Our "leaders" in Washington will never allow We the People to govern ourselves. They'll never stop proposing big-government solutions designed to "help" us but that, in the end, only expand their power and wealth.
That attitude has been apparent at this year's party conferences, but it wasn't always this way.
In 1980, then-Republican nominee Ronald Reagan delivered an address that emphasized not top-down solutions but self-governance: as he put it, "family, work, neighborhood, peace, and freedom":
"Trust me" government asks that we concentrate our hopes and dreams on one man; that we trust him to do what's best for us. Well my view of government places trust not in one person or one Party, but in those values that transcend persons and parties. The -- The trust is where it belongs -- in the people. The responsibility to live up to that trust is where it belongs, in their elected leaders. That kind of relationship, between the people and their elected leaders, is a special kind of compact.
Reagan rejected the idea -- still popular today -- that America's day in the sun is over. He argued that the United States is still the greatest nation on earth -- not because of our policies or government but because of our people.
Today, self-governance is under attack like never before. The federal government has grown so large and so powerful that federal bureaucrats control virtually every aspect of our daily lives. From the health insurance we buy to the school curriculum we use to the food we purchase, federal agencies dictate policy to the people and the states.
Ronald Reagan did much to advance the cause of self-governance in our nation, but one president cannot change how D.C. operates. We need real, permanent change, and the only way we can get it is via an Article V Convention of States.
A Convention of States is called under Article V of the Constitution. It is called by 34 states, and all 50 states attend. Convention delegates have the power to propose constitutional amendments that limit the power of the federal government, impose fiscal restraints on Congress, and mandate term limits for federal officials.
These amendments will make our federal politicians more accountable to the people, less likely to waste our money, and less able to dictate our daily decisions.
Let's finish what President Reagan started. Let's call shrink the size, scope, and jurisdiction of the federal government with a Convention of States.
Already, over four million Americans have voiced their support and 15 states are on board. Sign the petition below to join the movement!
