On October 27, 1964, Ronald Reagan delivered what would become one of his most famous speeches -- "A Time for Choosing."
In the speech, he calls all Americans to decide whether they will pursue freedom and self-government or top-down totalitarianism:
And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except the sovereign people, is still the newest and the most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man.
This is the issue of this election: whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.
You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down: [up] man's old -- old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. And regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.
Fifty-three years later, which path have we chosen? Are we more free today than we were in 1964?
If the answer is "No," we have work to do. Fortunately, an Article V Convention of States gives We the People the power to get this nation back on track.
A Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that limit the power of the "intellectual elite in the far-distant capital," as Reagan calls them. These amendments can restore the states to their rightful position of authority and empower legislatures to make the best decisions for their local communities.
It's still a time for choosing. Let's make the right decision before it's too late.
