David Spencer, National Coordinator of the Young Americans for Convention of States, had the honor of speaking on behalf of Convention of States at the 2018 National Libertarian Convention in New Orleans earlier this month. Spencer spoke during the welcoming reception on the opening evening of the Convention. Those in attendance were very receptive to learning more about Article V. Following David’s speech, many stopped by the Convention of States table to ask questions and to find out how they could get more involved.
Imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, which is one of the three areas of the COS Project application, was very appealing to the libertarians in attendance. A large number of Americans are concerned with how our government overspends and then expects future generations to pick up the tab. The crowd repeated the mantra, “Taxation is theft” when Spencer mentioned imposing fiscal restraints during his speech. Those in attendance were excited to hear that citizens can join together and use the Constitution to bring the power closer to home, closer to the states.
After he had finished speaking, Naomi Brockwell, the moderator, highlighted the fact that David was only 15 and had told her the reason he was involved in Convention of States was to “preserve the great country that we live in.”
Spencer said, “I love our country, I love America; and if we don’t do something about the twenty- one trillion-dollar debt, and the out of control government that reigns over us all, there may not be a prosperous future for us.”
During the speech, David held up a copy of an ‘Annotated Constitution’ and an original pocket constitution, highlighting the difference in size between the two. One of the frequent questions David and the COS team were asked afterward was, “Really - what is that huge book you held up during your speech? I know that’s not really our Constitution.”
Actually, the 3,000-page ‘Annotated Constitution’ he held up is our Constitution according to the Supreme Court. It is, in fact, the one that our government forces upon us today. The current thirteen pound ‘Annotated Constitution’ shows how far away we are from what our founding fathers originally envisioned.
As the national coordinator of Young Americans for Convention of States, David and his team of leaders try not only to encourage our country’s youth to get involved, but to make them aware of the problems they and future generations stand to inherit if they fail to act.
During the convention, Louisiana State Director Bryce Barras, and his team, along with Spencer, spent a great deal of time talking with convention delegates, The amount of support for COS at the convention was inspiring. Libertarians were eager to support Convention of States and join our recently formed coalition – Libertarians for Convention of States.
The fight to call a Convention of States isn’t a partisan battle. “We the People” must work together as Americans and not members of a political party to ensure the future of liberty for future generations. Libertarians are up for the fight to tame the federal leviathan and restore the Constitution to its original intent. Thanks to the efforts of David and the Louisiana Convention of States team, the movement to call a Convention of States just got stronger!
Photo: David Spencer (left) and Libertarian National Convention Chair Nick Sarwark (right)
