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                            GOOD NEWS

2/24/2015

3 Comments

 
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                                         Convention of the States 

A conference of 2,000 conservative and libertarian leaders earlier this year led to a great deal of discussion about using a Convention of the States to amend the Constitution and limit federal power.  It’s a herculean task — two-thirds of the states would have to call for the convention, and then three-quarters would have to vote to ratify any amendments the convention submitted.   But many called the War of Independence equally impossible — and that turned out pretty well.

Those amendments written by the convention could conceivably include almost anything, but some of the leading ideas included tax reform, a balanced budget and, yes, term limits for senators and representatives.

The conference was organized by John Aglialoro, the man who funded the “Atlas Shrugged” film trilogy and a long-time supporter of the free market.  “We can never count on Congress to reform itself or limit its power,” Aglialoro told National Review. “We need to go around Congress to get this done.”

But even if the amendments are never ratified by three-quarters of the states, there could be two excellent reasons to push for a Convention of the States.  First, the process itself could be very educational for the American people, reminding them of the debates in which the Founders worked over two hundred years ago to protect individual liberty — and how far the nation has strayed from those values.  In doing so, it would also provide a forum for commonsense proposals endorsed by the majority of American voters — like term limits.  Second, the mere threat of such a convention could serve as an impetus to Congress to enact some of these changes on their own, something they are highly unlikely to do without strong external motivation.

There are, of course, risks. Sending politicians to such a conference may generate the same sort of lack of reform that we see from Congress. Delegates from liberal states could attempt to add socialist programs to the Constitutions.  But there’s risk in doing nothing, too.

And with approval levels for both the president and the Congress in the cellar, now might be the best time to push for solutions that don’t involve the federal government at all.
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3 Comments
LovesFreedom
3/3/2015 07:07:17 am

Interesting article. Thanks. Some people say there cannot, nor will ever, be a Convention of States, but the process is meaningful and educational at the least, if not successful. Article V gives us the right and we should consider new Amendments so this kind of administration can never take hold in America again.

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Jim Lyde link
3/6/2015 12:40:46 am

Thank you. You are potentially a wonderful Cell Dweller. Please click on the "subscribe" button. The fee is only $10 per year!

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Paul Birsching link
4/9/2015 12:56:26 am

We won the War for Independence, but we did so from a distracted British Empire that sent scrub troops. We won because France was eating up enough of England's revenue that it didn't want to prolong hostilities with the American colonies. And we didn't win the war of 1812, which was basically Britain slapping us uppity yanks in the face. But, again, they didn't have the will to go further. What really won us our freedom was the fact that God destined the circumstances of history to allow it. A constitutional congress is a veritable Pandora's box. Such an action would be akin to the chaos that proceeded from the Article of Confederation, as each state would try to impose it's will and advantages upon the rest. Besides being a way to inject what we may now deem necessary, it would also open the door to removal of such things as the Bill of Rights. The leaders of the French Revolution found out just how quickly the tide of a mob action could turn against them, as most of them eventually lost their heads. I'm not sure that the dumbed-down and morally diluted citizens of this country would have the kind of restraint and fortitude necessary to make such a convention more positive than negative.

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