2024 will serve to be an important and pivotal year for The North Carolina Chapter of Convention of States (NC COS). House Joint Resolution 235 has the potential to come up for a vote. If the vote is successful, we can tally North Carolina to the list of States that is more than ready for Article V to become reality.
The next few months North Carolina volunteers and supporters of COS will seek to influence state legislators among other similar endeavors to bring the Resolution up for a vote. No small task.
Vanessa Paulsen has been the State Director of NC COS only since Nov 1st of 2023. She is both driven and excited to do everything she can to help ensure the success of our mission. The following Q&A introduces us to Vanessa, her devotion to COS, and her plans to get things done.
Tell us a little about Vanessa Paulsen?
I've been married for 25 yrs. My husband and I are self-employed. I am also a homemaker and a homeschool mom of one daughter who is now in community college. I am active in my church's music ministry and have worked with teens my whole married life.
Tell us a little bit about Convention of States and what drew you to it?
As a mom and mentor to teens, I got frustrated with where our nation was/is heading. After teaching our kids integrity, character and accountability, how could I be ok with the lack of it in our nation’s leaders? Seeing what our kids would be growing up into made me angry. Surely there was something I could do. After a lot of prayer, the Lord led me to a free course that was offered online called Biblical Citizenship in Modern America. I was able to learn about our founding fathers, the foundation of our nation and the power “we the people” have all the while learning about our constitution. Through this course, Article V of the US Constitution was noted as being a solution to an out-of-control federal government. This is where I heard of the Convention of States. COS is a nonprofit organization that was formed in 2013 as a solution to the problem of an overreaching federal government. Article V gives the states the opportunity to have a convention called to propose amendments to the constitution.
Why is it vital and essential now more than ever that a Convention of States should be called at this point in the history of the United States?
If not now, when? We, as a nation, should have been using this tool since the onset of our nation. Now we’re seeing the negative results of not utilizing Article V with an out-of-control federal government on many levels: Federal over-spending, burdensome inflation, the border crisis, crime, promotion of social deprivations where the feds have no place, on and on and on. It certainly appears the people’s voices are no longer heard and heeded by those who elected these officials to their federal public posts to begin with.
You are the State Director of COS for North Carolina. Tell us what's happening in relation to COS in North Carolina in 2024?
COS is growing and active in NC as an organization. In regard to the progress we’ve made, the resolution was passed in the House last year and we’re on track to seeing the resolution passed in the Senate during this short legislative session coming up in the spring. Our hope is to be State #20 (although, we’re happy with being State #21 as well:)) out of the 34 (⅔ of the states) needed for a convention to be called.
Can you elaborate on your plan for orchestrating 'one big push' for promoting the passing of the resolution this year in NC?
Absolutely! A lot of folks, including myself a few years ago, have no idea what they can do to make a difference. One goal is to educate people. Take the fear out. As we work on that, we execute what we’ve learned into action. That action, in a nutshell, is to be seen everywhere by our legislators reminding them of COS and encouraging them to push to bring the resolution to the floor.
What would you really like to see happen should a Convention of States be called one day soon? In other words, what amendments would the country benefit from?
I love all the proposals being promoted through COS. For those that don’t know, “our legislation calls for a convention of states limited to proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress." (Taken directly from our website). There’s a lot that I believe our nation would benefit from that could be addressed within the terms but unfortunately, there’s not enough room in this interview to cover them. Readers can view the COS Simulation from this last year to get an idea of proposals that would be made by the 50 states’ commissioners. Go to COSSimulation2023.org.
How do you feel about your COS team thus far in NC?
We have an active and engaged team of people across the state. They are constantly learning and growing to move this cause forward and to be a blessing to all they come in contact with at the same time. My Leadership Team is beyond exceptional, and I'm truly blessed to be a part of it all.
What additional help could NC use in order to get the resolution passed? What needs to happen?
According to our primary sponsor in the Senate and our lobbyist, we’ve done the work. Our legislature knows who we are and what we want to see accomplished. Now, what we need are folks to participate by being the faces of COS and to continue to build relationships with their legislators (particularly the senate), encouraging them and reminding them that we’re not going anywhere and that this needs to be the priority.
How is the current support for COS in NC? If the current support is in need of some improvement, what do you think it will take to accomplish that?
So many folks don’t even know about COS. We need to get the word out, educate people of all walks of life and education.
Can you list out some rather well-known political pundits or figures that have voiced support for a Convention of States in recent times for those reading this interview?
As of January of 2024, presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy have expressed wonderful support for an Article V Convention of States. Our US House Speaker Mike Johnson was key in moving the COS resolution forward in his home state of Louisiana. Many more are listed on the website.
Many citizens in this country are unhappy with the direction this country is going, domestic to international. Very few happen to be aware of Convention of States as an activist organization. They are unfamiliar with the existence of Article V, including what it consists of and how it can benefit the US citizen. What resources do you recommend for a reader that may happen upon this interview in order to better familiarize themselves with COS?
Great question! Our website, ConventionofStates.com, has a wealth of information on it. That information is presented in short, bite-sized pieces so as to not be overwhelming or daunting. It talks about who we are, what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, how far along we are and who is endorsing us. We’d love for anyone interested in making a difference in our nation to check out the site, ConventionofStates.com, sign the petition and become a Volunteer Activist. Not only will you get weekly, up to date information from your local team and the nation, but you’ll have the opportunity to jump in wherever you feel called. We look forward to working with you and getting our nation back.
