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Cutting Off Congress and Saving Our Country
Watching the floundering and fecklessness of our Congress, observing their throwing fiscal responsibility to the wind, and realizing that the most important agenda they have is to be re-elected, I wanted to help find a way to help transform Congress and its effects on this country. And I think I’ve found a way.
For months, I have been struggling with a decision. It’s about getting involved with an organization, and I am not a joiner. Nor do I like to make commitments that I might not be able to keep. I also want there to be a likelihood of the organization’s success.
I’ve written a bit before about the Convention of States. Initially I was skeptical about their goals, and their chances of success. But the more I read about them, the more impressed I was with not only their plans, but also with their anticipation of roadblocks and ways to overcome them.
If you haven’t heard of them, the organization was formed based on Article V of the Constitution:
Article V of the U.S. Constitution gives states the power to call a convention to propose amendments. It takes 34 states to call the convention and 38 to ratify any amendments that are proposed. Our convention would only allow the states to discuss amendments that, ‘limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, impose fiscal restraints, and place term limits on federal officials.’
I was especially impressed with their strategies for keeping the COS from going off the rails. They’ve designed an orderly and practical process for initiating, conducting and completing the process.
But in spite of my initial enthusiasm, I began to have questions that weren’t being answered by the FAQ’s of the organization. So instead of continuing to dither around, I decided to ask about the questions I was struggling with.
One of my biggest concerns was that Congress would simply ignore or table the application completed for a COS. I learned that Article V has already been addressed in the courts, including United States v. Sprague, 282 U.S. 716 (1931), so if Congress tries to sabotage or ignore the process, it will be sued.
When I asked how a lawsuit would be pursued, I was told the following by COS staff:
This is settled law and that quote came from Michael Farris who is one of our co-founders and a constitutional attorney who practices before the Supreme Court. In fact, he is the only living attorney who has argued Article V case law before the court and is an authority in such matters. Generally, a state attorney general would file suit and the other 33 states would then join the suit, but that is highly unlikely that Congress would act in such a way because too many members know this and are endorsers of our project. The current Speaker of the House is a supporter and was in the LA state legislature when we passed our application there.
To date, 19 states have approved the Convention of States, and at the beginning of 2024, at least 11 more states have presented the resolution to their state legislatures.
* * * *
So, I’ve made my decision, in spite of my reservations about group-joining, and I officially joined. I crossed over the finish line when I saw the jobs they offer volunteers—they needed writers! I felt I was a good fit for the kinds of writers they needed.
I hope they agree.
Published in Politics
The thing is, if 33 states wanted this, Congress would already be moving in the direction we want them too.
The issue is that too many Americans want socialism.
But thank you for sharing this
I don’t understand your comment, Bryan. Could you elaborate?
If the people of enough states wanted to restore liberty and limit the Federal Government it would be popular enough for it to happen.
The problem is, half the nation wants socialism. There are not 3/4 of states who want liberty. Enough The People want things to remain the same, so they do.
Does that help?
I understand; I’m not sure that I agree. I’m not certain that half of the nation wants socialism.
They keep voting for it.
Look, in several cities we have two generations of Democrat rule and the cities are disasters. The people refuse to vote anyone else in. No matter how bad it gets, they want the promises of socialism.
I understand @bryangstephens skepticism. But something must be done. As I have posted before returning President Trump to the White House is an important step, but relying on Congress to help him restore responsible government is likely too big a lift.
I read through the various volunteering options. I am glad they have the options they do, but I think there needs to a “button” for someone who is open to volunteering but doesn’t know how they will best fit into their needs. The button could lead to a questionnaire that would solicit certain types of skills and experiences. And based on those answers and a follow up interview the coordinator would have an idea where you could fill a need. The website doesn’t give you an idea of what “gaps” they perceive to have and where. Perhaps that is something they would prefer to keep in-house in any event.
But there is always a monetary contribution to be made.
Part of me agrees, Bryan, but as skeptical as I am that an Article V Amendment Convention would get called, I note that in many of the states where one sees cities mired in the promises of socialism, so-called, the state legislatures are firmly in the hands of the GOP (which I’m using as a stand-in for those who love liberty and Federalism; there’s not another major party even close to that stance).
For example, in my state (North Carolina), the two major cities, Raleigh and Charlotte, are in the hands of the Dems. A couple of minor cites are as well (Asheville, Durham, and Wilmington). But the legislature is currently a GOP super-majority in both Houses. So there’s hope of the needed 2/3 of the States applying for an Article V Convention.
I think this indicates that we need people to understand the difference between a “welfare state” and “socialism”. In the former there is redistribution of wealth but not control over the means of production. The free market produces wealth and the government redistributes through taxation for a “safety net”. “Socialism” exerts control over the means of production which leads ultimately to less and less production and redistribution of less and less. If we can persuade people that want a welfare state that they are better off with free markets, we can push back on corporatism.
There are some issues where the States have conflicting interest with National government. Unfortunately, we have one (and half) political parties that really want all the power in the hands of the National government and those folks control more than 16 states.
This is an excellent idea; they give several options so it probably didn’t occur to them. I’ll pass it on to them if we have a conversation.
So, it’s not ownership of the means of production, but control?
Technically, I believe anyone can put in an application for a COS. So, I wonder if they could apply outside the official party leadership.
I wonder if half the nation even has a thought about what they want.
We might want to consider who makes up the US population. Do we think that those who make the most noise and cause the most trouble are representative? Or do we believe that most people want to live peaceful lives in modern communities. where they can move about and speak freely?
How many people supported the Trump/Biden covid payments? That was a huge socialist leap.
Ret, would you clarify what you mean by “covid payments”?
Payments to individuals, businesses, and other entities. But it was the first two that were doing the most to build socialism.
A related item appearing on Zerohedge.com today:
Authored by Gerrick Wilkins via RealClear Wire
I don’t really agree and I was just talking about this with my husband just now…
Our House of Reps is a lot more reflective of the citizenry of the country than the Senate and President are.
Presidents are representative of state popular votes… most electors are awarded based on majority of popular vote in a state. The senate is won by popular vote in a state.
Both of those are heavily influenced by highly dense urban centers with questionable election integrity.
Which means your state legislature is going to be a better representation of the state than US senators and presidents are.
And since congress needs the senate and president to pass anything (and that has notoriously been the massive hangup in national politics), it is possible state legislatures would come to a different result than US Congress will.
The 17th Amendment broke this country’s politics and it needs repealing before even looking at term limits.
A substantial share of people seem to want that for themselves, but may not believe others should have the same. And perhaps a larger share than that, aren’t willing to expend any effort to bring it about.
That was a two-part issue. A large number of people may have not supported the “stimulus” payments, if not for the shutdowns. But once the shutdowns are mandated, there’s an argument for compensation.
Got it. And I can’t disagree.
Why would they care about what others have, if they have what they want?
Of course there’s an arguent for it. There always is. Argument or no argument, it’s the building of socialism.
This is a good point, ke. The shutdowns deeply hurt some people and businesses.
Sorry, have you met the Left?
Absolutely correct!
As with other issues such as Oct 7, if you don’t want Step 2, then don’t do Step 1.
My take: The government ordered businesses to close. (Some will dispute this, but they’re wrong.) Having done so, the government had to ensure those people thrown out of work didn’t lose their homes and could eat. That’s the entire argument, and I find no fault with it.
Of course, the government shouldn’t have had the power to order those businesses to close, but that’s an entirely different point.