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Constitutional convention may be best treatment for our dysfunctional state
Saturday, June 6, 2009 6:28 AM PDT
Republicans and Democrats don't always agree but there is one issue I think everyone can agree on — our government is failing. We have had record deficits for months and we have not solved the problem.
One of the reasons I ran for State Assembly was because I did not think our budget reflected our priorities as a state and I thought it was time to advocate for a new way of doing the state's business. Politics as usual has stalled difficult choices and both parties have held onto their sacred ideologies without putting forward concrete and viable solutions to really solve our problems. I have only been in office for seven months but I am trying to solve problems created by years of borrowing to make ends meet, gimmicky budgets and over committing in the good years and failing to cut in the bad.
It's time we stopped nibbling around the edges and address real reform and the way we manage this state. It's time we examine our governing document, our constitution.
I believe the fastest road to real reform is to hold a constitutional convention. Over time, we have legislated at the ballot box and taken away the flexibility of all but 10 percent of our budget. That means 90 percent of our budget is mandated spending put in place by ballot measures, spending formulas and court orders. The California Constitution is now 173 pages long compared to only 29 pages for the United States Constitution. It is the third longest constitution in the world.
We keep finding ourselves in the same dilemmas, yet we fail to address reform during the bad times, focusing instead only on the crisis at hand, and when good times return the motivation for reform is lost. I am focused on trying to minimize the pain of cuts to education, harm to working families and businesses and trying to ensure that Californians are not unnecessarily burdened by increased taxation during California's budget process. However, I will not stop advocating for real reform that allows us to respond to economic crises and implement a vision for California.
The idea of a constitutional convention is not something new. In fact, in 14 other states, voters are automatically asked every 10 to 20 years whether to authorize a constitutional convention. Unlike these other states, California doesn't ask that question.
We need to start this dialogue now. I propose that we begin legislative hearings as quickly as possible to answer the question of whether the state should hold a convention. If the answer is "yes", then we need to determine the process, delegates and other details. The proceedings must be completely open and transparent. It is important to conduct the proceedings through the legislature and allow the process to work, instead of allowing special interests to place a proposition on future ballots that would give them the ability to call a convention and determine the process and details.
Finally, approval of any new constitution must lie with the voters in order to affirm the result. This will also encourage the delegates to make it a representation of the state as a whole or risk losing voter confirmation.
This process will not be easy and it will take some time. Many will argue that it is just too large of a task to undertake and too risky given the uncertainty of the result. I trust the people of California over the system we have now and I am willing to fight to make state government more responsive to the needs of all Californians.
Assemblywoman Alyson Huber represents the 10th Assembly District, which includes Lodi.
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Giovanina wrote on Jun 18, 2009 10:20 PM:
Giovanina wrote on Jun 18, 2009 10:20 PM:
jbhiker wrote on Jun 18, 2009 6:52 PM:
danielh wrote on Jun 13, 2009 1:24 AM:
Examples: War of 1812. Civil War. Both of these wars were caused by America's refusal to pay the debt.
The War of 1812 resulted from an attempt to constitutionalize a prohibition on title of ownership on land, because land is created by God, and it is fraud to claim a title on it.
Do you see the title on your real estate, or your land lord's. This title enables the bankers to securitize their loan, but it is on God's land.
Hence fraud.
Nevertheless, the bankers didn't like losing their right to title, so two wars resulted from it.
Any meaningful discussion on a CC must account for the banks. "
danielh wrote on Jun 13, 2009 1:20 AM:
Notice that "People" is written with a capital letter. The constitutional authors were not illiterate. They knew that if they put a capital letter, it would be a title on a proper noun, not a common noun "thing." They were not referring to people on the land. They were referring to the corporation named "People," which was accountable for the debt.
As I wrote 3 weeks ago, the primary intention behind the constitution was to take responsibility for the debt, and they posted People as collateral. "
danielh wrote on Jun 13, 2009 1:14 AM:
The only delegates that are allowed are the ones that the CC allows.
The new constitution produced by the CC will not be subject to the approval of the people unless the CC decides it is so. "
danielh wrote on Jun 13, 2009 1:04 AM:
Although Alyson Huber is talking about a state budget process, she leads into a CC, which is federal. "
danielh wrote on Jun 13, 2009 12:59 AM:
Please explain why criminal banking is not related to our failing government.
If you fail to explain, then your words are charged-back, to your own account. "
jbhiker wrote on Jun 12, 2009 10:26 PM:
danielh wrote on Jun 12, 2009 8:31 PM:
danielh wrote on Jun 12, 2009 8:30 PM:
President Bush attached over 750 presidential signing statements, and these effectively changed the bills that were handed to him.
Do you know what happened to two presidents who gave orders to congress to issue constitutional money? These were Lincoln, and Kennedy.
Any questions? "
danielh wrote on Jun 12, 2009 8:27 PM:
the last congressman who disclosed to America was granted time to speak at midnight into an empty chamber. Although he was on the public record, his record was changed, and he was arrested and convicted of a crime.
