This is an essay by Justin Richards, who heard about Convention of States from Ben Shapiro. He is an avid listener and felt that this would be a cause worth volunteering for. He piggy-backed his volunteerism with his final school projects with the blessings of his teachers and parents. He was tasked with writing a blog and letters to his legislators. The final results were amazing! This 17 year-old high school senior gives us optimism for the future.
"We the People” is the most iconic phrase in the entire Constitution of the United States of America. However, We the People seem to forget what it really means.
This country was founded on the idea of citizenship and participation in government. In other words, We the People actually have a say in our government. Unfortunately, it’s been over 200 years since that compact was made between the governed and the government, and neither side seems to remember their side of the bargain.
The government is gaining as much power as it can, and We the People are all but handing it to them on a silver platter.
This has troubled many Americans, but I don’t think it has troubled anyone more than my generation (Gen Z), who have just become old enough to vote in the past four to five years.
With the help of influential people and organizations like Ben Shapiro and Convention of States, Gen Z-ers are opening their eyes to the problems we will have to face. We’ve been raised in this backwards system of government and thus are able to see right through it. We understand the necessity for limiting the out-of-control government.
My generation has never been one for unnecessary rules--just listen to any teenager talk about school rules. It’s almost a guarantee that Gen Z will undertake the process of limiting and decreasing the power of the federal government on states and individuals.
Another thing about Gen Z is that they’re not afraid to speak their mind. When I listen to other Gen Z-ers talk politics, they tend to talk about corrupt politicians, so it’s not hard to tell that they would be some of the first to join the debate on congressional term limits.
Too many Washington politicians are focused on stuffing their pockets with money instead of representing their constituents back home. That’s not how this system is supposed to work. That’s why term limits is an excellent solution to make sure we’re sending our best to Washington to represent us in the legislature.
Speaking of the legislative branch, they’ve been playing a game lately. It’s called “Who Can Ignore the Federal Debt Longer?” Jokes aside, we need to reel back in the near-infinite debt that former generations have racked up and current generations are ignoring. Since Gen Z-ers have been old enough to remember, living with trillions of dollars in federal debt has been the norm.
With their opposition to the enormous debt that comes with a college education, Gen Z-ers seem like the perfect candidates to start the ball rolling to get rid of the federal debt. These are three issues that most Gen Z-ers will hopefully work towards. It just so happens that there is already a movement working towards these three goals.
Enter Convention of States. It’s not a new organization but it’s gaining traction, and fast. Their purpose is quite simple: limit the power of the federal government, introduce congressional term limits, and impose fiscal restraints on the federal government.
These seem like pretty lofty goals, but they have a plan. Through the organization's namesake, an Article V convention of states can achieve these three goals.
What is a convention of states? Per Article V of the U.S. Constitution, 34 states can pass a resolution to gather commissioners from all 50 states to propose amendments to the Constitution in regard to these three issues. Once 38 states ratify the amendments, they become official.
You’re probably wondering how long it will take to get 34 states to pass the resolution. Lucky for us, 15 states have already passed the resolution in both chambers of their state legislatures, seven more have passed it in one chamber, and 12 additional states have active resolutions in their legislatures that could be passed in the next year!
Are you feeling good yet? I know I am. With the support of Gen Z, the Convention of States can be a reality in the near future, and the sooner the better.
If there’s anything Gen Z-ers like, it’s efficiency, and the Convention of States seems to be pretty efficient in my opinion.
