ARTICLE V, CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION – SHOULD WE OR SHOULDN’T WE CALL FOR ONE?

ARTICLE V, CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION – SHOULD WE OR SHOULDN’T WE CALL FOR ONE?

by Leon Howard

Many say we must demand an Article V, Constitutional Convention to repeal the Amendments enacted since the 13^th Amendment and that would be absolutely outstanding if we could assure ourselves of the outcome but therein is the “rub” – Who or what controls the convention if one is called?

The Constitution and the Federalist Papers do not address this question that I can find and that must give us pause … I know who I absolutely do not want “running” the convention – Any of the jackasses and fat asses in Washington, D.C. (District of Criminals)! Nor can it be any of the State Legislature Members because they abdicated their 10^th Amendment right eons ago! It cannot be members of “academia” because they have no concept of the real world!

So that leaves us the most qualified delegates – Citizens of the several states, just as it was in the beginning but how would the delegates be selected? That becomes a little more difficult because there are many I feel would not qualify; let me explain:

I would disqualify immediately the following:

·      Anybody working for the state or federal government!

·      Anybody accepting welfare, food stamps, etc. (They have a vested interest in ‘big government’)

·      Anybody receiving government subsidies of any kind.

To give all states equal representation would be essential in assuring a return to a small federal government; three (3) representatives chosen by each states legislature that were at least 30 years of age, employed in the private sector or a small business owner, and a property owner – Why the restrictions? We were designed as a representative republic; not a democracy and that is what we must return to attain the greatness we enjoyed through the 19^th Century.

Every Amendment passed since the 13^th Amendment has stolen more power from the States and the People and put it in the hands of the government – That has been to the detriment of our liberties! Even the 13^th robbed States of the 10^th Amendment but it’s not worth trying to defend it’s repeal to even worry about but all the others were either unnecessary, destructive to a representative republic, or asinine to begin with!

And while we are holding the convention, we should propose a new amendment limiting the judiciary; one that Thomas Jefferson wanted to have incorporated because of his fear of a runaway judiciary – We see results of his fear every day because of decisions made by judges “legislating from the bench”! That amendment would restrict the judges from considering anything but the “original intent”, which comes from the Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist Papers.

The Constitution is not a “living document”, as the ‘progressives’ would have you believe; it’s “meanings” do not “change with the times”! The Constitution was designed to be changed and altered by only one method – Constitutional amendment! The founders made it simple to change or alter but they did not make it easy!

We were not the “Great Experiment” in democracy – Our founders had learned from democracies in the past and did not want us to fall into the same fate – Failure! No, our “Great Experiment” was man governing himself! It was designed to compensate for the weak character of man so there wasn’t a lot that would need to be changed over time but the 20^th Century, especially, found this nation’s “leaders” weak in the logic department; that is the only explanation I can accept for them ratifying to 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th Amendments! The only other reason I can see that they would have had was to steal our liberties! – The truth be known, it was probably for both these reasons!

Okay, let’s say we can get the 50 States to agree to the convention, with the restrictions outlined here, what’s next? After the 150 delegates drafted the Repeal Amendments and the Judiciary Amendment, the amendments are sent to the 50 States through the U.S. Congress and three-fourths, ¾ of the States have a time period, usually up to seven (7) years to ratify the amendments. Of the original Bill of Rights sent to the several states for ratification, only 10 of the original 12 amendments were ratified. This time, it would require 38 of the 50 states legislatures ratifying.

But these rules are not in place and probably won’t be ever in place, so we will continue to suffer until we get enough folks upset at these 2 political parties that we force a return to our Constitution! I just keep hoping and praying for sanity being returned to elected officials before the People revolt!