As of now, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas will win the Republican presidential nomination, I would guess. Not because he is the best qualified. Either Jon Huntsman of Utah or Mitt Romney of Massachusetts would make a better president, in my estimation. But Perry is likely to win because his talking points and his campaign personality seem tailor-made for most Republican primaries.
Perry is a radical conservative who throws raw meat to radical conservative voters who dominate presidential primary election crowds. It’s the only fare he serves.
What do I mean by radical conservative? Let the governor speak for himself. In his book “Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington,” Perry proposes these amendments to the U.S. Constitution:
— Abolish lifetime tenure for federal judges by amending Article Three, Section 1, which provides that judges with “good behavior” would be secure in their jobs for life. Perry reasons that judges are unaccountable to the people. He proposes term limits, particularly for those on the Supreme Court or the circuit courts.
— The Constitution should be amended to give Congress the power to override Supreme Court decisions with a two-thirds vote, as another way to make the courts accountable to the people. He expounds on this theme extensively in a chapter titled, “Nine Unelected Judges Tell Us How to Live.” Perry agrees that giving Congress the power to veto court decisions would risk the politicalization of those decisions but that could be tolerated, in his opinion, in exchange for giving the people the power to stop the Court from unilaterally deciding public policy.
— Repeal the 16th Amendment which gives Congress the power to tax personal and corporate incomes. The income tax, he writes, is “the great milestone on the road to serfdom. It should be abolished immediately.” Perry believes the income tax gives the federal government a virtually blank check to use for projects with little or no consultation from the states.
— End the direct election of senators by repealing the 17th Amendment. Overturning this amendment would restore the original language of the Constitution which gave state legislators the power to appoint the members of the Senate. It was ratified by the states themselves in 1913, the same year that the income tax amendment was adopted, and gave the people the power to elect senators on their own. Perry writes that the supporters of the amendment at the time were “mistakenly” propelled by a “fit of populist rage.” They were, indeed. In Kansas and elsewhere the appointment of senators was dictated by railroads and other powerful lobbyists. Good reason for rage.
— Require the federal government to balance its budget every year. One of the proposed amendments to accomplish this allows for it to be overriden by a two-thirds majority in both houses or a declaration of war. It is opposed by those who resist giving such an important power to one-third, plus one, of the members of Congress. That is, opponents say, minority rule.
— The constitution should be amended to define marriage as between one man and one woman in all 50 states. (It would be written, presumably, to allow for serial marriages in case of death or divorce.)
— As a companion social issue amendment, Perry would make abortion illegal throughout the nation, apparently without exception.
MAKING THE COURTS subservient to Congress and partisan politics, taking the power to elect U.S. senators away from the people, eliminating the income tax — now, that’s radical.
None of these amendments would be adopted. They would not be passed by Congress nor approved by the required three-quarters of the states. Still, they are the considered opinions of Gov. Perry. He put them into book form to give people insight into his political beliefs and social values. Since he has a chance of being elected president of our nation, they should be taken very seriously.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
