CHANGE
#5
What might the American people ask Barack Obama to tackle on January 21st? I am assuming here that the members of the Electoral College elect him. I am also taking him at his word when he says, “I’m asking you to believe not just in my ability to bring about change in Washington, I’m asking you to believe in yours.”
What changes do we Americans want? Like everyone else, I have a list, and like many others, ending the war is at the top of my list. My next priority is that Obama initiate public hearings all over the country, with the goal of revising the US Constitution. Fundamental changes in the Constitution would take care of many other things on my list.
No other constitution in the world is as old as America’s is. Few are as skimpy. In fact, I know of none that is. The eighteenth-century conception of citizens’ rights embraced in English Common Law, the US Bill of Rights, and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen drew from peoples’ determination to curb the arbitrary power of tyrannical monarchs, and thus the emphasis on Civil and Political Rights. Since the eighteenth century, conceptions have changed and there are few tyrants left in the world (well – a few), but the US Constitution has changed little. Additional amendments liberated slaves and gave African Americans and women the right to vote. That’s all. Nothing even about the rights of indigenous Americans, whose life expectancies are comparable to those in many Third World countries.
The English and the French, along with around 161 other countries, have moved right along, expanding citizens’ constitutional rights to encompass much more than Civil and Political Rights. Contemporary constitutions typically encompass provisions for decent jobs, economic security, women’s rights, rights of race and ethnic minorities, and cultural pluralism. Not the US Constitution.
Globalization accompanies practices that put people at risk, and, therefore, countries have rapidly undertaken constitutional revisions that will better protect their peoples. On the face of it, this idea might seem quite remarkable to many Americans. The government protect us? The government does protect CEOs, lobbyists, multinationals, pharmaceutical companies, military contractors, banks, and hedge fund managers, but we citizens are left to fend for ourselves.
Let’s take a few examples of provisions in State Constitutions:
+ Gender equality (Mozambique): “Men and women shall be equal before the law.”
+ Right to work (Spain): “All Spaniards have the duty to work and the right to work,”
+ Right to health care (Belarus): “Citizens of the Republic shall be guaranteed the right to health care.”
+ Environmental rights (Angola): “All citizens shall have the right to live in a healthy and unpolluted environment.”
+ Right to leisure (Brazil): “Annual vacation with compensation at least one third above the normal salary.”
+ Right to housing (South Africa) “Everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing.”
+ Minority rights (Slovakia): “Citizens of national minorities or ethnic groups in the Slovak Republic shall be guaranteed their full development…..”
+ Security (Belgium): “The right to employment…. decent accommodation; the right to enjoy the protection of a healthy environment; the right to enjoy cultural and social fulfillment; the right to social security, to health care and to social, medical, and legal aid.”
Readers can explore more on their own. Constitutions can be found on the website set up by the Richmond Law School, “Constitution Finder.” A main thing here is that all constitutions have civil & political rights, but beyond that nearly all constitutions also encompass positive rights that people have. Such rights rest on the assumption of equality, that the interests of all the people harmonize with the interests of the State, that people themselves care about their fellow citizens, and, that citizens’ wellbeing is the object of the State.
Things are tough, with many Americans losing their homes, the collapse of many college lending programs, the rapidly escalating prices of fuel and food, layoffs, businesses and factories closing, stagnant wages, exorbitant healthcare costs, a weak dollar, failed retirement plans, and always deeply sad news from Iraq.
We deserve a new constitution! No better time for CHANGE.
This entry was also published on July 4, 2008 on the Huffington Post.
. Nothing even about the rights of indigenous Americans...
Um...they have the same rights as all other Americans. There is no need to specify every ethnic, religious, or racial group when guaranteeing rights and freedoms. They apply to ALL Americans.
And regarding the "skimpiness" of the US Constitution: that is one of the most wonderful, amazing, and radical things about it!