Still, I stand by my word: the circumstances that govern america are not disclosed in Ron Paul's message. "
wtf wrote on Jun 12, 2009 5:24 PM:
The ultimate goal of this, is to abolish the Fed entirely and return to a Constitutional form of money, backed by gold and silver, and minted by the Treasury Department.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x797PnF06xY&feature=player_embedded "
danielh wrote on Jun 12, 2009 3:32 PM:
I know banking better than you think.
Did I mention a non-disclosure? It is huge, and that is why I don't trust anyone in congress. "
danielh wrote on Jun 12, 2009 3:28 PM:
Uh-uh. No. way.
If your alert is not up for criminals who are promising good things, again, I am very disappointed.
Tell me why this time is any different than 95 years prior. "
danielh wrote on Jun 12, 2009 2:30 PM:
wtf wrote on Jun 12, 2009 11:48 AM:
But what I find quite interesting are all of the people who post only to complain; then when something is actually being done, rather than be glad, they complain about **that**!!! LOL! "
danielh wrote on Jun 12, 2009 10:52 AM:
danielh wrote on Jun 12, 2009 10:50 AM:
Every day I work around criminal activity, and when I get mail that says the criminals are going to audit themselves, I don't read the whole message.
Just because the bill has a good title does not mean that the content of the bill is going to do what the people ar told it will do.
Moreover, the president might interpret it otherwise and not enforce it according to its intent.
Just because congress is advertising that the bill has a good purpose does not mean that this is the true purpose of the bill.
Even if a private indiviual reads the entire bill or entrusts the author, there still is some non-disclosures, even in Ron Paul's campaign. "
wtf wrote on Jun 12, 2009 8:26 AM:
http://revolutionarypolitics.com/?p=1136 "
jbhiker wrote on Jun 12, 2009 8:19 AM:
jbhiker wrote on Jun 12, 2009 8:18 AM:
wtf wrote on Jun 12, 2009 8:17 AM:
You should also have received this news release:
"Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) today became the first cosponsor of S 604, H.R. 1207's companion legislation. We still have a long way to go before we pass real legislation to Audit the Fed, but this is yet another major step toward our ultimate goal.
"Sen. DeMint is highly respected and one of the most principled conservatives in Washington. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), 604's lead sponsor, is a firebrand Independent progressive. To see these two guys on a bill together has to tell you that something special is going on." "
Great American Trucker wrote on Jun 12, 2009 6:57 AM:
I remain hopeful you'll avoid the "tax and spend" crowd. Enough already! I just read that CA's legislature is considering the formation of yet another branch of government who's sole purpose would be to promote blueberries.
HUH????!!!??? Sounds like make-work to me! Blueberries???? "
danielh wrote on Jun 11, 2009 8:48 PM:
I advise caution of not believing anything that comes out of Washington.
There are indeed that many co-sponsors, but how many of them are criminals?
Suppose there is an audit. I seriously doubt that the Fed is going to open its doors with a red carpet.
What is the Senate going to do? "
wtf wrote on Jun 11, 2009 3:49 PM:
This just in!
HR 1207, the bill to audit the Fed has reached 222 Co-Sponsors!
Congressman Ron Paul's Federal Reserve Transparency Act, HR 1207, has reached and surpassed the level of 218 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, which means it is now cosponsored by a majority of the members. "
Great American Trucker wrote on Jun 11, 2009 9:29 AM:
danielh wrote on Jun 11, 2009 8:49 AM:
danielh wrote on Jun 11, 2009 8:47 AM:
the same person I heard it from identified the following problems:
1) All legislation is based upon bribery payments (uhh, I mean campaign support)
2) Judges and lawyers act in partnership with a corporation registered in London, England, which is named THE CROWN, and the BAR card held by lawyers was obtained by renunciation of US citizenship, and the "B" is British. Thus courtroom events are theatre drama intended to impress the client who has paid a lot of money for the lawyer. "
Bulldog wrote on Jun 11, 2009 7:30 AM:
If we really want to have a real convention, do it like they do jury duty, put everyone with a drivers license who is registered to vote into a pool and start picking names.
What we have right now is a disfunctional legislature bought by special interests. Until we find a way to limit that influence, a new constitution will not help. All it will do is put more power in the hands of special interest politicians and less in the vote. "
t jefferson wrote on Jun 11, 2009 7:18 AM:
jbhiker wrote on Jun 10, 2009 3:30 PM:
Smoot wrote on Jun 9, 2009 11:00 PM:
veritas wrote on Jun 9, 2009 4:59 PM:
t jefferson wrote on Jun 9, 2009 6:29 AM:
Bulldog wrote on Jun 8, 2009 3:58 PM:
I don't trust any of the politicians (either party) who are bought and paid for by special interests to write a constitution that would protect the citizens of this state from their government. Unless Ms. Huber can present a plan for the convention that will eliminate special interest money's influence, I am not drinking that koolaid. "
illegalinLodi wrote on Jun 8, 2009 2:42 PM:
Bulldog wrote on Jun 8, 2009 7:08 AM:
max stanfield wrote on Jun 6, 2009 9:49 PM:
yabajobu wrote on Jun 6, 2009 12:26 PM:
The current problem is with the legislators, not the structure (even though structural reforms are also a good idea). "
T jefferson wrote on Jun 6, 2009 9:20 AM:
Comments on this story are now closed.