QUESTION #3: What is the ‘convention of states’ resolution, and why do you believe that this approach is the most comprehensive way to get back to what our Founders envisioned?
Answer:
Senator Tom Coburn:
“First of all, the reason I believe that this will work is (because) this is what our Founders gave us as the tool when our government became overbearing and nonresponsive. They gave us the tool. The question is, ‘Have we lost liberty, and the answer to that is certainly yes. Have we lost some of our rights? Yes’. How do we fix it? Our Founders gave us the opportunity, through Article V, to allow states to call an amendments convention, and having 34 states agree to that, then the Congress has to call it. The areas that we would cover would be being financially responsible, which would inside that be generally accepted accounting principles used in the federal government because the federal government doesn’t keep books accurately and a balanced budget and a tax limitation.
In fact, it would be limitation on the scope, jurisdiction and power of the federal government and you could have all sorts of amendments in there in terms of redefining what the commerce clause really means as well as other things. We made an application based on subject matter rather than specific amendments. Then finally a term limitation amendment that would say that there ought to be some limitation on both terms for both elected and appointed officials. There’s a lot of background to all that which I’m happy to go into and explain why and how, but this is easily accomplished in terms of gathering people
When you talk to people about amendment of the states, a convention of amendments, they get excited because now they know that there’s something they can do and they can become active and they can lobby their legislature. They can ask their legislature to pass this. Once they do that, then they join the 12 states that have already done it, possibly North Carolina this year will do it. We don’t know for sure yet but so we’re over a third of the way there in terms of accomplishing what is necessary to have an amendments convention.”
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