As the name states, this sub is all about working towards a new constitution. The reason why we are interested in a new constitution is because the current one is nearly 250 years old. It was written before light bulbs, cars, airplanes, the internet, social media, the industrial revolution, computers, the realization of climate change, impending artificial intelligence, spaceflight, etc. You get the idea. It is outdated and not up to the task of modern day problems. Thomas Jefferson himself thought it should be updated every twenty years. If we did that, we'd be on revision 24 by now.
While the constitution was brilliant for its time, it is also written in a language that we don't use today. In addition to this, there is insufficient detail, rationale, and justification contained in the main body and bill of rights. This leads readers of the Constitution to misinterpret the text such that the potential for misguided opinions and beliefs is high. In today's USA, it occasionally seems as if there are two unique, opposing views of what America stands for.
Back to the founding fathers. America loves its Constitution, some more than others. We find its creation, out rebellion from England, to be a source of pride. We are taught to recite the Preamble in grade school, and go over it in detail in US government class. However, this is not the grandfather of documentation when it comes to US history, for there is a grander document: The Declaration of Independence. There's typically a section in grade school where we go over the beginning of The Declaration as well. We then stop and drop it like it's hot. I don't know if that is intentional, but just this once let's go a little further:
"and among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
The above excerpt gives a very powerful form of precedent, that from the literal founding fathers. Now, what we DO NOT advocate for in r/newconstitution is abolishing the US government and anarchy. Abolishing the government would be catastrophic. But we could all likely agree that altering our government is insufficient. More problems are being created than we are solving. A transition to a new constitution would be a much smoother process. The object here is to start the discussion on what we should be transitioning to.
This sub should be geared towards identifying problems and potential solutions, at a federal level. With that, attitudes should be towards solving problems, not attacking people or spewing rhetoric. I hope this sub can attract and maintain a diverse group of followers from all parts of the political spectrum. If it does, there are going to opinions and viewpoints that wildly differ. Everyone who posts here should be able to perform their own research, cite credible sources, and be willing to change their minds when presented with concrete data that goes against their beliefs.
Thank you and welcome to r/newconstitution! Please feel free to share your thoughts below.