Why is the US Constitution so hard to amend? - Peter Paccone

Zašto je tako teško izmeniti Ustav SAD-a? - Piter Pakone (Peter Paccone)

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

Kada je usvojen 1789. godine,

When it was ratified in 1789,

the U.S. Constitution didn't just institute a government by the people.

Ustav SAD-a nije samo ustanovio vladu koju je odabrao narod.

It provided a way for the people to alter the constitution itself.

Pružio je način da narod menja sam Ustav.

And yet, of the nearly 11,000 amendments proposed in the centuries since,

Ipak, od približno 11 000 amandmana predloženih tokom narednih vekova,

only 27 have succeeded as of 2016.

samo 27 je imalo uspeha do 2016. godine.

So what is it that makes the Constitution so hard to change?

Dakle, zbog čega je Ustav tako teško promeniti?

In short, its creators.

Ukratko, zbog njegovih stvaralaca.

The founders of the United States were trying to create a unified country

Osnivači Sjedinjenih Država pokušavali su da stvore ujedinjenu zemlju

from thirteen different colonies,

od trinaest različitih kolonija,

za šta je bilo potrebno obezbediti se

which needed assurance that their agreements couldn't be easily undone.

da se njihovi sporazumi ne mogu lako poništiti.

So here's what they decided.

Evo šta su odlučili.

For an amendment to even be proposed,

Da bi se amandman uopšte mogao predložiti,

mora da dobije dve trećine glasova

it must receive a two-thirds vote of approval

in both houses of Congress,

u oba doma Kongresa

or a request from two-thirds of state legislatures

ili zahtev od dve trećine državnih zakonodavnih tela

to call a national convention,

da se sazove nacionalna konvencija,

and that's just the first step.

a to je samo prvi korak.

Da bi se Ustav zaista izmenio,

To actually change the Constitution,

the amendment must be ratified by three-quarters of all states.

amandman moraju da usvoje tri četvrtine svih država.

To do this, each state can either have its legislature vote on the amendment,

Da bi se to postiglo, u svakoj državi može da zakonodavstvo glasa povodom amandmana,

or it can hold a separate ratification convention

ili može da se održi zasebna konvencija za usvajanje

with delegates elected by voters.

sa delegatima koje biraju glasači.

Rezultat tako visokih kriterijuma

The result of such high thresholds

is that, today, the American Constitution is quite static.

je da je američki Ustav danas prilično statičan.

Most other democracies pass amendments every couple of years.

U mnogim drugim demokratijama amandmani budu odobreni svakih par godina.

The U.S., on the other hand, hasn't passed one since 1992.

U SAD-u, sa druge strane, nijedan nije prošao od 1992. godine.

At this point, you may wonder how any amendments managed to pass at all.

U ovom trenutku se možda pitate kako je uopšte bilo koji uspeo da prođe.

Prvih deset, poznatih kao Povelja o pravima,

The first ten, known as the Bill of Rights,

includes some of America's most well-known freedoms,

obuhvataju neke od najpoznatijih američkih sloboda,

such as the freedom of speech,

kao što su sloboda govora

and the right to a fair trial.

i pravo na pravedno suđenje.

Oni su svi odobreni odjednom

These were passed all at once

to resolve some conflicts from the original Constitutional Convention.

da bi se razrešili neki konflikti sa prvobitne Ustavotvorne skupštine.

Years later, the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery,

Godinama kasnije, Trinaesti amandman koji je ukinuo ropstvo,

as well as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments,

kao i Četrnaesti i Petnaesti amandmani,

only passed after a bloody civil war.

doneti su tek po završetku krvavog građanskog rata.

Ratifying amendments has also become harder

Usvajanje amandmana je, takođe, postalo teže

as the country has grown larger and more diverse.

kako je zemlja postajala veća i raznovrsnija.

The first ever proposed amendment,

Prvi amandman koji je ikada predložen,

a formula to assign congressional representatives,

formula za određivanje kongresnih predstavnika,

was on the verge of ratification in the 1790s.

bio je nadomak usvajanja 1790-ih godina.

However, as more and more states joined the union,

Međutim, kako se sve više država pridruživalo savezu,

the number needed to reach the three-quarter mark increased as well,

takođe se povećao i potreban broj da se dostigne prag od tri četvrtine,

leaving it unratified to this day.

zbog čega je ostao neusvojen do današnjeg dana.

Danas postoji mnogo predloženih amandmana,

Today, there are many suggested amendments,

including outlawing the burning of the flag,

uključujući zabranjivanje spaljivanja zastave,

limiting congressional terms,

ograničavanje kongresnih mandata,

or even repealing the Second Amendment.

pa čak i ukidanje Drugog amandmana.

While many enjoy strong support, their likelihood of passing is slim.

Mada mnogi uživaju jaku podršku, verovatnoća njihovog donošenja je slaba.

Americans today are the most politically polarized since the Civil War,

Amerikanci su danas politički najpolarizovaniji od Građanskog rata,

making it nearly impossible to reach a broad consensus.

što gotovo da onemogućava dolaženje do šireg konsenzusa.

Zapravo, sudija Vrhovnog suda, Antonin Skalija, jednom je izračunao

In fact, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

once calculated that due to America's representative system of government,

da usled američkog predstavničkog sistema vladavine,

it could take as little as 2% of the total population to block an amendment.

može biti dovoljno svega 2 posto ukupnog stanovništva da blokira amandman.

Of course, the simplest solution would be to make the Constitution easier to amend

Naravno, najjednostavnije rešenje bilo bi učiniti da bude lakše vršiti izmene Ustava

by lowering the thresholds required for proposal and ratification.

snižavanjem praga koji je potreban za predlaganje i usvajanje.

That, however, would require its own amendment.

To bi, međutim, zahtevalo sopstveni amandman.

Instead, historical progress has mainly come from the U.S. Supreme Court,

Namesto toga, progres je kroz istoriju uglavnom dolazio iz Vrhovnog suda SAD-a,

which has expanded its interpretation of existing constitutional laws

koji je proširio svoje tumačenje postojećih ustavnih zakona

to keep up with the times.

da bi održao korak sa vremenom.

Considering that Supreme Court justices are unelected

Budući da sudije Vrhovnog suda nisu izabrani

and serve for life once appointed,

i služe doživotno nakon što su imenovani,

this is far from the most democratic option.

ovo je daleko od najdemokratičnije opcije.

Interestingly, the founders themselves may have foreseen this problem early on.

Zanimljivo je da su sami osnivači možda na početku predvideli ovaj problem.

In a letter to James Madison,

U pismu Džejmsu Medisonu,

Thomas Jefferson wrote that laws should expire every 19 years

Tomas Džeferson je napisao da bi trebalo da zakoni zastarevaju svakih 19 godina

rather than having to be changed or repealed

umesto da moraju da se menjaju ili ukidaju

since every political process is full of obstacles

jer je svaki politički proces pun prepreka

that distort the will of the people.

koje narušavaju volju naroda.

Although he believed

Iako je verovao

that the basic principles of the Constitution would endure,

da će se osnovni principi Ustava održati,

he stressed that the Earth belongs to the living,

naglasio je da Zemlja pripada živima,

and not to the dead.

a ne mrtvima.