Many people raise the issue of how feasible are these points. Some say impossible because it would take constitutional amendments before they could happen. This is partially true. But here is how the plan could work.
So how much of my petition can be done without amending the Constitution?
I’d divide the ten points into three groups:
Constitutional amendments are probably necessary to accomplish the proposal fully: #1 Term Limits, #3 Supreme Court Term Limits, and #6 Limits on Consecutive Offices. Strong versions of #5 Campaign Spending Limits would likely require one as well under current Supreme Court doctrine.
Substantial reform is possible through ordinary federal/state legislation: #2 Lobbying Reform, #4 Judicial Selection, #5 Campaign Finance, #7 Shutdown Pay, #8 National Service, #9 Budget Caps, and #10 Campaign Integrity.
That means roughly seven of my ten points could at least be substantially advanced without amending the Constitution. Only about three or four run squarely into constitutional barriers.
And that suggests something potentially important for my Citizen’s Petition for Government of the People: I would not present the whole package as requiring constitutional amendments.
I would present it as a Government Reform Program, with two tracks:
Track One — “Do It Now.” Congress and state governments enact the reforms that are already within their constitutional authority.
Track Two — “Let the People Decide.” Constitutional amendments are pursued for congressional term limits, Supreme Court tenure, restrictions on serial office-holding, and perhaps campaign finance reform.
That actually makes this petition more practical. I am not asking Americans to wait through the extraordinarily difficult Article V amendment process before anything happens. Much of this program could begin with legislation while the constitutional reforms proceed separately. We knock several chips out of the wall and the wall will become unstable and will fall.
Aging Capriciously 