[Tenacious 1]

I honestly do not believe GOP leadership/establishment really want a balance budget amendment. They could simply refuse to vote for increasing the debt ceiling and the balance budget amendment would be enforced right there.

AGAIN, FReepers need to educate themselves on what is being proposed. A Convention of the States excludes the Federal Government. Congress, POTUS and SCOTUS has NO authority and are bound by the states ratification per Article V.

[JOHN W K]

Excludes our tyrannical supreme court? The fact is, they will wind up deciding any questions concerning constitutional issues which may arise, such as how many states will be necessary to ratify what the convention comes up with.

The Delegates sent to the convention in 1787 ignored the Articles of Confederation, which were then in effect, and by its very wording was forbidden to be altered but by a unanimous consent of the States. Instead of following the Articles of Confederation, they arbitrarily decided that the new constitution and new government they created would become effective if a mere nine States ratified what they did.

The convention, if called, could propose that a mere majority of the States are needed for ratification and this would be in line with progressives who call our system a "democracy" rather than a constitutionally limited system of government.

JWK

At the close of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 18, 1787, a Mrs. Powel anxiously awaited the results and as Benjamin Franklin emerged from the long task now finished asked him directly, `Well, Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?' `A republic, if you can keep it,' responded Franklin.