Posted by: david | July 05, 2008 at 03:35 AM
David,
There is a difference between parsimony and deficiency. It is simply not debatable that the US Constitution is old and does not have provisions for many basic human rights in comparison with the majority of Constitutions worldwide. Quaintness is no excuse for irresponsibility. Even non-indigenous US citizens lack these basic human rights.
Posted by: Lou | July 06, 2008 at 10:49 AM
The Prisoners
The Prisoners of Mental Health in the United State of America.
The causes of mental disabilities and destructions of family values are the reasons behind the rate of growth in prison population and expansion of hospital in the United State. At this time roughly 2.5 million people are behind bars not including hospitals and mental institute. Mental health is one of the most urgent health problems of the twenty first century in the world. One simple example is the richest country is the largest jailer in the world for humanity. Thus, it is wake-up call for all state in the union to legislate social justice system of united state for family values and for system of prison camp of humanity. The real question we should ask all law makers, why a person becomes murderer, rapist, thief, robber and drug user? The longer sentence for all criminals are unquestionably necessary and helps to drop in such crimes, but system should be focused on how many criminals and how to warehousing them to change there mental illness. The fundamental links in our spiritual and martial evolution that changed us from violent to sober human being is the force of love for family. It is time for each state in the union especially for the state of Connecticut to consider special rehabilitation program for family values and special incentive for poor families to keep them together for better society. The benefit of redirecting non violent, first time drug offenders and other who are small criminals for rehabilitations based on family incentive, and for their kid's futures. All states in the union should consider reducing hard penalties for non violent those who have families. It is time to reduce cost of prison camp of humanity that has been astronomical and estimated 60 billion dollars annual expense of hard working American tax payers. The second most urgent issue is the mental health of future generations. Autism in America and cerebellum function in Middle East, Asia and South Asia. It is all about Genes that are contributing about 60 percent to Childs risk of developing mental problems. One study has shown that the marriage between first cousins doubles the risk of cerebellum functions and other learning defects for brain. The shared ancestry is increasing the risk of many neurological problems in all parts of the world. Other study has shown that baby food with too much iron can be contributing risk of learning problems it is time to reexamine baby food and family drinking habits for child health. We believe that it is time for change the system of treatment for old problems. It is time to stop chain of tragedies that are making United State of America a prison camp of humanity and one big emergency room of a big hospital. My chain of problem started when one member of human faith religious was held in the prison camp of New Britain General Hospital . Human faith religious is a public school for humanity .The leisure of learning truth, honesty and freedom. It is the eminent brain for batter society and the library of knowledge. It is the sacred water of life that emerges with the seven colors of human diversity to dissolve racism . Human life is spiritual force of affirmations in which nine sisters are the museum of humanity. It is the religious in which muses is dedicated to the nine affirmation of human faith. The spiritual change from loneness to loveliness is based on love by giving unlimited trust in God (Rab). Human mind is miracle of Supreme Being when we struggle to boil it at luck warm temperature of wisdom to understand fundamental of life by reading (Rabi). The ever lasting stage of satisfaction for mind is to reach Supreme Being before death. The journey of memories can be pleasant with nine affirmations of human faith. We believe that it is time to joggle every conscious to show them that human mind is superior matter not material. The festival of life can be celebrated with wisdom of human faith knowledge once we realize that we all are part of the superior race. It advocates spiritual and moral principles on very high scales for the longest term in human history. Human faith is Adam's monotheistic faith and knows that God is the creator and overseer of the universe at all the time and all matters. It is time to modernize our faith by adopting true faith and educate mankind in accordance with basic principle of life. Our vision is to introduce true human religion by mobilizing communities and faiths around the world to improve people's lives .Our mission is to strength the bond of humanity (Rabi) by introducing human faith religion.
IN GOD (Rab) WE TRUST WE HAVE FAITH IN HUMANITY (Rabi).
Posted by: a posh | July 15, 2008 at 01:11 PM