Posted on 09/29/2017 4:20:29 PM PDT by Jacquerie
In his remarks at the Henderson County public library, Mike Faulkenberry, state director of the N.C. Convention of States Project, asked a crowd of about 80 people whether they felt the federal government is “doing just a bang-up job.”
None raised their hand to answer yes.
He asked whether they felt the federal government gets carried away sometimes, but for the most part does pretty well in areas such as taxes and regulations, and again none answered yes.
But when he asked who felt the federal government “is completely out of control,” hands went up across the room.
The Convention of States Project is an effort to hold a convention of states to rein in the federal government, focusing specifically on term limits, fiscal restraint and reducing and restraining its power and jurisdiction. “We all agree that the federal government is just broken; it doesn’t work anymore,” he said. “It certainly doesn’t work anything like the way that the founders intended for it to work and that the framers of the Constitution dictated that it work.”
Faulkenberry led a discussion Tuesday night at the library about the Convention of States Project’s effort. He said the government can be fixed, but those in power will never fix it themselves.
The framers of the Constitution knew three things were necessary for good government, he said: that the people need to pay attention and vet who they elect in order to send good people to office, that those people implement good policy, and that a good structure is imperative for the other two.
That structure is the Constitution, he explained, but “that’s where we have dropped the ball a lot, is by allowing the structure, the Constitution, that the framers did such a wonderful job with, (to) be distorted, be changed, be modified, in some cases be ignored, and instead, we’ve got what we’ve got now.”
The fix, though, is also in the Constitution, he said — in Article V, a convention of the states. “It’s time we step up and do something about it,” Faulkenberry said.
Article V provides ways to amend the Constitution: that two-thirds of both houses of Congress can propose amendments when they deem it necessary, or that two-thirds of the legislatures of the states call for a convention.
Regardless of which of those two ways an amendment is proposed, the Article provides that the amendment must then be ratified by either three-fourths of the states’ legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of the states, with Congress to decide which.
One chamber in 13 states saying no or saying nothing, Faulkenberry explained, would prevent the passage of the amendment. Of the country’s 99 state legislative bodies, it would take only 13 to stop it.
“That’s a really high bar — a really high bar — and it should be,” he said. “We shouldn’t amend the Constitution lightly.”
For North Carolina, Senate Joint Resolution 36, “A joint resolution applying to Congress for an Article V convention of the states with the purpose of proposing amendments to the United States Constitution,” has passed the Senate and is set to be considered by the House.
State Reps. Chuck McGrady and Cody Henson and State Sen. Chuck Edwards are all in favor of the measure, and both McGrady and Edwards were on hand Tuesday night to discuss their position.
Just what’s in it for the left? btw What is cos?
In before the ping!
(thanks for posting this)
Maximum bad idea. Those who don’t think so are welcome to believe that human nature will somehow magically disappear in some awesome flurry of magical self-delusion.
The liberals/progressives who despise the Framers will own the thing, Most republicans and conservatives will be too busy working to attend, and instead rely on talking heads to tell them what is going on. By the time the bad news gets out, it will already be too late, and many will have already mysteriously vanished.
It’s a gathering of state delegates that consider, then vote on, then propose amendment or amendments to the US Constitution. This amendment or amendments are then sent to the states for ratification. The states have to ratify just like in the past, it does not directly change the Constitution. It bypasses Congress drawing up and passing an amendment or amendments to be submitted to the states. See Article V US Constitution.
I agree 100%. We have seen so many examples of the "good guys" being infiltrated by pols and other leaders who seek to destroy our agenda from within. I would not trust that those sent supposedly for a pro-states rights agenda wouldn't be manipulated and overwhelmed by the forces that seek to destroy our nation.
All it can do is propose amendments that go to the states for ratification. It can’t directly change the Constitution.
It bypasses Congress in proposing amendments.
It’s a trap.
They will send delegate with detailed commissions backed by felony punishment for violation of their commissions.
Here, for example is the Indiana statute that governs their agents to an Article V COS.
Educate yourself. How can you oppose the exercise of powers retained by the sovereign people?
Thanks!
The cos is called to address specific issues. Only those issues are to be voted on. It is a safer convention than most people think.
Educate yourself on what changes they plan to bring they open your big trap.
Time to use Article V.
>>>Thee cos is called to address specific issues
From the article:
“For North Carolina, Senate Joint Resolution 36, “A joint resolution applying to Congress for an Article V convention of the states with the purpose of proposing amendments to the United States Constitution,” has passed the Senate and is set to be considered by the House.”
That does not sound very specific.
A government that does not follow the existing Constitution will not follow an amended Constitution...neither in the amendment/ratification process nor in the interpretation and enforcement of those amendments.
You believe it’s foolproof. I disagree. Look at how those in power crumble when they’re faced with the false agenda that’s destroying the nation. I suspect that the only way to save the Constitution from this current assault is by not changing anything, but rather hoping that President Trump can get some good judges confirmed.
Nothing is foolproof!
So your solution is just give up and go to war!
What is certain, unless We the Sovereign People act, is our continued slide into despotism and tyranny.
This is all just a way to pretend to be doing something.
Fussing about the process instead of doing the hard work generating consensus around exactly what ammendments we need and the best way to get them ratified.
Absolutely backwards sequence.
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