Suppose the CSA becomes independent.

[RebelKnightCSA]

This isnt as far fetched as it may sound...the CSA breaks away, fights for its independence hard, and wins. A Treaty of Peace is negotiated between the CSA and USA. Now, lets assume that you are the CSA President. The Congress is sympathetic to you - they have the same goals. What do you do - what is your agenda? I will post my own agenda soon, but Im a bit busy now.

[Eric]

This isnt as far fetched as it may sound...the CSA breaks away, fights for its independence hard, and wins. A Treaty of Peace is negotiated between the CSA and USA. Now, lets assume that you are the CSA President. The Congress is sympathetic to you - they have the same goals. What do you do - what is your agenda? I will post my own agenda soon, but Im a bit busy now.

A good first step would be to restore the Articles of Confederation - which left the individual states within the confederation sovereign, as opposed to being the vassals of an all-powerful federal authority such as we suffer under today.

Next, a few explicit statements about the proper role and limits of government authority, such as:

* The sole and only legitimate function of government is to maintain the peace; to protect individuals from harming or threatening harm to others; to assure that legally binding contracts are respected and that the rule of law applies equally to all.

* Men have the right to liberty and property honestly acquired; to free association and freedom of speech; to pursue happiness as they see fit, without interference, provided they harm none in so doing.

* Necessary revenues for the operation of legitimate government functions, such as the law courts and police, shall be derived exclusively from tariffs on goods, sales taxes and so on. No tax on income, from whatever source derived, shall be lawful.

* No man shall be debarred the right to possess firearms for self-defense or any other lawful purpose, nor shall any government authority enact any law restricting the possession of firearms, with the exception of those duly convicted of a serious crime involving the use of violence or its threat.

* No individual shall be compelled to provide material or other benefit to any other man; no local, county, state or other power of government shall have power to enact or enforce any law, statute or policy that does the same. No man has the right to live at the expense of another, via the force of government.

* Allodial title to real property shall be inviolate; all taxes on real property are forbidden.

* No law shall be enacted or enforced restricting or forbidding what any adult individual may do with or put into his own body.

* The franchise shall be restricted to citizens who are property owners/taxpayers who have passed a basic test of knowledge.


Just for openers...

[dieseleverything]

Don't forget some kind of term limits for Congress.

[Eric]

Don't forget some kind of term limits for Congress.

Term limits are a Band-Aid, in my opinion, that don't address the underlying problem - unconstrained government. If government cannot pass laws stealing your property or compelling you to do "x" then term limits are irrelevant.

So, the real thing is to limit government - not its minions.