This post is the structural companion to Nobody Gets Left Behind. Nobody. — which traces the historical argument for why a constitutional convention is now necessary. This post provides the axiomatic framework the author would bring to that convention.
The following are the foundational axioms the author would require of any new constitutional convention — the non-negotiable structural minimums without which any reformed system will replicate the failures of the current one.
They are presented as engineering constraints, not political preferences: conditions that, if violated, guarantee the capture of government by narrow interests. Each axiom addresses a specific documented failure mode of the current Constitution.
My axioms for the new government follow.
Visual Power Map
• The Parties negotiate the details (House).
• The Senate ensures stability.
• The PM does the work.
• The President watches the money and the ethics.
• The Judges watch the Constitution (temporarily).
• The People (via Pardon Jury) watch the Mercy.
corruption is aggressively hunted down by competing branches.
Responsibilities of the Heads of State
| Feature | Prime Minister (Head of Govt) | President (Head of State & Auditor)
| **Selection** | Elected by House Coalition | Electoral College (Modified)
| **Primary Role** | Execution & Logistics | Integrity & Stability
| **Military** | Logistics, Training, Strategy | Nuclear Authority; Deployment >30 Days
| **Fiscal** | Spends the Budget | Line-Item Reduction Veto; Manages SWF
| **Justice** | Controls DOJ (Public Order) | Appoints Special Prosecutors (Govt Corruption)
| **Transparency** | Classification of secrets | Ultimate Declassification Authority
| **Term End** | Vote of No Confidence |Fixed Term or Impeachment (67% conviction)
Responsibilities of the Various Branches
| Branch | Role | Selection | Key Check
| **People's Congress** | Initiation & Review | Random (Sortition) | Disbanded after drafting
| **House (MPs)** | Enactment & Budget | Party List (Prop Rep) | Dissolution by POTUS; $Deadlines
| **Senate** | The Brake | State/Existing Model | House Override; Can't Initiate Laws
|**Prime Minister** | Execution | Elected by House | Vote of No Confidence; Shadow Cabinet
| **President** | Integrity & Audit | Electoral College | Impeachment (67%); Cannot spend budget
| **Judiciary** | Interpretation | Rotating Panel | Senate Remand; People's Veto
Required Axioms of Our Governmental System
If we have a constitutional convention, these are the rock bottom concerns that must be addressed.
Equal treatment of all. No illiberal democracy will be allowed. Anywhere. Nobody is left behind.
Districts must be multi-representative so they can't be gerrymandered.
- large districts with many representatives, nobody gets left behind: everyone has a representative.
- Increase the number of representatives by a factor of 10, split up the power
- a parliamentary system is preferable, where an election can be called at any time and there is no incentive to have only two polarized parties. The system must naturally produce multiple parties.
- a shadow cabinet, ready to take over at a moments notice (when the government fails a vote of confidence.)
Congressional committees must become citizen assemblies.
- informed consent, dedicated discussion, consensus resolution
- recommends laws to Congress
No impoundment allowed (A current SCOTUS embarrassment, they can't even bring themselves to hold up our current laws. This court must be reformed.)
Due process guaranteed for everyone. (Another law that SCOTUS can't bring themselves to support.)
Enforce Anti-trust laws. There's a reason they were introduced after the First Gilded Age. Lina Khan is right, all monopolies are bad. No matter how much they say they will be good, they won't. The temptation is too great. They will enshittify everything to earn a few pennies more.
Of course, the original bill of rights (as originally written, not reinterpreted for maximum carnage) must be supported: free speech, right of assembly, free press, neutral to religion, due process, trial by jury, no unreasonable search and seizure, the right of state militia to be armed, etc.
For the full argument for why the Declaration remains foundational to modern ethics, see: The Declaration of Independence is the Foundation of Modern Ethics.
The president is no longer the head of the executive branch, which must faithfully execute the laws. The head of the winning party runs the executive branch. The President (elected however, popular vote or electoral vote) has the power to declare a new election, to negotiate foreign treaties, to investigate the parliament, to enforce the laws using an independent Department of Justice. The president can propose pardons, but the Senate and Citizen assemblies must approve them. The presidency becomes a fourth branch, insuring no crony capitalism creeps into the system.
We need to have universal healthcare, child care, universal education, universal basic income, worker representation on boards of public companies, support of unions.
Public scientific basic research, space exploration, subsidization of critical industries for national security, free trade, foreign aid supporting world wide democracy, health and education, civil rights and peace and prosperity. Free passage on the high seas. Elimination of piracy.
Civil rights. Voting rights. No Slavery. We must respect all human beings.
