Constitution

[Jonathan Buhacoff]

Proposal:

In this forum, when we refer to the constitution, it means that document, or the closest thing to it which may exist in a country, or a future document that may be adopted by that country.

To be legitimate, a new constitution needs to be ratified unanimously by representatives of all who consent to be governed by it. This is important because if anyone does not consent to be governed by the framework described in that document, there will be endless quarrels about its legitimacy. However, this does not mean unanimous consent of all people is required in order to adopt a new constitution. The government authorized by the new constitution, supported by its consenting citizens, is empowered to protect and defend its constitution by force against all enemies. Dissenters who come into conflict with citizens would not be treated differently than citizens in the due process of the new law of the land — violations of rights, laws, or regulations would be processed by the judicial system and resistance will be met with the force of the new government — either the law enforcement agencies or the military, depending on the nature and extent of the resistance.

Once a constitution is in place, everyone who is born in or enters the land is automatically subject to its protections, obligations, and prohibitions. To ensure that people understand what these are, they should be included in public and private education for children and adults, both native and immigrants.

When children reach adulthood there should be a ceremony in which they accept the protections, obligations, and prohibitions of the constitution and make their first pledge of allegiance as adults. When immigrants are naturalized there should be a ceremony in which they accept the protections, obligations, and prohibitions of the constitution and make their first pledge of allegiance as citizens.

When immigrants enter the country there should be prominent signage with essential information on how the system works, where to find more information, and who to call if they get into trouble. A brief pocket reference or contact card should be provided to all immigrants who enter through an authorized port of entry.

Intent:

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a constitution is the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.

In the United States, the document is called the Constitution. Furthermore, each state may also have its own state constitution.

A constitution should be the minimum set of principles, rules, limits, and rights that are needed to create a working government. This is because the constitution is a document that should be gradually adapted to future circumstances as we learn how to form better governments, which means it needs to give as much freedom as possible for people to try things and see what works. However, once something is known about what works or doesn’t work, and a super majority of people or their representatives agree, a constitutional amendment is the way to adopt a long-term change in the structure government, so that future governments don’t waiver.

Many countries have a constitution. See the list of national constitutions in Wikipedia.

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