States' Rights: First US state to pass a state-wide citizen-initiated referendum to force their...
...state legislature to call for an Article V constitutional convention and require its delegation to propose and vote for the adding of the following States First Amendment to the US Constitution:
Section 1. Each State shall be represented in the Senate by its Governor. Only a sitting Governor may serve as Vice President, which they can do without resigning their governorship, and shall cast an additional vote in the event of a Senate tie.
Section 2. Each State’s votes in the House of Representatives shall be equally fractionally divided among the members of that State's Assembly.
Section 3. The Capitol Hill building shall no longer function as the seat of Congress, with all Congressional proceedings, including committee meetings, to be conducted via video conferencing. The White House shall not serve as the residence or office for the President, who is annually required to physically visit each State and Territory with a population exceeding 40,000 legal residents. Both shall be designated National Monuments, managed by the Smithsonian Institution. The federal status of the District of Columbia shall be revoked, its territory reverting to the State of Maryland.
Section 4. Any sovereign country can become a State if two-thirds of its populace votes in favor through two free and open referendums held five years apart, becoming a Territory after passing the first vote. When a country outside the Americas becomes a State, the nation's name shall change to “United States of Earth.” Any State or Territory can secede with a majority vote in two free and open referendums held five years apart.
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Same goes for US-House-vote-empowered state assembly members.
Future Challenges: For the following Future Challenges #1 - #13, they are good for each US state. First weekend mega-concert with at least 30 bands to hold a pro-States' Rights Amendment rally:
1) In their state. [Due to the anti-Big Government (e.g., anti-Obamacare) and pro-independence nature of the States' Right amendment, expect Country & Western bands to jump on board for these mega-concerts and even form complete mega-concert touring groups of 30+ C&W bands that hit all of the fifty States one after another. In those states that allow citizen-initiated state-wide referendums, expect petition signature drives to be a big part of these concerts to get the necessary signatures. Some of the touring groups of bands might even just initially focus on such states to get those referendums on the ballots of those states. And then on Election Day, expect concerts to be done and then only allowing those who have "I've voted" stickers from the election booth locations to be allowed in. The concerts informing their audiences between songs the current tally of the votes on the referendum.
2) Where either a state assembly member or state senator of that state appears on stage, speaks to the audience, and is in favor of the amendment.
3) Where a state assembly member AND a state senator of that state appear on stage, speak to the audience, and are in favor of the amendment.
4) Where at least 10% of the state's legislature (both assembly members and senators) appear on stage, at least a few of them speak to the audience, and all are in favor of the amendment.
5) Where at least 25% of the state's legislature (both assembly members and senators) appear on stage, at least a few of them speak to the audience, and all are in favor of the amendment.
6) Where at least 50% of the state's legislature (both assembly members and senators) appear on stage, at least a few of them speak to the audience, and all are in favor of the amendment.
7) Where at least 60% of the state's legislature (both assembly members and senators) appear on stage, at least a few of them speak to the audience, and all are in favor of the amendment.
8) Where the leader of the state assembly appears on stage, speaks to the audience, and is in favor of the amendment.
9) Where the leader of the state senate appears on stage, speaks to the audience, and is in favor of the amendment.
10) Where BOTH the leader of the state assembly and the leader of the state senate appear on stage, speak to the audience, and are in favor of the amendment.
11) Where the state's governor appears on stage, speaks to the audience, and is in favor of the amendment.
12) Where one of the state's US Senators appears on stage, speaks to the audience, and is in favor of the amendment.
13) Where BOTH of the state's US Senators appear on stage, speak to the audience, and are in favor of the amendment.
The below are not about any weekend mega-concert rally.
14) Each state does the original challenge gets to claim to have won the original challenge. [38 states are needed to call a constitutional convention and to pass amendments to the US Constitution so this challenge wants to encourage each state to jump onto the bandwagon.]
15) Each state whose state legislature passes the original challenge without being forced to do so by a state-wide citizen-initiated referendum. [Many states do not allow their citizens to instigate state-wide citizen-initiated referendums and this future challenge is to encourage those states to do the above. Since state legislatures will gain more power by passing the above by taking away such power from the federal government, this won't be that hard of a sell.]
16) First US House Representative to submit the above amendment to the US House for a vote. [For this future challenge and the next one, any congressperson who says they are pro-states' rights, this is the surest way of proving that they are.]
17) First US Senator to submit the above amendment to the US Senate floor for a vote. [Do not make the very likely wrong assumption that any US Senator will oppose the States' Rights Amendment for fear of losing their job. You can never get elected as a US Senator without possessing a MASSIVE ego. An ego that would love even more power, influence, and prestige that the governors will then have due to this challenge's amendment. The amendment will literally double their political power in the US Senate AND give them the power of the governor of their home state. Powers they will naturally believe they can win in an open and free election against the incumbent governor in the next gubernatorial election after this amendment is added to the US Constitution. After all, they have already shown they can win a state-wide election so their thinking they can win the governorship isn't really out of the realm of possibility.
18) First Congress (both US Senate and US House) to pass the above States' Rights Amendment and get it signed by the US President and then sent to the States for ratification.
First radio talk show hosts to champion this challenge and:
19) Who lives in a state that allows citizen-initiated state-wide referendums, 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.
20) Who lives in a state that does NOT allow citizen-initiated state-wide referendums; helps organize a state-wide petition that collects enough signatures to get the referendum on the ballot in another state; promotes the petition drive on their show; and, live on her/his show, helps personally deliver all the required petition signatures to their state's governor.
21) Organizes, promotes, and emcees a pro-States' Rights weekend mega-concert rally in the state which the host currently calls home.
22) Organizes, promotes, and emcees 10 pro-States' Rights weekend mega-concert rally in the state which the host currently calls home. Each of the 10 rallies must be in a different city in that state.
Discussion:If you would like to discuss this challenge with others, click here to go to this challenge's discussion forum.