The following was written by Ashley Herzog and was originally published on Heartland.org.
Most Michigan voters support calling a convention to propose a constitutional amendment limiting federal spending and power, a new poll finds.
Sixty-four percent of respondents said they believe Michigan should enter into a convention of states for the purpose of proposing a constitutional amendment.
Of respondents indicating their support for a convention, 71 percent said Michigan should participate in an amendment convention to create term limits on members of Congress and/or federal judges, and 54 percent said the state should participate in a convention for drafting constitutional limits on federal government spending.
The survey was conducted by Moore Information, Inc., with a statistically representative sample of 400 likely Michigan voters, using online interviews conducted on March 20 and 21, with a margin of error of ± 5 percentage points.
Article V of the U.S. Constitution establishes methods for proposing and enacting amendments, including a state-led process. After 34 states call for an amendment convention, commissioners from the states meet to draft an amendment or amendments enacting the specified proposal. Three-quarters of the states must ratify the proposed amendment for it to take effect.
Calling for Balance
Lindsey Stroud, state government relations manager for The Heartland Institute, which publishes Budget & Tax News, says the amendment convention process is the only way state lawmakers can recapture authority usurped the national government.
“I believe that Article V is the only way to reestablish the balance of power and federalism that was outlined in the United States Constitution,” Stroud said. “Since 1787, the federal government has acquired numerous powers that were not explicitly given in the Constitution. As the courts have tended to rule these acquisitions as constitutional, the states really only have Article V left to influence the Constitution.”
Public ‘Under Siege’
David Schneider, a regional director with Convention of States, says the ever-growing federal government is putting tremendous strain on people.
“The American people have daily examples of federal overreach in almost every area of their lives,” says. “The majority of Americans are under siege daily by onerous regulations and an unsustainable tax burden, even with the president’s tax cuts. Why? Because the massive spending and debt is unsustainable.”
States will have to work together to fix what the federal government has broken, Schneider says.
“We need the meeting of states to discuss real reforms to put further limits on the size and scope of the federal government, term limits on federal officials, and fiscal restraints like a balanced budget,” Schneider said.
