More constitutional changes in the works...ugh - The Firearms Forum

Lori Mick · 01-17-2009, 06:32 AM

say it isn't so!

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.p...w&pageId=86324

Hail King Obama: President for life
Move underway to repeal Constitution's term limits

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 16, 2009
11:40 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y.

As Inauguration Day approaches and Barack Obama prepares to assume his first term as president, some in Congress are hoping to make it possible for the Democrat to not only seek a second term in office, but a third and fourth as well.

The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary is considering a bill that would repeal the Constitution's 22nd Amendment prohibiting a president from being elected to more than two terms in office.

Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., earlier this month introduced the bill, H. J. Res. 5, which, according to the bill's language, proposes "an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President."

In the past, some presidents have been critical of the 22nd Amendment, including Eisenhower, Clinton and Reagan.

In 1807 Thomas Jefferson, however, warned that presidents not bound by term limits could use their popularity and power to become kings.

"If some termination to the services of the chief magistrate be not fixed by the Constitution or supplied in practice," Jefferson wrote to the Legislature of Vermont, "his office, nominally for years, will in fact become for life; and history shows how easily that degenerates into an inheritance."

Presidential term limits, however, were not "fixed by the Constitution" until ratification of the 22nd Amendment. Congress passed the Amendment on March 21, 1947, shortly after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the first and only president to be elected to more than two terms – in Roosevelt's case, four. The Amendment was ratified by the required number of states on Feb. 26, 1951.

The 22nd Amendment states, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."

The Amendment limits presidents to a maximum of eight years in office – or, under unusual circumstances, such as succession following the death of a president, a maximum of ten years in office. Should Rep. Serrano succeed in repealing the Amendment, Obama would be cleared to run for an unlimited number of terms, restricted only by the vote of the electorate.

In order to achieve repeal of the 22nd Amendment, Serrano's proposal must be approved by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states' legislatures.

H. J. Res. 5 is not the first attempt by Serrano to repeal the 22nd Amendment. In 2003, Serrano introduced H. J. Res. 11 to the 108th Congress to accomplish the same purpose. A similar resolution, H.J. Res. 25, was also proposed the same year and received co-sponsorship from a bipartisan group of six other representatives. In 1987, during Reagan's term of office, Earl Michener, R-Mich., also proposed a repeal of the 22nd Amendment.

At the current time, H.J. Res. 5 has not tallied any cosponsors and has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Prior to Franklin Roosevelt, presidents honored the precedent established by George Washington, who – though widely popular – refused to run for a third term of office.

Thomas Jefferson, who became the second vice president of the U.S. after Washington declined to run for a third term and who then later became the third president, not only affirmed following the Washington's example, but also foresaw the eventual passage of the 22nd Amendment.

"General Washington set the example of voluntary retirement after eight years," Jefferson wrote in an 1805 letter to John Taylor. "I shall follow it, and a few more precedents will oppose the obstacle of habit to anyone after a while who shall endeavor to extend his term. Perhaps it may beget a disposition to establish it by an amendment of the Constitution."

In the same letter to the Legislature of Vermont where he warned of a presidential monarchy, Jefferson further explained why he refused to run for a third term.

"Believing that a representative government, responsible at short periods of election, is that which produces the greatest sum of happiness to mankind," Jefferson wrote, "I feel it a duty to do no act which shall essentially impair that principle; and I should unwillingly be the person who, disregarding the sound precedent set by an illustrious predecessor, should furnish the first example of prolongation beyond the second term of office."

WND attempted to contact Rep. Serrano about his reasons and argument for repeal of the 22nd Amendment, but phone calls to his communications director were not returned.

300 H&H · 01-17-2009, 08:14 AM

Lori,

The more things I hear like this the more I become convinced that the democrats are going to become there own worst enemy.....The things they are proposing are not going to be popular, and eventually they will fracture themselves, and their house of "cards" will topple in on them. Our new president is going to have to unite our country and get us working together....talk like this, and about gun control is not going to unite us in any way shape or form. If the new president is going to have a positive effect on the country he should leave these devicive issues alone, and work on the economy, the war ect. or he is toast for a second term. I think he knows this, if his political victory does not go to his head. If it does god help us...Best reguards Kirk

Haligan · 01-17-2009, 09:13 AM

This is getting creepy !

