Does any of this sound familiar?
- The federal government is corrupt.
- Our elections are rigged.
- Our representatives in Washington won’t do anything but spend money we don’t have.
- It’s hopeless!
I hear it every day, from people all over the United States.
It’s no surprise that 76 percent of Americans think the country is going in the wrong direction. Even more disturbingly, that number is going up because citizens don’t expect things to improve. Pessimism is at a generational high, because we don’t like the country we’re leaving our children, and don’t see any way to correct our supposedly self-governed country.
But we are not helpless, nor is our situation hopeless. We have lost control of our federal government because we are not using all the controls which our Founders gave us. We’ve been trying to drive the car, using only the gas pedal. It’s no surprise that our control has been marginal, at best.
Our Founders gave us two methods to drive this car we call the United States. We can express our wishes in elections, and we can work with our neighbors – those people we elect to state government – to impose Constitutional limits on our government.
We’ve only been losing ground to the anti-freedom forces, because we’ve been resisting them with our strongest hand tied behind our back. We can change the behavior of the federal government via the amendment process – with no involvement, oversight, or interference from Washington. The Founders gave us the second clause of Article V of the Constitution for that purpose. It gives us the power to work with our neighbors – and team with others like ourselves in other states – to change the course of our federal government.
You might ask: How powerful is the 2nd clause of Article V? it’s powerful enough to drive the anti-freedom forces into a panic at the mere mention of an Article V convention of states. The Soros-backed Common Cause has pulled together a coalition of over 230 organizations to resist a convention of states. At the mere mention that any state is considering an Article V convention, those organizations descend like a swarm of angry bees – flooding the newspapers, airwaves, and legislator inboxes with doomsday predictions of Article V Armageddon.
Opponents claim that our neighbors – the people that live next door to us, and whom we have chosen to represent us in the state – can’t be trusted with the heady business of telling Washington to “Stop the nonsense.” They claim they want to protect freedom, while they counsel us to continue driving the car without touching the steering wheel. They are suggesting that we continue doing the same thing over and over, and expect a different result; which of course, is insanity.
Why would our opposition suggest we do that which is clearly not working? Could it be because they want America to stay on its current path to eventual serfdom? Do they panic at the words “convention of states” because they know it might work – redirecting America towards freedom?
Their panic, should be our source of hope. There have been many arguments put forth, explaining why there is no reason to fear a convention of states. What hasn’t been adequately explained, is what it can provide. It can be used to put the self-governed, back in control of the car. It can replace despair, with hope for a revitalized republic.
If you would like to be counted among the Idahoans saying “Stop!” to Washington, visit www.conventionofstates.com/idaho to sign the petition and see volunteer opportunities.
