How about we just overthrow DC and reset the Constitution we have?
The GOPE could win a majority of both houses of Congress and I doubt we see any real election reform and all that other stuff.
Many people are unaware that the Tea Party tsunami of 2010 effected statehouses more than Congress.
In 2014 the ground game for statehouses is equally as important as the GOP taking control of the Senate because a GOPe led by the likes of McConnell is no different in outcome than a Senate led by Reid.
For me this is one of those might regret what you wish for items. Since this has not happened before there is question about whether there are any limits on what could be proposed at a convention. So there is the possibility of tons of amendments around positive rights; right to free stuff. Also how about doing away with the Senate or the Electoral College. Would you trust a convention filled with GOPe types?
My preferences for the convention:
- repeal the 16th and 17th amendments.
- Taxes to be assessed on each State by representative apportionment
- Limit the scope of all federal laws and administrative rulings to only those enumerated powers in the constitution
- Prohibit any canon, law, codex or other legal ruling other than the Constitution, ratified treaties, and US court cases. Establish that US Constitution and bill of rights is supreme to all other laws and treaties.
- limit the commerce clause effect to only those goods and services that cross state boundaries
- Hold congressional, presidential and secretary salaries in an escrow account if a budget is not pasted by Oct 1st for the following fiscal year.
- Establish that life and person-hood begins at conception.
There are others but that would be a good start.
Calling a Constitutional Convention would be just what the Left is looking for, since this would dominate it and, thereby, ruin forever our federal republic. If we can’t even beat a outright Commie and keep electing hundreds of Democrats to Congress how would it be expected, in the real world, to stop them from running the CC? Polls have shown today’s Americans would not even ratify the Bill of Rights.
As a side note to this thread, please consider the following. Although I have a list of things that I’d like to see amended to the Constitution, the basic problem with the “Constitution,” imo, is the following. Generations of parents have been negligent in making sure that their children are being taught why the Constitution exists in the first place, to limit (cripple) the federal government’s powers.
So an arguably easier remedy for the nation’s self-inflicted big federal government problems is the following. The states need to amend their constitutions to require that children are taught the federal government’s constitutionally limited powers as the Founding States had intended for those powers to be understood.
In fact, given that the Constitution’s rules are arguably no more complicated than a child’s board game, I suggest that states not allow students to graduate from high school or be issued a driver’s license if they cannot pass a basic constitutional law test, just a few true / false questions which stress the federal government’s constitutionally limited powers.
Proposal:
There are two ways to propose an amendment to the Constitution.
Article V gives Congress and an Amendments Convention exactly the same power to propose amendments, no more and no less.
Disposal:
Once Congress, or an Amendments Convention, proposes amendments, Congress must decide whether the states will ratify by the:
The State Ratifying Convention Method has only been used twice: once to ratify the Constitution, and once to ratify the 21st Amendment repealing Prohibition.
Ratification:
Depending upon which ratification method is chosen by Congress, either the state legislatures vote up-or-down on the proposed amendment, or the voters elect a state ratifying convention to vote up-or-down. If three-quarters of the states vote to ratify, the amendment becomes part of the Constitution.
Forbidden Subjects:
Article V contains two explicitly forbidden subjects and one implicitly forbidden subject.
Explicitly forbidden:
Implicitly forbidden:
I have two reference works for those interested.
The first is from the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative pro-business group. This document has been sent to every state legislator in the country.
Proposing Constitutional Amendments by a Convention of the States: A Handbook for State Lawmakers
The second is a 1973 report from the American Bar Association attempting to identify gray areas in the amendatory process to include an Amendments Convention. It represents the view of the ruling class of 40 years ago. While I dislike some of their conclusions, they have laid out the precedents that may justify those conclusions. What I respect is the comprehensive job they did in locating all the gray areas. They went so far as to identify a gray area that didn't pop up until the Equal Rights Amendment crashed and burned a decade later. Even if you find yourself in disagreement with their vision, it's worth reading to see the view of the ruling class toward the process.
Report of the ABA Special Constitutional Convention Study Committee
Actually, with a Republican congress, this would be the fastest way to restore order, effectively neutering Obama for his last two years.
in this environment with “progressives” in control, the worst idea in the world is a Constitutional Convention...
I worry about this idea; keep the Constitution as written. Modifying it won’t help when America’s enemies refuse to follow it, while opening it up risks getting outmaneuvered at a convention and giving the appearance of legitimacy to evil.