The following article was written by Convention of States Action Florida Volunteer Barry Walls.
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."
- James Madison, 1788, Federalist Paper #51
James Madison made this statement while explaining the checks and balances of the Constitution. The magic of the Constitution is its system of checks and balances and separation of powers. One such check empowers the states.
Article V of the Constitution instructs the proper manner by which the Constitution is changed. There are two ways to propose an amendment: either Congress by a two-thirds vote or by a Convention of States as initiated by two-thirds of the states.
In either case it is the states that have the final say, each amendment requiring three-fourths of the states for ratification.
In the final days of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, George Mason pointed out that there was no mechanism in the draft Constitution to restrain the federal government. That is when the second part of the Article V was inserted, what became known as the Convention of States process.
The states having the power to rebalance the central government. Madison smartly noted this was necessary, and the whole of the convention agreed.
The Convention of States is not a mechanism to rewrite the Constitution. It is not a mechanism to change the founding principles of the Constitution, restrict our liberties, or change the sovereignty of the states.
It is the states that created the federal government, not the other way around.
In that spirit, we call on Floridians to alert their state representatives and senators of our profound and determined interest in raising support and enthusiasm for an Article V convention that will limit the terms of Congress members, impose fiscal restraints on federal officials, and limit the power of the federal government.
Congress saw fit to formally limit presidential terms and it is only fit for Congress to be restrained as well. Join us in this call for action by signing the petition at Convention Of States Action.
We the People, by way of contributions and time, can make a difference. Here’s your chance.
