election. They also receive health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and up to one year of salary in death benefits.
Many of the retired legislators are millionaires.
The last constitutional amendment to be ratified was the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, which delays changes in the congressional salary until the following election cycle. This prevents legislators from voting themselves pay raises during their elected term in office. This amendment was ratified in 1992, over 202 years after it was submitted in 1789.
It is a logical conclusion that the proposed Twenty-Eighth Amendment will never see the light of day.