I am not sure about the line item veto. It could give much more power to one person than we would want.

I would like to see limits on salary increases along the lines of cost of living increases for the population.

Congress should have social security for their retirement, not the plan they have, this is not a lifetime career. They should also be required to use the health care plan they approved for the rest of the population.

Observer...I kinda like the idea behind the amendment. Of course, it'll cost a bundle to create and staff offices for that many congress critters. Might be worth it, though. As for as the line-item veto for the president...ain't gonna happen. Please understand, I'm not saying it's not a good idea. I do like it. I'd also like to see the Fourteenth amended to deny birthright citizenship to babies born in the country unless at least one parent can prove citizenship. That one won't happen either.

Congress will never vote for an amendment that includes the line item veto. Nor will they allow one to make it that requires the amendments to pertain only to the intent of the original bill. These things would dilute their power and there just aren't the kind of people in Congress who are willing to put the good of the country above their own exercise of POWER. Sadly, power and perks have replaced patriotism in all three branches of the federal government.

Thanks Observer. My main concern is to make the House once again the people's house instead of the wealthy special interests house. Because in every form of government there is a tension between the poles of the presumed prerogatives of those with wealth & power and the will/voice/rights of the people--everyone else. Wealth & power has ruled every non-republican/democratic system of government to their exclusive benefit. It has only been under a republican/democratic system that this hold has been loosened. But now by using the current oligarchic nature of congress and the ability to influence all elections by spreading money around to make the candidates beholden to them, wealth & power threaten in a real way to gain total control of the system and turn the ordinary people into economic slaves.

I like it; you obviously put a lot of thought into addressing some of the chronic problems of the current system. PatB's issue with elections could be addressed by having half of the House seats up for election each year. And giving the President Constitutional authority for a line-item veto would put the concerns of the Supreme Court about the Legislative Branch conceding too much authority to the Executive Branch to bed once and for all.

Yes Handyman it is a lot of writing, but Congress has a lot of problems most of which they seem uninterested in solving. So I figure they need extensive guidance that will be difficult for them to dodge.

And Pat, I like the idea of staggered elections with the House divided in to 3 classes like the Senate. I will think about that.

You might want to address the issue of staggered elections like the senate is now structured. 1/3 of them run every two years o there is continuity. Under this plan there would be something in the neighborhood of 1300 representitives. That many elections every two years could cause problems.
Sect 5. Didn't the Supremes rule on Line Intem Veto power already? They said it gave the executive branch too much legislative power.
Patrick T. Barnes

Wow. That's a lotta writing there hoss!