The Pre-Partisan Caucus (PPC)

Cut U.S. and State Laws by Over 99% and Set the People Free

www.prepartisan.us or www.prepartisan.org

Short summation:

   The pre-partisan sets honest ground rules for vital political debate among partisans of all persuasions.

• Honest political leaders 1) serve unalienable rights given by the Creator, 2) are transparent in all political process, 3) define terms honestly, 4) embrace tough questions gladly, 5) show respect for those who disagree with them, and 6) aim for true reconciliation between all aggrieved persons in public life.

• Honest political leaders serve an open-ended process of political dialogue and debate, where everyone is fully heard.

• Occam's razor needs to be taken to state and federal laws, and cut them by more than 99 percent, so as to serve true constitutional government that maximizes the religious, political and economic liberty for all people equally.

Full statement:

                A Pre-Partisan Covenant with the American People

   Our nation presently needs 1) a vision for honest politics, 2) a means for all ideas to be heard equally, and thus, 3) the power to cut U.S. and state laws by over 99 percent.

   To wit, here is a three-point covenant with the American people to be affirmed by any and all political participants, from citizens to office holders and candidates for the same:

First: The Six Pillars of Honest Politics

1. The power to give affirms that the unalienable rights given by the Creator belong to all people equally, and leaders in human government should serve such a gift.

2. The power to live in the light means leaders in human government at every level should be as fully transparent as possible.

3. The power of informed choice is rooted in an honest definition of terms in political debate, providing a level playing field for all ideas to be heard equally, apart from which political freedom is not possible.

4. The power to love hard questions is in place when political leaders honor and answer those who pose them the toughest questions.

5. The power to love enemies recognizes that even the harshest of political opponents share a common humanity and are to be treated with respect.

6. The power to forgive recognizes the need to address our individual and societal transgressions against one another, and to work toward justice and reconciliation.

   These six pillars are by definition pre-partisan. In other words, they set the foundation for healthy partisan debates over public policy, in service to the consent of the governed. The deepest partisanship is the creation of a level playing field for all partisan ideas to be heard equally, where the pursuit of truth in any and all matters becomes possible. Truth will always rise to the top in an honest process.

   Political candidates who live and articulate the substance of these pillars, regardless of political party, and in contrast with those who do not, deserve to be elected.

Second: The Committee on Political Ideas (COPI)

   Rooted in the pre-partisan ethics of the six pillars of honest politics, a Committee is proposed to serve federal and state governments as a sheer positive foundation for good lawmaking. It can be sponsored by the executive and/or legislative branches.

• COPI’s purpose is to be sure that all ideas for political debate are discussed in an open-ended fashion.

• COPI has no lawmaking purposes, but rather serves as an information resource for Committees that work on writing law.

• On a chosen topic, COPI receives applications from partisans, prioritizes their testimonies, and works through them until all ideas have been fully and publicly aired.

• Written presentations for COPI are a maximum 2,000 words, presented orally, there is no limit on footnotes and attachments, and are followed by open-ended dialogue in all directions until the partisan is satisfied that he or she has been fully heard.

And Third: Taking Occam’s Razor to the Law

   James Madison rightly feared that if laws become too “voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood,” then constitutional government is in danger. We are well past that point already.

   With all partisan ideas fully heard and debated in the COPI process, it is then time to apply "Occam’s razor." Namely, “to reduce needless redundancies,” and in knowing that the simplest explanation is usually the truest one, we can work to cut all law by over 99 percent.

   In his book, The Six Pillars of Honest Politics, John Rankin has taken Occam's razor to Connecticut law, and cut it from 17,000 pages (as of 2006) down to 41 (sans footnotes). This can be done for any other state as well. He has likewise taken U.S. law and cut it from 48,000 pages (at the time) to 31. All the pandering, exceptions and needless complexities have been removed, making law simple and accessible.

   This can cut the size of government and taxes in half and set the economy ablaze in service to all people equally. It is rooted in the biblical ethics of the unalienable rights of life, liberty and property which empower the pursuit of a socially integrated happiness.

   When the COPI process is implemented fully, such a simplification of U.S. and state laws can become reality. Such a proposal can then be debated in the legislative process and submitted to the consent of the governed with the goal to replace existing law. If state and federal office holders resist this process, then members of the Pre-Partisan Caucus need to run for office and replace them.

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