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Convention of States Missouri Newsletter

August, 2019

Why Do We Need Article V?

State of the State Update

Brett Sterley, State Director

Convention of States Missouri

(Editor's Note: Brett Sterley will be back in his writer's chair next month. This article was originally published on the Convention of States Missouri Blog on June 4, 2018.)

The Framers’ guiding principle when drafting the Constitution was how to create a central government that did not violate the unalienable rights of the individual.

Their solution was to divide government power between the three branches of government. Most are familiar with separation of powers. 

If you dig a little deeper, there is a more fundamental tenet. It is the dispersion of governing authority. The Founders established a government, “of the People, for the People and by the People.”

Governing authority lies with the individual citizen. The individual then delegates a portion of their authority to their state which delegates a portion of that authority to the federal government. 

This vertical axis of governance has been breached and consumed by a federal government that has grown beyond its Constitutional authority. If we are to continue as a free, constitutional republic, this dispersion of authority must be restored.

Washington, D.C., will not act to restrain itself. It is not in their political interest. More than that, it’s against human nature. The only way to restore the constitutional balance of power is through informed citizens being involved in the governmental process. 

The tool the Framers provided us to ensure the federal government did not abuse its authority is the Article V Convention of States process. The most complete and effective means of exercising that oversight is through the Convention of States resolution. 

Thank you for joining over 3.4 million of your friends, family, and neighbors in making the Framers’ vision a reality. If you aren’t already, consider volunteering on the state team.

Spotlight on Volunteering

Are You Any Good With a Camera?

We have openings for a volunteer videographer in each of the 168 Missouri House Districts. Why so many? Because we plan to build a full team in each district which can function as a standalone group of self-governing citizens who are influencing the politics in their area of Missouri. Remember: all politics is local.

Do you know anything about making videos? Would you like to use your talents to help reach, teach and activate your friends and neighbors? You might be asked to do interviews, podcasts, live Facebook streaming or pictures of events. Time requirements are flexible and your participation is always voluntary. Interested? More details available on the COS State Videographer page on our website.

Not quite your cup of tea? Please visit our Take Action Page and check out our other volunteering opportunities. We are on our way to building the largest and most engaged army of citizen activists in the history of mankind. We could sure use your help.

Spotlight on Education

Constitution Week is Coming Up!

Constitution Day is September 17, 2019 and Constitution Week is the 17th through the 23rd. Why bother at all? Because without our constitution we are just another country of ruled people.

Our fellow patriots in Texas took the time to read the Preamble to the Constitution and we hope you will take their words to heart: Happy Constitution Day.

We hope you will also take the time to re-read the original U.S. Constitution (approximately 4,500 words.) Copies are available online and many smartphones have free downloadable copies available. If you would like to read the version currently in use by the Federal Government (approximately 3,000 pages,) you may obtain a copy from the Government Printing Office.

Spotlight on Jefferson City

Special Elections will be on the ballot in November

As of the publication of this newsletter, the following Missouri House Districts have been scheduled for special elections due to various circumstances:

H.D. 22 - Tammy Louise Herrera (R)

H.D. 36 - No candidates filed.

H.D. 74 - No candidates filed.

H.D. 78 - No candidates filed.

H.D. 99 - Lee Ann Pitman (R) and Trish Gunby (D)

H.D. 158 - Scott Cupps (R) and Lisa Kalp (D)

For more information, please visit the Elections Division of the Missouri Secretary of State.

If you live in one of these districts, we encourage you to get to know the candidates and vote in the November elections. You can look up your Missouri House District using your address (lower left-hand corner of the page.)

Video of the Month

Utah Representative Ken Ivory - This is How Free Government is Destroyed

It's Quiz Time

July, 2019 Quiz Question:  When is 'Article V Day celebrated?' (Answer will be on the August, 2019 Newsletter.)

Answer: Article V Day is September 15.

August, 2019 Quiz Question: Which of the 12 states attending the 1787 convention had the most signers of the U.S. Constitution? (Answer will be on the September, 2019 Newsletter.)

Did You Miss Our Last Newsletter?

July, 2019 Newsletter

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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
Convention of states action

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