If you could add an amendment to the constitution, what would it be?

[The Intergalactic Koala]

These aren't amendments, these are policies. Amendments focus on individual rights and not the policy decisions of municipalities. There's no way you could federally legislate blight especially because that land is individually/privately owned. The only thing you could do is levy taxes that make it untenable to maintain vacant blighted land. And that responsibility would fall to the states.

Also amendments do not control how much state/local employees are compensated (only congress). Any attempt to do so would be a gross overreach of federal power. Federal education standards could be one, but I'm not sure if that falls into the need of being an Amendment.

Healthcare for All would be the only thing you could potentially federally mandate: "Every American citizen, born or naturalized, has the right to obtain physical/mental healthcare that shall be paid for/provided by the State. Citizens are also free to pay for additional healthcare should the State's services prove insufficient."

This is why I try to avoid politic threads, but couldn't resist given my passion for the country to change for the people.

 

[Black Magisterialness]

This is why I try to avoid politic threads, but couldn't resist given my passion for the country to change for the people.

Not saying anything you said is wrong. We should want all that. But in terms of how our country is structured. I don't think any of those would be legally possible.

I'll add one more to the mix as well.

Reparations and it wouldn't be a raw calculation either. Because the general number touted by economists and historians is the cost of slavery is between $12-$14 trillion, but divided by the 41 million ADOS that's only around 300k per person. Live changing money sure, but not SUBSTANTIVE enough to fix systemic issues.

So I'd write it as this.


"Any American with at least two enslaved blood ancestors, and self identifies as African-American or mixed race African American (controversial but this is the only way it works) on the past US census shall receive the following as reparations:

1. All currently living ADOS citizens will receive $300,000 cash in annuity from the age of 18 in yearly instalments.. Those who are above 18 shall receive benefits from their age at date of last Census in a lump sum.
(this way older people get all their money at once, and younger people don't blow it all on bullshyt.)

2. Free post-secondary education at any state college/university for up to 5 years provided completion of entry exam and proof of citizenship. If they have already been accepted to college they are allowed to return and seek graduate degrees or finish undergraduate degrees for up to 3 years. Should an ADOS citizen have federal student loans, said loans are automatically forgiven.
(again, not carte blanche and creates urgency to finish college on time and also eliminates the paper ceiling and student debt.)

3. ADOS citizens shall receive free federally funded healthcare, including mental health services, from birth to death.
(duh)

4. All ADOS citizens are exempt from American Selective Service System registration. ADOS citizens are still welcomed to join any branch of the American military as a volunteer."


That's all I can think of at this moment. But that I think is a more wholistic approach to reparations.

 

[Luke Cage]

A right to privacy amendment

• I can force tech companies to delete anything about me off the internet (doesn't count for people convicted of a violent felony, financial fraud, etc. - we can't have sex offenders or tech scammers using this right to stay hidden; they forfeited it when they committed their crime)
• The government has no right to interfere in my health care decisions (for example, if a terminally ill person chooses medical suicide)
• The government has no right to access my data unless I am directly implicated in a crime; the NSA can't, for example, scoop up data on citizens just to do it

I was thinking something Internet related as well. Nothing in constitution about our data rights. So companies just trade and sell it amongst each other without our knowledge