Socialism is in vogue these days, but it isn't any less dangerous because it's being promoted by different members of Congress.
The economic system of Venezuela presents a legitimate threat to the freedoms and liberties we enjoy, and we have to do everything we can to fight these big-government takeovers.
But first, it's important to understand how we got here and how the Constitution has been warped to allow the threat of socialism to loom so large.
As Convention of States National Legislative Strategist Rita Dunaway explained in a recent article on The Stream, Congress has taken advantage of two clauses to grow big government and attack the liberties of their constituents.
...like the rest of society, federal officials apply the balm of relativism to the sore of legal limits. They say that what the Constitution means today differs what it meant when it was written. They say that meaning is “organic,” or malleable. These officials twist the language to make it mean what they want it to mean.
They interpret the “General Welfare Clause” as allowing Congress to tax and spend for any idea it thinks is good for our “welfare.” But we know that isn’t what it meant when it was written. It meant that Congress could tax and spend to exercise its named powers for the benefit of the “general” population, rather than specific regions.
Likewise, we know that Congress’ power to regulate commerce among the states is the same type of power that Congress has to regulate commerce with other nations. That doesn’t include telling farmers what crops they can grow. But by accepting an “interpretation” that defies the truth about language and history, our courts have unlocked for Congress enormous powers the Constitution denies it.
Having been unlocked, these powers can now be harnessed to achieve socialist goals.
Dunaway's solution? Call a Convention of States.
The only solution is to lock them back up, permanently. And the only way to do that is for the states to use their power to propose constitutional amendments that reinforce and clarify limits in specific, modern-day language.
The states can do this through the Constitution’s Article V. In fact, the effort is well underway with the Convention of States Project. It’s a nationwide, grassroots effort to convene the states to propose constitutional amendments that will limit the scope and power of Washington. (I serve as the project’s national legislative strategist.) It’s the only way to truly protect our great nation from those who don’t know better than to champion socialist policies.
Want to get involved? Join millions of your fellow Americans and sign the Convention of States Petition below!
