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A MORE PERFECT CONSTITUTION:
23 Proposals to Revitalize our Constitution and Make America a Fairer Country
MORE AND MORE, we are aware of the growing dysfunction and unfairness of our political system. Larry Sabato persuasively argues that part of the problem lies in the Constitution. For all its unquestioned genius, some of the document's important provisions are now outmoded, having been framed for a much smaller, less complex nation. Until they are reformed, the dysfunction and unfairness that have crept into our politics will remain. However radical that may seem, the original framers themselves fully expected the Constitution to be regularly revised to reflect the country's changing needs; yet, apart from the Bill of Rights, it has only been amended seventeen times in 220 years.
"I AM ASKING READERS TO SET ASIDE POLITICAL LOYALTIES, look past 'values' debates and hot-button issues, to consider this very real possibility: that the failure of the nation to update the Constitution and the structure of government it originally bequeathed to us is at the root of our current political dysfunction."
--Larry J. Sabato
A MORE PERFECT CONSTITUTION presents twenty-three creative and dynamic proposals to reinvigorate American governance. Combining idealism and pragmatism, Sabato's thought-provoking ideas range from the structure of Congress and length of the president's term to the number and terms of Supreme Court justices, imperfections in the Electoral College, and an inspiring call for universal national service. But just as compelling as the ideas themselves is Sabato's explication of how our system actually works, lifting the cover to reveal all the gears and levers of government in action--a fascinating lesson in civics that should engage Americans everywhere.
A MORE PERFECT CONSTITUTION (Walker & Co.) is available beginning on October 2, 2007. For more information, visit amoreperfectconstitution.com.
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Copyright © 2008 U.Va. Center for Politics. All rights reserved.
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