Devolution (11 page)

This Constitution, and the laws of the Union, which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the Union, shall be the supreme law of the land; and Judges in all jurisdictions shall be bound thereby to this Constitution or laws of any Municipality to the contrary notwithstanding.  Such treaties shall not override any existing law in this Constitution. 

The Secretary, Departments, and all Government officials shall be held accountable and shall not have sovereign immunity. All legitimate grievances against Federal Government officials shall be reviewed by Federal Courts, which shall hear all cases necessary.

Department Secretaries shall have line-item veto and full veto power of bills originating in their respective Departments. Vetoes shall be overridden by a two-thirds vote by the Department body. 

Department Secretaries shall have the authority of appointment when necessary with advice and consent from the remainder of the Department from which the appointment is pending.

During crises involving national security where an immediate response is necessary, shall a Secretary be allowed to restrict this Constitution,  or violate the human rights of individuals in pursuance of vital information, upon which that Secretary shall go before his/her Department and face a vote of expulsion where a one-third vote is required.

All that applies to the Citizens of the nation shall also apply to Federal Government.

At no time shall all members of the Federal Government be gathered.

That which is not specifically enumerated in this Constitution shall be left to the discretion of, in order of authority, the individual Counties, Townships, and Cities/Towns. 

Should the Federal Government assume powers not enumerated in this Constitution, the validity of such laws shall be determined by the individual Counties, Townships, and Cities/Towns until proven otherwise in a court of law.

This Constitution shall guarantee to every Municipality under this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each against invasion and upon request from the Municipal governing body, against domestic violence. 

The Federal Government shall be prohibited from withholding funding from Municipalities based on mandates for which the individual Departments are not constitutionally permitted to legislate. The Federal Government shall withhold funding for non-compliance of laws passed within the framework of this Constitution.  The Federal Government shall be prohibited from passing any law impairing the obligation of contracts.

No Preference shall be given by regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one Municipality over those of another, nor shall vessels bound to, or from, one Municipality, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another.

The privilege of Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of a declared national emergency, rebellion or invasion, to which the public safety may be required.

No person holding office of profit or trust under this Federal Government shall, without the consent of the Department of Law and Justice, accept any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatsoever, from any King, Queen, Prince, or foreign Head of State.

The Government shall have no obligation to provide prosperity to individuals, but may provide assistance on a limited basis when necessary.  The Federal Government shall never own or operate or control a stake in more than 15 percent of the national economy, or any sector thereof, and at no time shall the national debt rise above 50 percent of annual Gross Domestic Product, nor shall necessary payment of annual debt service exceed eight percent of the Federal budget, except in times of declared war or national emergency.

Section 5 - Budgets, Taxes and Duties

To ensure an informed Citizenry, all wages shall first go to the People who shall deliver the appropriate taxes to the Government. 

The Secretary of Commerce and Treasury shall present a budget to the Department during the first month of the calendar year.  If a budget is not established and approved by the other Departments by the end of the second month, the previous year’s budget shall remain active until new is passed.

A regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public monies and actions shall be published periodically or upon request, unless the Union can prove the release of such material jeopardizes national security.

Section 6 - Acquisition of Land and Ratification

The acquisition of Union land shall be approved by all Departments with two-thirds majority vote and approval by the Secretaries. 

A majority from the citizenry of the acquired land shall approve annexation.

All debts contracted and monetary engagements entered, before the adoption of this Constitution, shall be valid against the new Union under this Constitution.

Section 7 - Powers Granted to Counties, Townships, and Cities/Towns

Rules of governance under which they shall operate shall be created by the Municipalities.  These include: organize and levy taxes, establish and train a militia, appoint officers, and all duties not specifically enumerated in this Constitution.
 

Full faith and credit shall be given in each Municipality to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every Municipality. And the Department of Justice and Law shall, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

A Person charged within the Union with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another jurisdiction of the Union outside where the crime occurred, shall on demand of the executive authority of the prosecuting jurisdiction from which he fled, be delivered.

Counties include the combination of various Townships, set by the Department of Law and Justice, that agree upon the merger by popular vote. Townships include the combination of various Cities/Towns, set by the Department of Law and Justice, that agree upon the merger by popular vote.

