Thread: Obama's regulatory chief pushes new 'bill of rights'

CZAR WARS

Obama's regulatory chief pushes new 'bill of rights'

Cass Sunstein part of effort to change interpretation of Constitution by 2020

Posted: September 11, 2009
12:36 am Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2009 WorldNetDaily


Cass Sunstein

NEW YORK – A government that is constitutionally required to offer each citizen a "useful" job in the farms or industries of the nation.

A country whose leadership intercedes to ensure every farmer can sell his product for a good return.

A nation that has the power to act against "unfair competition" and monopolies in business.

This is not a description of Cuba, communist China or the old USSR. It's the vision of the future of the U.S, as mandated by a radical new "bill of rights" drawn up and pushed by President Obama's newly confirmed regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein. Until now, Sunstein's proposal has received little scrutiny.

In 2004, Sunstein penned a book, "The Second Bill of Rights: FDR'S Unfinished Revolution and Why We Need It More than Ever," in which he advanced the radical notion that welfare rights, including some controversial inceptions, be granted by the state. His inspiration for a new bill of rights came from President Roosevelt's 1944 proposal of a different, new set of bill of rights.

WND has learned that in April 2005, Sunstein opened up a conference at Yale Law School entitled "The Constitution in 2020," which sought to change the nature and interpretation of the Constitution by that year.

Get Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense' ... The case against an out-of-control government: Inspired by Thomas Paine

Sunstein has been a main participant in the movement, which openly seeks to create a "progressive" consensus as to what the U.S. Constitution should provide for by the year 2020. It also suggests strategy for how liberal lawyers and judges might bring such a constitutional regime into being.

Just before his appearance at the conference, Sunstein wrote a blog entry in which he explained he "will be urging that it is important to resist, on democratic grounds, the idea that the document should be interpreted to reflect the view of the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party."

In his book, Sunstein laid out what he wants to become the new bill of rights, which he calls the Second Bill of Rights:

Among his mandates are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.

On one page in his book, Sunstein claims he is "not seriously arguing" his bill of rights be "encompassed by anything in the Constitution," but on the next page he states that "if the nation becomes committed to certain rights, they may migrate into the Constitution itself."

Later in the book, Sunstein argues that "at a minimum, the second bill should be seen as part and parcel of America's constitutive commitments."

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=109529

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.

So, what universe does Cass live in? Everyone does have the right to a useful, remunerative job. Everyone does have the right to earn enough for food, clothing, etc. We have anti-monopoly laws. Farmers do have the right to raise and sell products at a profit. People do have the right to a decent home. And medical care. And God knows we spend more than enough to provide every child in this country a good education. I guess where Cass and I part company is on what the term 'right' implies. To me it means I can try and do anything that I want, but if I want success (which is not guaranteed) I will have to work, and train, and if I fail, either try again or try something else. 'Rights' also imply responsibility, so I must be prudent with my resources, prudent with my life style, and ensure my financial and familial obligations are met.
I believe Cass means something entirely different, i.e., that everyone has the same right to success regardless of talent, effort, or adherence to meeting obligations and responsibilities. Since Life doesn't work that way, I believe Cass wants the government to ensure equality of outcome for all of us. Oh, and government will also decide for us what constitutes success, a good education, a decent home, satisfactory health care, etc.