Stop Arizona’s Con-Con Call
On Monday, January 9, 2012, a bill,
Senate Concurrent Resolution 1005,
was introduced in the Arizona State Senate. Bill SCR 1005 applies for
the Congress of the United States to call a convention for proposing an
amendment to the U.S. Constitution to provide that an increase in the
federal debt requires approval from a majority of the legislatures of
the separate states, also known as a
national debt relief amendment (NDRA).
However noble this proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution may be in
its attempt to balance the federal budget, grant the President the
power of a line-item veto, and the adoptions of budgets to be submitted
and adopted every two years rather than every year, the calling of a
general Article V convention is not the proper route that should be
taken to make or propose such an amendment to the Constitution.
The last time that such a convention was convened was in Philadelphia in
1787 when General George Washington, James Madison, and the various
delegates from the thirteen United States assembled to propose
amendments to the Articles of Confederation -- the law of the land at
the time.
Although called to strengthen and centralize the national government,
the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 was convened to amend the Articles
of Confederation rather than replace them. We were lucky then, seeing as
the convention resulted in such an excellent Constitution. We were also
fortunate to have had enlightened statesmen and drafters, such as James
Madison, who understood the Lockean virtues and principles of
individual liberty and limited government. Looking back, who among us
today comes close to exemplifying the virtues of our Founding Fathers?
The answer is too few and far between, if any at all. The proposal for a
second Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) promoted by so-called
conservatives, would likely result in a runaway convention in which
extremist or revolutionary elements could highjack the convention and
alter the Constitution to include harmful amendments, such as “second
generation” or “positive” socialist rights while curtailing our nation’s
traditional negative rights that protect our liberties from the
government.
What we need is not for the States to revise the Constitution, but
rather to restore and enforce it as our Founding Fathers originally
intended (for more information, click
here for a free PDF article download).
We should not risk the passage of a Con-Con call no matter how appealing
it may be. You now have the ability to help stop Arizona from calling
upon Congress to authorize such a convention.
Contact your State Representative and State Senator now and urge him or her to oppose the passage of SCR 1005, and if it does come to a vote on the floor to vote NAY on the bill.
Thank You.
Your Friends at The John Birch Society
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