Conservatives prepare new push for constitutional convention

[+OverSword]

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SAN DIEGO — Conservative lawmakers will mount a new push to call a constitutional convention aimed at creating a balanced budget amendment and establishing term limits for members of Congress in an effort to rein in what they see as a runaway federal government.

State legislators meeting at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s policy conference here last week hope to use Article V of the Constitution, which allows state legislatures to call a convention to propose new amendments.

“It’s really the last line of defense that we have. Right now, the federal government’s run away. They’re not going to pull their own power back. They’re not going to restrict themselves. And so this Article V convention is really, in my opinion, is the last option that we have,” said Iowa state Rep. John Wills (R), the state’s House Speaker pro tempore who backs the convention.

At least two-thirds of states must pass a call to force a convention; so far, 15 states have passed the model legislation proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative group that backs free markets and states’ rights.

Bills have passed at least one legislative chamber in another nine states, and bills have been introduced in 17 more states. The 15 states that have passed measures so far all have Republican-controlled legislatures and Republican governors; another nine states totally controlled by the GOP have yet to finalize passage, according to Convention of States Action, a project of the conservative group Citizens for Self-Governance.

 

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Finally, action to put term limits on federal legislators.  I truly hope this convention happens.

[F3SS]

1 hour ago, OverSword said:

Right now, the federal government’s run away. They’re not going to pull their own power back.

Though a constitutional convention is the proper avenue for this in the end it will still take a great many members of the federal government to get it done. I'd love to be surprised here.

[Buzz_Light_Year]

If they don't restrict the Convention to just the items they wish to address then it could end up being catastrophic.

 

[+OverSword]

22 minutes ago, F3SS said:

Though a constitutional convention is the proper avenue for this in the end it will still take a great many members of the federal government to get it done. I'd love to be surprised here.

I will consider it somewhat of a win just to get the question of term limits for the senate and congress spoken about in the chamber.

[Myles]

At least they are trying to get term limits discussed.   

[+DieChecker]

If rather see the Balanced Budget then the Term Limits. Spending is so out of control. 

Flatten out that upward curve.

If we still were at 2001-2007 spending rates we'd only be at 60% of our current debt. 

https://datalab.usaspending.gov/americas-finance-guide/debt/trends/

 

[+OverSword]