Georgia Votes for Convention of States to Amend Constitution

Newsmax ^ | 3/7/14 | Cheryl K. Chumley

[PapaNew]

The Georgia state legislature has passed a measure calling for a Convention of States to amend the U.S. Constitution, a move long championed by many in the tea party movement.

The action restricts the convention to topics of limiting the power of the federal government and establishing term limits for federal officials. Georgia's House voted 107-58 on Thursday to pass the measure, which previously had passed the state Senate.

"An Article V Convention of States would provide an opportunity for the citizens of this great nation to restore the balance of power between the states and the federal government," Republican state Rep. Buzz Brockway of Lawrenceville said in a statement.

Brockway, the measure's primary sponsor in the state House, urged "legislators in the other 49 states to join Georgia and call for a Convention of States for the purpose of proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution."

Under Article V of the Constitution, such a convention can be convened when requested by two-thirds of the states, and it is one of two ways to propose amendments to the nation's founding document. Ratifying the amendment then requires three-fourths of the states to approve it.

A measure calling for a Convention of States also was recently passed by the Alaska House Finance Committee.

"The federal government is just not listening to us," its sponsor, state Rep. Tammie Wilson of North Pole, Alaska, said Wilson told Newsmax. "The states have certain rights. The Founding Fathers put this process in place for a reason."

The Alaska measure also specifies that a convention must be limited in what it can consider, as critics have raised the specter of a "runaway" convention that could take on an ambitious constitutional rewrite.

[Repeal The 17th]

“Republican state Rep. Buzz Brockway of Lawrenceville”
-
He’s my rep!

[Publius]

Please read Post #12.

[Repeal The 17th]

There is a mixed bag of supporters and detractors
of an Article V Convention of States here on FR.

[Repeal The 17th]

Who said anything about a constitutional convention?
Are we reading the same thing?

[PapaNew]

That's what I thought until I looked into it and read the premise of the convention. Did you read the premise? It is a Convention of States with a specific, limited subject matter: cutting federal government size and power. It is not open to ANY OTHER amendments. This is EXACTLY what needs to be done or else our country will disappear. The states who sign up under these conditions will not allow a push for some other rogue amendment.

[bfh333]

No, unfortunately, the “con-con” crowd is alive and well on FR... It appears that we too have our share of LIV’s...

Here’s how I see it...

1) Article V Convention
2) Nullification
3) Peaceful Secession
4) CW2

The founders included Article V for a reason! It was NOT an afterthought ... It is the DEFACTO backstop...

[GraceG]

[ A Constitutional c onvention is a HORRIBLE idea....with liberalism as rampant as it is in this country, can you imagine what damage they would cause if they could modify the Constitution????? A horrible thought...at best. ]

I agree, a Con-Con is a HORRIBLE Idea... Soros WANTS an ILLEGAL Con-Con.

However an Article V Convention to PROPOSE new amendments is a very legal, very much enshrined in the constitution itself. An Article V Convention OF THE STATES is not a RE_writing of the whole constitution, it is merely a process that the State Legislatures can use to BYPASS congress in PROPOSING Amendments.

Congress can ALREADY propose new amendments, it is about the STATES propose some to take their power back after they were Neutered by the Progressive era Amendments and Wickard vs. Fillborn.

It only takes 13 states to Veto any Progressive liberal craptastic proposed amendments in the ratification process. I think we can summon up enough support to easily defeat ANY screwball liberal amendment that is proposed. The States themselves are mostly Conservative so this is a way of Neutering the FedGov complex before they finish killing off the the power that the states hold...

[PapaNew]

That's how I see it also.

I guess I'm not clear about some of this terminology flying around - like the difference between an "Article V" Convention and a "Constitutional" Convention other than the idea of the latter being open ended and at least in this particular case, the former being limited to a single subject: cutting federal government size and power.

[Publius]

Read Post #12 closely, particularly the section marked “Implicitly forbidden”. It should be clearer.

[PapaNew]

Thanks. It seems kind of subtle. Lost on a lot of folks I think.

[CIB-173RDABN]

Publius - you post the same reply to every post I make. Okay, I have heard you. Please stop. Take me off of whatever list you have. Enough is enough.

Thank you and have a nice day