DOGE: LIMITED SHELF LIFE

The enormous discrepancy in the concentration of power over American citizens by unelected officials was never envisioned by our Founding Fathers as an ideal governance mechanism. Ironically, this has replaced the tyranny of the monarchy that they resisted so adamantly during the Revolution. They would be appalled, as we should, to witness this rapid evolution of absolute authority over our daily lives.
Imagine a world where we have not ceded arbitrary rule-making to technocrats imposing their decisions upon us at a distance from our home States. Indeed, the ideals of Federalism need to be revived in the body politic as one would shake a sleep-walking populace approaching a steep cliff. Some may feel we are too late but we must never give up.
It is extremely difficult to reduce our dependency on such unelected “experts”, given their present free rein, but it is well worth the effort; and YES, there ARE many legitimate rules and regulations of value that we must uphold, while recognizing the regulatory structures in Washington have grown into multiple modern day Towers of Babel, with conflicting, confusing, duplicative, and excessive red tape, and rife with opportunity for corruption, while there is limited restraint or accountability.
Here is just one example of what we see and know needs to be addressed: The creation of the FDA as a federal government department was and is needed beyond any doubt; most of America supports and relies on that concept, as the Food & Drug Administration was designed to protect our health, quality of life, and longevity; it has done so throughout its history, saving and improving lives, however with notable missteps and increasingly questionable practices as to what drugs are officially approved and their efficacy as well the cost-benefit analysis associated with each newly released drug or medical device; sadly, the FDA has been captured by the very medical industry it was designed to oversee and regulate on our behalf. No one who has an independent perspective can discredit that statement, given this simple fact:
"The Food and Drug Administration has moved from an entirely taxpayer-funded entity to one increasingly funded by user fees paid by manufacturers that are being regulated. Today, close to 45% of its budget comes from these user fees that companies pay when they apply for approval of a medical device or drug.”*
Is there any doubt as to the inherent conflict of interest here -especially the revolving door of lucrative employment transition from government to the private sector? Ironically, that choice or behavior is a policy that probably should be regulated! But by whom? It is Congress that needs to do its job in so many areas, this one included. They are derelict in this duty.
Fortunately, The Framers gave the States themselves (We the People) an escape clause to implement as a means of addressing unrestrained federal powers in the event that Congress ever failed to do its duty; this legal solution is embodied in Article V of the Constitution, which reads as follows:
“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof…."
Some may point the newly empowered DOGE consultancy as a viable solution, and it may indeed achieve significant reductions in government waste and duplication, however, it is not an assured pathway, as all edicts (executive orders) can be easily removed by future administrations, unless they have been given the lasting power of legislation - being what only Congress or the States can accomplish. So, the Constitution needs to be amended to ensure the permanence of any structural overhaul.
An Article V Convention of States under the aegis of The Convention of States gives us the potential to introduce lasting changes to recapture the powers we have lost.
At Convention of States, we strongly uphold and protect our constitutional republic by adhering to the Constitution as it was originally created, together recognizing all subsequent amendments duly ratified by the States; we encourage interested parties to research us, to sign our petition (calling for amendment topic proposals supported by a majority of fellow citizens), as follows:
We can achieve these goals without relying on Congress which has yet to police itself, by-passing all other branches of government, as we can propose legislation via amendments requiring ratification by 3/4 of the states.
The 3 topics/issues to be addressed in an Article V Convention that our grass roots movement has proposed are as follows:
1. Term Limits for Congress & Bureaucrats in Washington DC
2. Fiscal Responsibility
3. Reduction in the size and scope of the federal government
https://conventionofstates.com/
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*Michael White/UConn School of PharmacyMay 2021
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Note: These are the author’s thoughts on this subject - and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Convention of States (national), its members or affiliates.