A misguided opinion piece titled, “Push for ‘Convention of States’ makes some Ohioans feel edgy and suspicious” was published in the Cincinnati Enquirer on July 11, 2024. It was written by Enquirer Columnist Dan Sewell.
In response to Sewell's piece, the following letter to the editor was submitted on July 16 by COS Ohio State Communications Coordinator Diana Telles. Her piece was published in the Enquirer Sunday, July 28 and posted HERE in the online version on July 31. Or you can read below:
First off, Ohioans are largely not edgy and suspicious about an Article V state convention.
A 2024 Susquehanna poll revealed resounding support among Ohio voters for the Convention of States (COS) initiative to limit the Federal government, with 76% of registered/likely voters expressing their endorsement.
The survey further unveiled that majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents favor this constitutional mechanism. Over 60% of Republicans and Democrats said they would cross parties to vote for a candidate who supports COS.
What Ohioans are edgy about is an overreaching Federal government, a $35 trillion national debt, and illegal immigration. They’re suspicious of elected officials past their prime, no longer beholden to their constituents.
Mr. Sewell goes on to suggest, “…an unprecedented Convention of States might be a good idea if it were designed to preserve the democracy conceived by the Founding Fathers and to avoid the imperial presidency they were determined to stop.”
It so happens, the Convention of States effort is working to preserve our Constitution as the amendments proposed and ratified at the state level could return power to the sovereign states thus restoring the Founders’ vision. A state-level process, COS clearly has nothing to do with any presidency (regular or “imperial”) as mistakenly suggested by Sewell.
It is good news that Article V of the US Constitution allows the states to propose amendments in an “unprecedented convention.” This means that “We the People” have a unique and powerful tool waiting in the wings that can affect real change in Washington utilizing a safe, civil, and constitutional process. Currently under consideration in the Ohio House, our resolution HJR-3 offers more detail.
Our Convention of States effort proposes a limited convention to address three topics:
- Imposing fiscal restraints on the Federal government,
- Limiting the power and jurisdiction of the Federal government, and
- Setting term limits on Congress and Federal officials.
Imagine the possibilities: single-subject legislation, restraints on Federal spending, a balanced budget, state empowerment of border policy, term limits for Congress!
Make no mistake. Ohioans are edgy and suspicious of our out-of-control Federal government. Washington, D.C. is broken and simply has too much power.
Any one of the amendments we could propose under our COS resolution could help restore the Constitution and promote the balance of shared powers among the state, local, and the Federal governments. For more, visit www.conventionofstates.com.
