The political upheaval under Donald Trump has prompted a sweeping call for structural reform, with a proposal setting out 10 changes aimed at making abuses of power harder to repeat. The proposals are deliberately focused on the machinery of government rather than individual policies such as Medicare for All, affordable housing, childcare or a $20 minimum wage. The argument is that changing the system itself would create the conditions needed for Congress to enact wider policy changes. At the heart of the plan is a dramatic overhaul of the Supreme Court. The proposal calls for justices to serve 18-year terms before returning to lower federal courts. It also targets potential conflicts of interest among senior officials. Under the proposal, federal conflict-of-interest laws would apply to the president and vice president, while elected officials and Cabinet members would be barred from trading individual stocks and required to place their financial holdings in a blind trust. Another major demand focuses on criminal prosecutions. The proposal would prohibit presidents from influencing Justice Department prosecutions and require Congress to review presidential pardons and commutations. The political map itself is also targeted. Every state would be required to establish independent commissions to draw congressional districts, a move designed to change how congressional boundaries are created. Voting rights form another major part of the package. The proposal calls for restoration of protections against racially discriminatory voting maps, alongside renewed federal oversight of states with a history of voter discrimination. The plan also seeks tighter restrictions on media ownership. Its backers argue that large corporations and major media owners should be prevented from buying up additional news outlets in order to curb media monopolies. Federal spending is another battleground. The proposal would eliminate political conditions attached to federal funding and call for the president to be held in contempt for impounding money appropriated by Congress. That provision would also cover academic and scientific research, which the proposal says should remain free from political influence. Then comes a major tax shake-up. The plan calls for a wealth tax on multimillionaires and billionaires and the elimination of the stepped-up basis loophole, which allows inherited fortunes to avoid capital-gains taxation. The presidential election system is also placed directly in the crosshairs. The proposal calls for presidents to be elected by the national popular vote, either through a constitutional amendment or an interstate compact directing electoral votes to the popular-vote winner. Finally, the plan takes aim at campaign finance. It proposes expanding public financing to match small-dollar donations and passing a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. The underlying argument is that opposing one president is not enough to prevent future abuses. The proposals instead seek lasting changes affecting the presidency, Congress, the Supreme Court, elections, campaign finance, media ownership and the wider federal system. The source argues that such reforms should apply regardless of which party controls government, with the stated goal of making it harder for any president, House speaker, Supreme Court justice or other official to abuse institutional power. The only way to fix Trump's mayhem | Opinion
.thumb.jpg.3ee24d9400fb02605ea21bc13b1bf901.jpg)
Create an account or sign in to comment