A new County, Township, or City/Town may be chartered by the Federal representative from that district.  But none of the above shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other without approval from the encumbered party.  Nor shall any of the above be formed by the junction of two or more without majority consent from all parties.

The rights, privileges, and freedoms not enumerated in this Constitution shall be delegated to the local Municipalities, and the People. 

Section 8 - Powers Prohibited by Local Governments

No County, Township, or City/Town shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marquee and reprisal and make rules concerning captures on land, air and water; coin money; emit Bills of Credit; make any but precious metal currency a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex-post-facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts; or grant any title of nobility; or lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, or tonnage, except what may be necessary for executing inspection laws, in which case remaining revenue shall be delivered to the Department of Treasury and Commerce.

No County, Township, or City/Town shall, without the consent of the Department of War and State, enter into any agreement or compact with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not permit a delay.

Section 9 – Amendments

The Department of Law and Justice, whenever two-thirds of the other Departments shall deem it necessary, with Secretarial approval, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution.  Upon a two-thirds popular vote by three-fourths of districts, the amendment shall be enumerated in this Constitution. For this execution, no timeline exists.

Article Five

The People

Section 1 – Citizen

A Citizen of this Union shall have all the rights listed in Article 6, Section 1, of this Constitution. Citizens may hold Federal office and vote in Federal elections, and work on all levels of the Federal Government.

The requirements to become a Citizen shall be set forth by the Department of Justice and Law.  They shall include, but are not limited to, a Registered Resident who completes two years of public service to the nation, whether military or otherwise, beginning on or after the Resident reaches 18 years of age and has resided permanently within the Union for 15 years.
  

Section 2 – Registered Resident

A Registered Resident of the Union shall have all the rights listed in Article 6, Section 1, of this Constitution.

Registered Residents, of appropriate age who have resided permanently within the Union for ten years, may hold Municipal office and vote in Municipal elections; they shall not hold Federal office or vote in Federal elections.

Registered Residents may work for the Federal Government in limited roles in accordance with ordinances set forth by the Department of Justice and Law, and shall register with the district in which they live at time of birth or settlement.

Registration, including foreign visas, shall be free unless otherwise stated.

Section 3 – Non-Registered Resident

Non-Registered Residents of this Union shall have all the rights listed in Article 6, Section 1, of this Constitution.

Non-Registered Residents shall not be entitled to the privileges, licenses or grants provided by, or regulated by, the Federal Government and Municipalities.

Non-Registered Residents shall not hold any Municipal or Federal office or vote in Municipal or Federal elections.

Non-Registered Residents, upon notice to authorities, shall pay a fine determined by the Department of Justice and Law, and register with the Union.  Failure to do so, whether voluntary or by lack of funds, shall result in deportation at their expense. If the individual cannot pay for deportation, he/she shall work for the Union until the hours have been accrued to cover the appropriate costs. 

Article Six

Laws of the Land

Section 1 – Human Rights

Every individual under the jurisdiction of this Union shall have the right to life, speech, property, and equal opportunity under the law which shall not be infringed.

No right, or legality to vote, or desire of freedom, shall be denied or abridged by the Union or any jurisdiction thereof, on account of sex, religion, race, disability, or heritage, or any other personal characteristic for which the individual is deemed beholden.

The right of Federal information shall exist in its entirety unless the Union or local Municipalities can fully demonstrate a valid state-interest in its secrecy.

The right of workers to participate in solidarity with a private vote shall not be infringed.  Such organizations that service government, in more than 25 percent of their operations or membership, are prohibited.

Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press—unless such press or their ancillary corporate partnerships profit off government contracts—or that of the People to peaceably assemble, or petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Understanding that it is essential for individuals within a free and just society to protect themselves and their families, the right of the People to keep and bear Arms, and protect their property, shall not be infringed.

The right of the People to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the military forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, or by the Union or local Municipalities in general, without just compensation.

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused is entitled the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury in the district wherein the crime shall have been allegedly committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him/her; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his/her favor, and to have the assistance of Counsel for his/her defense.
 

In suits of civil law, where the value in controversy shall exceed an amount set periodically by the Department of Justice and Law, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of this Union.