Counties' Rights: First US state to pass a state-wide citizen-initiated referendum to add to...
...their state's constitution the following amendment.
Counties' Rights Amendment
SECTION 1. Unless explicitly specified in this Constitution, the state government cannot do or regulate what the counties can do or regulate themselves nor can it mandate the counties to do any activity, provide any funding as an enticement to do so, nor can any state funds be sent back to the counties. All state funds must be solely used for activity done by the state government alone.
SECTION 2. All state parks, preserves, reserves, and monuments are freely returned without any restrictions or mandates to the counties and such land seizures by the state government are no longer permitted.
SECTION 3. All bills introduced in the state legislature must include a statement setting forth the specific state constitutional authority under which the law would be enacted. Failure to identify and prove such authority to a state judge prior to the bill being introduced to state legislature prohibits the bill from being so introduced. All members of the state legislature must be informed that such is being presented to a state judge and be given sufficient time and opportunity to challenge the bill on the grounds that it doesn't have such authority. Either side can seek appeal of the state judge's decision and the bill cannot be introduced to the state legislature until the matter is settled by the state courts in the bill's favor. Any current state law, law section, regulation, ruling, department, agency, program, job position, bailout, grant or gubernatorial executive order can be challenged by any state assembly member, state senator, county board member, or publicly-elected county attorney general in the state courts on the grounds that it doesn't have specific constitutional authority for its existence.
SECTION 4. County board members can run for and serve as state assembly members and state senators in addition to their county offices, but they and their staff cannot be paid anything for their services to the state legislature.
SECTION 5. Any government property (municipal, county, state, or federal) in the state which flies both the national flag and the state flag must also fly that county's flag, if such a flag exists.
As the old saying goes, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander." To those who are for States' Rights, they should also be for Counties' Rights. The idea behind Counties' Rights is to move government as close to the people as possible. Not having decisions that affect citizens' lives made in a faraway national capitol or even a closer but still potentially faraway state capital. As States' Rights will provide 50 laboratories to experiment with government (as opposed to the one-size-fits-all of the federal government), if each state moves as much government as possible to their counties, there will be even more laboratories to experiment. As the average number of counties per state is 62, that means 3,100 laboratories experimenting away on how best to run their governments. Think of the lessons we'll learn from all of that experimenting. And when there are failures, their damage will be limited to a single county while their lesson will be telegraphed to all other counties to avoid what they did. And when one county hits on a great idea, it will spread like wildfire across the nation.
Future Challenges: First radio talk show hosts to champion this challenge and:
1) Helps organize the referendum, promotes the referendum on their show, and, live on her/his show, helps personally deliver all the required petition signatures to put it on the next election ballot to the state government office that the petition signatures must be delivered to.
2) Organizes, promotes, and emcees 10 pro-Counties' Rights weekend mega-concert (30+ bands) rally in the state. Each of the 10 rallies must be in a different city in that state.
First US county to:
3) Hold a referendum on what shall be their county flag. All flag creators must be residents of the county, collect at least 500 signatures from other county residents to get their flag on the next election ballot, and provide a full-size version of their flag for each of their county's voting locations. All qualified county flags will be thus placed up for a vote. The top ten vote-getting flags will be put on the next election ballot for a run-off. The three flag contenders which get the most votes during the run-off will be put on the next election ballot where the one that gets the most votes becomes the county flag. The county can currently have a county flag and win this challenge if the current county flag is not identified as the "incumbent" or some such thing on the ballot.
4) Pass a citizen-initiated county-wide referendum that requires all county board members to dress up as clowns for all county board meetings and public appearances as a county board member. The clown outfits must include at least a red round rubber nose, wig, silly hat, and one-piece jumpsuit. Also, county board members must use a squeezable horn to draw the attention of the chair so they may speak.
Discussion:If you would like to discuss this challenge with others, click here to go to this challenge's discussion forum.