First, thanks for keeping things going during my illness. I’m heading to the doctor shortly to find out what the heck I’ve got.
DJ’s doing some awesome work on the “Constitution 2.0”. Simplifying the format before even worrying about the content is brilliant. xpat asked what the project is about. I’d intended for the “2.0” appendage to be a clue. It’s the exact philosophy as the original, but debugged and firewalled against all the hacks and viruses that have subverted its function. We don’t need the brilliance of the Founding Fathers to improve on their work. We simply need to recognize where things have gone wrong and fix them. We also need to simplify it even further to minimize future hacking and corruption.
The best examples of malicious hacking are probably via the Commerce Clause. The federal government claims the Commerce Clause gives it the right to regulate what a farmer can grow on his own farm for his own use. Whereas it’s obvious to anyone who really believes in the Constitution that Fed doesn’t have the right to regulate intrastate farming, much less individual farming. So the Commerce Clause, if it must exist, should be along the lines of “Congress shall regulate…not control…interstate commerce.” Maybe without the italics.
Oh, I noticed via Insty that most of the federal government is playing the God Card. Congress passed a bill reaffirming that our national motto is “In God We Trust”. If Obama had just stuck with saying this…
“That’s not putting people back to work,”
…he’d have had a point. (Even if his economic ideas are wrecking the economy.) But of course he couldn’t keep his yap shut:
“I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people to work.”
As a Christian, I feel obligated to swat any and all Christians trying to use Christ to fulfill their secular ambitions. The Jews begged Jesus to become their earthly king. He refused. Now Obama & Co. would have me believe that after His ascension He became more secular? Riiiight.
The (mostly Republican) “In God We Trust” congresscritters are probably a bit less cynical than Obama. If we’re going to have a national motto, it’s a good idea for the President to actually know it.
“Almost a year ago, the president in making a speech across the world said that our national motto was ‘E pluribus unum,’” Forbes said.
On that basis, a reminder isn’t a bad idea. But…come on. The Tea Party-infused Congress thinks this is a good use of its time? I’ve got even better legislation to propose:
The Rearranging America’s Deck Chairs Act.
World's Only Rational Man 
Re: Commerce Clause. I was actually thinking about explicitly forbidding Congress to interfere in intra-state commerce in any way, shape, or form. They only get involved when it crosses state lines.
Also, if they are spending time on this, they aren’t actively making things worse.
“Congress shall regulate…not control…interstate commerce.”
Still to broad….I suggest updating the language to reflect the original meaning:
“Congress shall ensure freedom of trade between the States.”
Somewhat unrelated. But on my way from the doctor’s yesterday, I ran into two Jehovas Witnesses. Ever since I opened the door for them with one of my swords in hands they avoid me, but out on the street they had no idea it was me.
You know how they operate and the stuff they rave and rant about. So eventually it came down to god and trust. And since I could easily call myself the world’s greatest skeptic, one of them, the woman, eventually asked me “What do you believe in/trust?”
I was in a pretty foul mood because I had to ask my doc to write me a letter for university, so that the lecturer in Praxis 3 could sign me out of the course, so I told her flat in the face “I believe in ammunition.”
Shock face!
To which I said “No really, I do”, opened my coat and pulled it to the side to reveal my P99, which I now carry daily.
They were gone quickly after that.