And here's a proposed structure to make all of that true:
Proposal for a Quad-Cameral Constitutional Republic
Core Philosophy:
Maximum dispersion of power.
Separation of Implementation (Service Govt) from Integrity (Watchdog State).
I. The Legislative Branch (Initiation, Enactment, Stabilization)
1. The People’s Congress (The Initiator)
• Structure: 500 citizens selected by Sortition (random lottery). Convened per issue, disbanded after drafting.
• Trigger: Petition signed by 1% of the population.
• Constraint: Each citizen holds only 1 signature slot at a time (Proof of Importance).
• Powers:
• Drafting: Sole power to author new legislation (with technical staff support).
• Constitutional Amendments: Sole power to propose amendments.
• Oversight Juries: Sub-panels ratify Presidential Pardons and SWF Investment Strategies.
2. The House of Representatives (The Engine)
• Structure: ~700 Members.
• Election: Party-List Proportional Representation.
• Districts: 1 Rep per 200,000 citizens. Large multi-member districts (~20 seats) to encourage coalition parties.
• Powers:
• Enactment: Votes "Up or Down" on drafts from the People's Congress.
• Budget: Sets allocations for all departments.
• Government Formation: Elects the Prime Minister.
• Override: Can override a Senate Veto with a Supermajority.
3. The Senate (The Brake)
• Presiding Officer: The Vice President.
• Powers:
• Veto: Can block House legislation (subject to override).
• Advice & Consent: Confirms Treaties, Cabinet, and Judges.
• Judicial Remand: Can void a Supreme Court ruling by Supermajority, reverting the law to the lower court precedent.
• Impeachment: Conducts trials for President, PM, and Judges.
• Pardons: Must approve all presidential pardons.
II. The Executive Branch (Bifurcated)
4. The Prime Minister (Head of Government)
• Role: The "CEO" of the Service Government.
• Powers:
• Implementation: Executes laws and spends the budget.
• Department of Justice (DOJ): Enforces public order (FBI/DEA) and investigates Judicial Corruption.
• Check: Can be removed by a "Vote of No Confidence" from the House.
5. The President (Head of State & Auditor)
• Role: The "Chief Compliance Officer."
• Election: Electoral College (Modified).
• Powers:
• The Dissolution Trigger (The "King's Power"): Can dissolve the House and call new elections if:
1. Budget is not passed in 45 days.
2. Government cannot be formed in 14 days.
3. "Irreconcilable Differences" between House and People's Congress.
• Office of Integrity: Appoints Ombudsmen in every agency; directs Special Prosecutors to investigate Government Corruption.
• Financial Control: Manages the Sovereign Wealth Fund (execution only) and appoints Fed/CFPB chairs.
• Judicial Appointments: Selects judges for the Federal Pool.
• Check: Can be impeached (see below).
III. The Judicial Branch (The Rolling Check)
6. The High Court of Review
• Composition: No permanent Supreme Court. A panel of 9 Justices.
• Selection: Drawn from the Federal Appellate Pool.
• Rotation: 3 Justices rotate out every 2 years (6 remain). Each justice serves 6 years on the panel.
• Powers: Judicial Review (Constitutionality).
• Checks:
• Senate Remand: Senate can override their ruling.
• People's Veto: A People's Congress can propose a Constitutional Amendment to bypass a ruling.
• DOJ Investigation: Subject to corruption probes by the PM's DOJ.
IV. Special Protocols
A. The Pardon Protocol (The "Mercy Jury")
The Power of the Pardon is no longer absolute.
1. Request: President wishes to pardon an individual.
2. Review: A "Clemency Congress" (small sortition jury, e.g., 50-100 people) is convened.
3. Verdict: They hear the case for mercy. They vote.
• Majority Approval: The Pardon is sent to the Senate to approve.
• Rejection: The Pardon is denied. The President cannot override this.
B. The Impeachment Protocol
How to remove the "King/Auditor" (President):
1. Accusation: The House passes Articles of Impeachment (Simple Majority).
2. Trial: The Senate holds the trial.
3. Conviction Threshold: 67% (Two-Thirds Majority).
• Why 67% over 60%? Because the President has the power to dissolve the House,
a 60% threshold makes it too easy for a hostile House to "pre-emptively strike" the President to save their own jobs.
67% ensures that removal is only for genuine crimes, not political survival.
C. The Sovereign Wealth Fund Loop
1. Proposal: President proposes an investment thesis (e.g., "Green Energy Infrastructure").
2. Ratification: A "Financial People's Congress" reviews the risk/reward.
They approve the strategy, not the specific stocks.
3. Execution: The President's financial team executes the trades.
4. Audit: The President's own auditors report performance back to the public.