45nut · 01-20-2009, 08:12 AM

This has been creepy for a LONG time

Teejay9 · 01-20-2009, 12:33 PM

They, the Dems, sure have a lot of faith in some one who was just sworn in TODAY!! I've said this before, and I'll say it again, Obama has nowhere to go but down. He's going to have his hands full from the get go, and, with his cabinet of Clinton left-overs, it's going to hit the fan real quick. I wouldn't put too much into the daydreams of these people. From when I first joined the NRA in the '80s 'til now, we've been deluged with dire warnings of "they're going to this or they're going to do that." I agree with 300 H&H, the more wind they generate, the sooner the house of cards will tumble. We shall see soon enough the "Emperor has no clothes." It would take a lot of convincing to get the majority of Americans to vote on something like this. We, as a nation, have "been there and done that," with FDR. The only reason that he got away with it was that there were no term limits and the GOP had no champion. WW II helped him also. Don't worry, as it will not add a day to your life, hold on and be vigilant. We're in for a bumpy ride. Keep your powder dry. TJ

Doug.38PR · 01-20-2009, 01:10 PM

Jefferson was right. Look how many times the President with wheels got reelected over and over. If he handn't died he might have been king well into the 50s and 60s.

45nut · 01-20-2009, 03:09 PM

I'm hoping and praying that most of their powder is wet.

Pelosi is the scary one. Decency prohibits me calling her by her deserved name.

Lori Mick · 01-20-2009, 05:26 PM

If they toss out the constitution then the states will have the right to secede since nothing will stop them. Isn't that right?

Doug.38PR · 01-20-2009, 08:56 PM

^
States already have the right to secede. 10th amendment reserves powers to the States. The federal government was created by the states and can be disolved by the states.

rdowlg · 01-22-2009, 06:23 AM

The people in this country need to wake up,the goverment has way too much power, and we peasants are being taxed into slavery to the goverment, that has taken an oath to defend the constitution,not make continious changes to it, to where the origional meaning has been lost.

dge479 · 01-23-2009, 10:08 PM

Instead they need to extend term limits to 2 terms max for house and senate as well. theese people get too entrenched in power. and get rid of their friggin retirement plan as well.

01-17-2009, 06:32 AM	#1
Lori Mick Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Stuck in Upstate NY for a while Posts: 2,374	More constitutional changes in the works...ugh say it isn't so! http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.p...w&pageId=86324 Hail King Obama: President for life Move underway to repeal Constitution's term limits -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: January 16, 2009 11:40 pm Eastern By Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y. As Inauguration Day approaches and Barack Obama prepares to assume his first term as president, some in Congress are hoping to make it possible for the Democrat to not only seek a second term in office, but a third and fourth as well. The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary is considering a bill that would repeal the Constitution's 22nd Amendment prohibiting a president from being elected to more than two terms in office. Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., earlier this month introduced the bill, H. J. Res. 5, which, according to the bill's language, proposes "an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President." In the past, some presidents have been critical of the 22nd Amendment, including Eisenhower, Clinton and Reagan. In 1807 Thomas Jefferson, however, warned that presidents not bound by term limits could use their popularity and power to become kings. "If some termination to the services of the chief magistrate be not fixed by the Constitution or supplied in practice," Jefferson wrote to the Legislature of Vermont, "his office, nominally for years, will in fact become for life; and history shows how easily that degenerates into an inheritance." Presidential term limits, however, were not "fixed by the Constitution" until ratification of the 22nd Amendment. Congress passed the Amendment on March 21, 1947, shortly after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the first and only president to be elected to more than two terms – in Roosevelt's case, four. The Amendment was ratified by the required number of states on Feb. 26, 1951. The 22nd Amendment states, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once." The Amendment limits presidents to a maximum of eight years in office – or, under unusual circumstances, such as succession following the death of a president, a maximum of ten years in office. Should Rep. Serrano succeed in repealing the Amendment, Obama would be cleared to run for an unlimited number of terms, restricted only by the vote of the electorate. In order to achieve repeal of the 22nd Amendment, Serrano's proposal must be approved by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states' legislatures. H. J. Res. 5 is not the first attempt by Serrano to repeal the 22nd Amendment. In 2003, Serrano introduced H. J. Res. 11 to the 108th Congress to accomplish the same purpose. A similar resolution, H.J. Res. 25, was also proposed the same year and received co-sponsorship from a bipartisan group of six other representatives. In 1987, during Reagan's term of office, Earl Michener, R-Mich., also proposed a repeal of the 22nd Amendment. At the current time, H.J. Res. 5 has not tallied any cosponsors and has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Prior to Franklin Roosevelt, presidents honored the precedent established by George Washington, who – though widely popular – refused to run for a third term of office. Thomas Jefferson, who became the second vice president of the U.S. after Washington declined to run for a third term and who then later became the third president, not only affirmed following the Washington's example, but also foresaw the eventual passage of the 22nd Amendment. "General Washington set the example of voluntary retirement after eight years," Jefferson wrote in an 1805 letter to John Taylor. "I shall follow it, and a few more precedents will oppose the obstacle of habit to anyone after a while who shall endeavor to extend his term. Perhaps it may beget a disposition to establish it by an amendment of the Constitution." In the same letter to the Legislature of Vermont where he warned of a presidential monarchy, Jefferson further explained why he refused to run for a third term. "Believing that a representative government, responsible at short periods of election, is that which produces the greatest sum of happiness to mankind," Jefferson wrote, "I feel it a duty to do no act which shall essentially impair that principle; and I should unwillingly be the person who, disregarding the sound precedent set by an illustrious predecessor, should furnish the first example of prolongation beyond the second term of office." WND attempted to contact Rep. Serrano about his reasons and argument for repeal of the 22nd Amendment, but phone calls to his communications director were not returned. __________________ It's a Brand New Day! Make it an awesome one! "No one outside myself can rule me inwardly. Knowing this I become wholly free." -->

