Amending the U.S. Constitution (state, kings, years, government)
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I am genuinely curious about this--I apologize if this is a stupid question, but here goes: Are there any limits on how the U.S. Constitution can be amended? In other words, are there any ways in which the U.S. Constitution cannot be amended? For the record, by this, I don't mean the process of amending the U.S. Constitution, but rather the amendments to the U.S. Constitution themselves. If enough people, politicians, judges, and U.S. states hypothetically want an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to say whatever possible thing that they want, would they be guaranteed success in amending the U.S. Constitution in the way which they want to amend it?
If enough people, politicians, judges, and U.S. states hypothetically want an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to say whatever possible thing that they want, would they be guaranteed success in amending the U.S. Constitution in the way which they want to amend it?
The qualifying statement in your sentence is "if enough." If there are "enough" then, yes, they would by definition be guaranteed success.
Article V, which lays down the amending process, includes the clause "but no state, without its consent, to be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate". So that point at least cannot be amended.
Article V, which lays down the amending process, includes the clause "but no state, without its consent, to be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate". So that point at least cannot be amended.
Unless they decide to amend Article V. Even the amending process is subject to amending.
The principal point here, as this writer sees it, is that the framers of the U S Constituion intended their work to be subject to modification and improvement, but only after a long and very well-defined process, in order that the workings or parliamentary procedure not be subject to a stampede caused by the whims and short-sight of a particular interest group.
In other words, that the rule of law not be permitted to degenerate into rule by a mob.
And since that time, a process once restricted to the few has been extened to the many; it has held up and served well pricisely because a constantly-growing proportion of the electorate has recognized that it must exercise the franchise with an eye turned more toward what could be lost, that to what short-term gain could be realized by the compromise of one's (or someone else's) basic rights and liberties.
The principal point here, as this writer sees it, is that the framers of the U S Constituion intended their work to be subject to modification and improvement, but only after a long and very well-defined process, in order that the workings or parliamentary procedure not be subject to a stampede caused by the whims and short-sight of a particular interest group.
In other words, that the rule of law not be permitted to degenerate into rule by a mob.
And since that time, a process once restricted to the few has been extened to the many; it has held up and served well pricisely because a constantly-growing proportion of the electorate has recognized that it must exercise the franchise with an eye turned more toward what could be lost, that to what short-term gain could be realized by the compromise of one's (or someone else's) basic rights and liberties.
Very good points, 2to, they apply not just to the constitutional amending process, but to the government which was created as well. The US was extremely fortunate to have its operating charter written by pragmatic men. They grasped that the chief destabilizing agent of governments was extremism by any side, and set out to create one where it was deliberately difficult to get things done. A distribution of power among three distinct branches, a two house legislature and an independent executive meant that nothing was going to get done without compromises. They made it really hard for extremists to have much of an impact.
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