American Neo-Arctoism

Issues in US Today
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Historical Roots of Problems
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Future Predictions
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Constitutional Reform
To solve the US's problems, Arctofire believes that a 'grand compromise' is needed between liberals and  conservatives.

A giant constitutional amendment should be introduced, giving both liberals and conservatives some things they want, whilst tackling the poor functioning of government, political polarization, and corporate influence in politics.

In order for this amendment to gain widespread societal support, it must come from the grassroots. Arctofire proposes a process of citizens assemblies in each state and territory of the US, adjusted for party affiliation, political views, age, sex, region, and ethnicity. These assemblies would then feed back to each other to draft an amendment which could gain the support of at least 3/4ths of the states in ratifying conventions.

This is what true  is, as it is proposing major changes to the status quo and attacking an entrenched political bureaucracy, whilst seeking wide support across the political spectrum and rejecting binary divides between left and right.

The 28th amendment would be the longest amendment to the US constitution in history. These changes are ones that Arctofire reckons are likely to be introduced as part of a compromise settlement, as well as his personal proposals, though it would ultimately be for these assemblies themselves to decide. Each tab will explain what the amendment will change for a major subject.


 * -|Supreme Court=


 * The size of the Supreme Court would be reduced from 9 to 7 justices, and constitutionally fixed at that number.


 * Each justice would be appointed for a staggered, non-renewable, 14 year term. The sitting president would nominate two justices per presidential term, as a justice would retire every two years.


 * Justices must be between the ages of 50 and 65 at appointment, and are obliged to retire from law and politics after the completion of their term.


 * All justices must be confirmed with a 2/3 senate majority. Simple majority voting leads to the partisan politicization of the front bench, and leads to those justices with explicit political agendas getting selected. A 2/3 confirmation majority is required in most countries, and it would help promote judicial independence and moderation.


 * All justices must interpret the constitution's and law's words as they were intended to be interpreted, by those who wrote them, at that time. The 'living constitution' judicial philosophy is responsible for a large degree of undue court interference which has inflamed the culture war. It is the job of elected officials to make laws, not the courts; the courts should only block laws the legislature makes which violate existing law.


 * -|Elections=

Voting Rights

 * The protection of the right to vote shall be enshrined in constitutional law, with concrete measures to prevent voter suppression. Voter registration should be automatic for all citizens, an independent electoral commission should handle the conduct of elections, polling stations should be easily accessible and numerous enough to prevent long lines, and all polling days should be bank holidays. It shall be the responsibility of the election officials to ensure that all people eligible to vote are able to.


 * There will be a constitutional ban on the practice of gerrymandering. An independent federal redistricting commission would decide the electoral boundaries on the basis of demographic data and the most natural, historical, and simple divisions possible without any concern for ethnicity or political party advantage. The federal redistricting commission would replace the state's role of deciding federal congressional boundaries. All states and localities must have an independent redistricting commission for their elections based on the same principles.

Electoral System

 * The electoral college for presidential elections will be replaced by election on the basis of nationwide popular vote, using open primaries and the ranked-choice-voting (RCV) system to decide the winner.


 * All local, state, and federal elections will be forbidden from using the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) voting system. A party with a majority of seats must have majority support from the voters.


 * The House of Representatives would use the Single-Transferable-Vote (STV) system, with 3-5 congressmen per district. Being a system of proportional representation, this would enable the end of the two-party system that has been responsible for much of the destructive polarization that exists today.


 * The Senate would be elected through single district RCV. All senators would be forbidden from belonging to a political party, to reduce polarization and ensure the separation of powers between the president in office and congress.

Campaign Finance

 * Big money in politics is the primary cause of the US's extractivist institutions, and must be systematically rooted out.


 * Campaign finance contributions through ordinary money, whether through direct donations, or third party campaigning through the use of Political Action Committees (PACs), will be banned. Ability to gain the funding of special interests would no longer be a determinant of electoral success.


 * To replace unrestricted donations to campaigns, every American voter would be given a small voucher, redeemable on a government website for the funding of a candidate of the voter's choice. This website would also contain detailed information about a candidate's policy positions. In addition to equalizing funding, each candidate would have a donation cap, after which a candidate can gain no more vouchers to ensure a competitive race. All candidates meeting a specific threshold would be entitled to equal airtime and social media advertising.


 * All lobbying groups must be funded by donations 'not exceeding the maximum amount an ordinary person could afford.' The rich shall receive no more access to government than the poor.


 * Lobbyist access to politicians shall be severely restricted. All lobbyists must be on a formal register, and can only have access to the ear of politicians in formally allotted time. There must be a very clear dividing line between government and corporations.


 * Politicians leaving office shall be forbidden from working for lobbyist organizations of any kind for the rest of their lives.


 * -|Federal & State Power=


 * The US federal government would be required to pass a balanced budget each year.


 * Contentious culture war issues, including but not limited to: abortion, LGBT rights, prostitution, euthanasia, drug policy, gambling, capital punishment, drinking age, religion, and education policy, will be the exclusive power of state governments. The federal government nor the Supreme Court can interfere with the will of that state's voters on these issues.


 * States are forbidden from prosecuting citizens for performing an action in a different state where such action is legal. (i.e, a woman from a red state traveling to get an abortion in a blue state.)


 * All US states must recognize same-sex marriages registered in states where it is legal, but not necessarily perform or register such marriages within their particular state.


 * The federal government and all US states will be required to have a citizens initiative functions, where an initiative which gets 1% of eligible voters (either on a federal or state level) to sign in six months is put to a binding referendum.

The state ratification threshold for amending the constitution will be reduced from 3/4 of state legislatures to 2/3.
 * -|Amendments=

Economic Reform
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Foreign Policy
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