Debugging the Constitution

The basic problem I see with the Constitution as interpreted today is that today’s interpretation is a total departure from the principles that the Constitution was originally built on.  There is a conflict between the idea of separation of powers and a regulatory agency that has legislative power to make rules, executive powers to prosecute people who break their rules and judicial officers who hear the cases of people who are accused of breaking the rules. 

This is an introduction to a collection of my blog posts on needed Constitutional change.  I’m a computer programmer by trade, not a lawyer.  Programming requires getting the computer to do something useful for somebody else.  To do this well, programmers have to anticipate what the users are going to try to do and put instructions in place for what the computer should do for every possible case.  I’ve been thinking ahead like this for over 40 years.  This thinking ahead is exactly what’s needed to write a good Constitutional Amendment.

There is a conflict between the idea that government exists to keep people secure in their life, liberty and property, and the current day model of government as a means of redistributing wealth. No matter what good intentions are expressed, the government takes money from the people who earn it and gives it to politically favored groups in return for their votes.  The bureaucrats and politicians who divide the spoils get a large percentage fee for deciding what’s a fair distribution.  The owners of the property are not secure.

There is a conflict between government ruling by the consent of the governed and the doctrine of a “living Constitution.”  The peoples’ representatives ratify an amendment with an original understanding of what it means.  They do not ratify an amendment with a blank check that some future Supreme Court can fill in with whatever new meaning suits their fancy.  The people have most emphatically not agreed to the new “living Constitution” meaning that contemplates something the original amendment never addressed.

There is also a conflict between the federal government that runs up bills far faster that it collects revenue and what the founders expected.  I think the founders expected the federal government to sell off land and other assets both to pay for itself and to encourage private enterprise.  The federal government has over $100 trillion in assets including real estate and mineral rights.  Instead of being eaten alive by compound interest, we should be selling off assets and putting them under more efficient private management.

When I’m working on a design for a new computer software project, I solicit a lot of feedback because I want to find my mistakes before I implement the project.  I’m hoping for a lot of comments on these so I can refine them.  Thanks.

My 4 Simple Amendments to Debug the Constitution September 7, 2016

A Constitutional Convention: The Revolution We Really Need August 29, 2016

Congress Is Powerless, It Gave All Its Power Away  July 14, 2016

Take Government Back to First Principles June 5, 2016

The Big Changes For The Worse Since 1950  May 17, 2016

FCC Emails Show Need For Regulatory Reforms  March 15, 2016

Consent of the Governed or a Political Supreme Court?  March 13, 2016

Feds Should Sell, Not Manage, Western Land  January 4, 2016