01-17-2009, 08:14 AM	#2
300 H&H Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,796	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh Lori, The more things I hear like this the more I become convinced that the democrats are going to become there own worst enemy.....The things they are proposing are not going to be popular, and eventually they will fracture themselves, and their house of "cards" will topple in on them. Our new president is going to have to unite our country and get us working together....talk like this, and about gun control is not going to unite us in any way shape or form. If the new president is going to have a positive effect on the country he should leave these devicive issues alone, and work on the economy, the war ect. or he is toast for a second term. I think he knows this, if his political victory does not go to his head. If it does god help us...Best reguards Kirk

01-17-2009, 09:13 AM	#3
Haligan Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: FEMA Region II Posts: 1,900	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh This is getting creepy ! __________________ "He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falshoods and errors." - Thomas Jefferson

01-20-2009, 08:12 AM	#4
45nut Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,428	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh This has been creepy for a *LONG* time __________________ A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that. Shane Nemo me impune lacesset We recall the case of the Shoshone war band which showed up complete with one 30-30 rifle per man the week after Pearl Harbor, and simply wanted to have the enemy pointed out to them. "We hear there's a war going on and we want to go fight it." Jeff Cooper *KCCO*

01-20-2009, 12:33 PM	#5
Teejay9 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Southwest Corner of the US, "Where no stinking fence will stop us!!" Posts: 1,257	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh They, the Dems, sure have a lot of faith in some one who was just sworn in TODAY!! I've said this before, and I'll say it again, Obama has nowhere to go but down. He's going to have his hands full from the get go, and, with his cabinet of Clinton left-overs, it's going to hit the fan real quick. I wouldn't put too much into the daydreams of these people. From when I first joined the NRA in the '80s 'til now, we've been deluged with dire warnings of "they're going to this or they're going to do that." I agree with 300 H&H, the more wind they generate, the sooner the house of cards will tumble. We shall see soon enough the "Emperor has no clothes." It would take a lot of convincing to get the majority of Americans to vote on something like this. We, as a nation, have "been there and done that," with FDR. The only reason that he got away with it was that there were no term limits and the GOP had no champion. WW II helped him also. Don't worry, as it will not add a day to your life, hold on and be vigilant. We're in for a bumpy ride. Keep your powder dry. TJ

01-20-2009, 01:10 PM	#6
Doug.38PR V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: North Louisiana Posts: 245	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh Jefferson was right. Look how many times the President with wheels got reelected over and over. If he handn't died he might have been king well into the 50s and 60s.

01-20-2009, 03:09 PM	#7
45nut Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,428	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh I'm hoping and praying that most of their powder is wet. Pelosi is the scary one. Decency prohibits me calling her by her deserved name. __________________ A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that. Shane Nemo me impune lacesset We recall the case of the Shoshone war band which showed up complete with one 30-30 rifle per man the week after Pearl Harbor, and simply wanted to have the enemy pointed out to them. "We hear there's a war going on and we want to go fight it." Jeff Cooper *KCCO*

01-20-2009, 05:26 PM	#8
Lori Mick Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Stuck in Upstate NY for a while Posts: 2,374	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh If they toss out the constitution then the states will have the right to secede since nothing will stop them. Isn't that right? __________________ It's a Brand New Day! Make it an awesome one! "No one outside myself can rule me inwardly. Knowing this I become wholly free."

01-20-2009, 08:56 PM	#9
Doug.38PR V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: North Louisiana Posts: 245	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh ^ States already have the right to secede. 10th amendment reserves powers to the States. The federal government was created by the states and can be disolved by the states.

01-22-2009, 06:23 AM	#10
rdowlg Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 19	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh The people in this country need to wake up,the goverment has way too much power, and we peasants are being taxed into slavery to the goverment, that has taken an oath to defend the constitution,not make continious changes to it, to where the origional meaning has been lost.

01-23-2009, 10:08 PM	#11
dge479 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Haskell NJ Posts: 618	Re: More constitutional changes in the works...ugh Instead they need to extend term limits to 2 terms max for house and senate as well. theese people get too entrenched in power. and get rid of their friggin retirement plan as well.