THE U.S. CONGRESS HAS VOTED ITSELF IRRELEVANT

Times were much different in 1789 when the Constitution of the United States
was ratified. A fledgling new nation born of independent thought, created a system of government relevant to that time. One where 95% of the power was held by Congress, as representative of the citizenry of the then newly created 13 States. Now 300 plus years later the wheels are falling off the 1789 Constitution, a Constitution not designed to address the issues, problems and speed of the 21st Century world.

Instead of directly addressing the need for a new Constitution crafted to reflect modernity and the governance of a nation of 50 States and over 300 million people, Congress has allowed circumstance to dictate changes in the structure of governance of the United States. The transition has been slow, subtle, unguided, and painful to the populace. The abdication of Congress began with the delegation of it's authority, and, as more and more authority was delegated to Executive agencies, Congresses relevance has accordingly depreciated.

Two threshold events within the past 8 years have signaled the death of Congress as provided in the Constitution of 1789. First was the delegation of authority to declare War ( 1789 Constitution, Article I, Sec. 7(11) ) to President Bush, based on the claim of President Bush of the existence of WMD's in Iraq, and, within the past 24 or so hours the "Grave Financial " threat and "crisis" on Wall-Street presented by the Bush Administration, and the hurry-up huddle of Congress to delegate Article I, Sec.7 (2)(5)authority to the Secretary of the Treasury. Congresses own action over time have rendered it irrelevant tot he function of the U.S. government.

In 1995 a rational approach to this transition in the structure of the U.S. government was sent to every member of the U.S. Congress as well as the then President Clinton: "New Atlantis-The Re-Engineering of America" an outline of a modern Constitution, where the Executive Branch ( President) proposed laws, subject to the modification or veto by Congress. In substance, what is happening today as Congress is contemplating and likely to sign off on the Bush Administration plan to bail-out Wall-Street, Foreign Banks and investors, at U.S. taxpayer expense. New Atlantis outlined a structured process for Congressional approval, as opposed to the free-fall and free-form rush to judgment that is currently taking place where Congress is presented with a "crisis" by the Bush Administration demanding immediate action, e.g., WMDs'/Iraq and now the financial "crisis" and bail-out mania.