The House of Representatives and Senate both voted Saturday in favor of a Constitutional amendment to repeal the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The proposal had overwhelming bipartisan support, receiving a 371-55 vote in the House, and a 91-8 vote in the Senate. The proposed amendment now goes to the states for ratification.

“We’ve ignored the important issue of the Bill of Rights for far too long in this country,” said House majority leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). “This amendment will help us provide for the safety and security of all Americans by ensuring that Congress and the President can do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal.”

“As a government, we haven’t been obeying the Bill of Rights for so long, that it’s just become time to officially get rid of it,” said Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). “This will clear the way for the Christian state we have been trying so hard to build.”

The proposed Constitutional amendment simply reads: “The first through tenth amendments to the Constitution are hereby repealed.”

For the most part, only a few Democrats disagreed with the proposed amendment. “The Bill of Rights is critical to protecting America, and it is a mistake to try to repeal it,” Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said. “Without the Bill of Rights to restrain Congress, it could begin to run amok, passing laws which are contrary to the interests of ordinary American people.”

The measure comes at a time when many Americans believe the Constitution is outdated and irrelevant to the present society, which bears little resemblance to the society existing when the country was founded.

In order to become effective, the proposed amendment must be ratified by at least three-fourths of the 50 states, or 38 states.

Update: As someone managed to guess, this post was an April Fool. Please see the comments below for more information.