February 14 signifies more than just Valentine’s Day to the Convention of States team in Arkansas—it also denotes the anniversary of the final passage of our Article V application through both houses of the Arkansas legislature.
Annually, on Valentine’s Day, our team assembles in Little Rock for a “surge” event to commemorate this historic day; 2024 will mark the fifth anniversary. And while some may assume that because Arkansas has already joined the growing list of states calling for an Article V convention we can hang it up and call it quits, that’s not our perspective. Quite the opposite: now, more than ever, we remain vigilant, educating new legislators about the singular power vested in them by the Constitution.
Under our governing document, state lawmakers are intended to be the most powerful figures in politics. The Founders, many of whom served in state legislatures, aimed to ensure that these governing bodies, closer to home and more accountable to the people, sat atop the political “food chain” with the power to resist the national government.
In order to do this, they entrusted the states with one of the most significant checks and balances in the Constitution—the authority to rein in the federal government through amendments. This mechanism was provided specifically for the situation predicted by the Founders when Congress or any other federal entity overstepped its bounds. We believe that time is now.
Most Americans feel that their state legislatures do a better job of representing them than the federal government does. Because of a deeply dysfunctional federal legislature, an overbearing administrative state, crippling national debt, “weaponized” systems of power, and rampant corruption, Washington, D.C., suffers a poor approval rating among the American people. Dissatisfied and disillusioned with politics as usual, many have turned to the Constitution and Article V as viable solutions to our nation’s myriad problems.
While the well-respected General Assembly of Arkansas has already responded to the people’s resounding call for an Article V convention, its members must remain alert in defending this important cause, as the pressing need for a convention has only escalated in the past five years.
Fortunately, the resources at the disposal of legislators have also seen a significant boost. Last year, for example, over 100 commissioners, primarily state lawmakers, convened for the 2023 Simulated Article V Convention. This gathering proved highly influential, swaying the opinions of numerous participants towards recognizing the efficacy and vitality of the constitutional amendment process.
Following the event, the Convention of States organization received an endorsement from one of the nation’s most respected think tanks, The Heritage Foundation. According to Heritage scholar John Malcom, an Article V convention "would send a powerful message to Washington that the people are prepared to reclaim power if it is abused.”
These major milestones for the Convention of States movement highlight that our moment has come, and we are proud that Arkansas is officially onboard. We applaud the legislature for passing the COS resolution, thank each member for their service, and encourage all members to continue acquainting themselves with the tremendous power granted to them by We The People in Article V of the U.S. Constitution.
Physicians for COS
The diagnosis is clear.
We have a growing cancer today known as the Obamacare. As a result physicians are no longer free to practice medicine.No profession feels the full force of the federal government more than physicians. The medical profession is the most highly regulated profession in the United States. The practice of medicine is controlled, taxed, and regulated to the point of being destroyed by the heavy hand of the federal government.
Physicians are told how to bill, how much to charge, and how to treat patients. They are mandated to use expensive electronic medical records. The federally enacted HIPPA (Health Information Privacy and Portability Act) makes the communication between physicians and atients burdensome, inefficient,and expensive. Every physician is required by federal mandate to register with the government to obtain an NPI (national provider identifier.) We are required by federal law to obtain and pay for a license to prescribe medication through the DEA, which is separate from our state licensure.
This heavy hand of government not only oversees the largest federal health bureaucracy ever created, but by extension reaches into every state, every city, and every small town to regulate how every licensed physician practices the art of medicine and how citizens obtain care.
The treatment is also clear.
The prescription for a cure was written into our constitution by our founders. Article V of our constitution allows for the states to call for a convention of states to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government through the proposal of constitutional amendments. Physicians should be the strongest supporters of this brilliantly-crafted states’ rights tool placed into our constitution by our founders.
I urge my fellow American physicians to join with me in supporting an Article V Convention of States to take back control of the practice of medicine. It’s the only way that we can return the practice of medicine back to the intimate relationship between a doctor and patient without interference by the heavy hand of a distant, national government.
Jeffrey I. Barke, M.D. Family Physician Newport Beach, CA