Posted on 04/29/2015 4:19:38 PM PDT by cotton1706
Just last month, North Dakota became the twenty-seventh state to call for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Since the states cannot directly amend the Constitution, this call comes in the form of a resolution calling for a convention that will propose such an amendmentthe as-of-yet unused second method for passing amendments outlined in Article V of the Constitution. Whatever motivations may underlie such actions, the 1787 Constitutional Convention teaches us that the end results of such a meeting may not match its initial calls.
In 1787 there was no Constitution, and the meeting at the State House in Philadelphia was intended to change the failing Articles of Confederation, not create a new form of government. Given that the Constitution was written both with the foresight of a need for amending and a convention being one of the two approved methods for doing so, it is hard to imagine so drastic a result from a modern convention. There is, however, no reason to assume that a convention will cover only one topic or that delegates would ignore topics their state had not considered.
Radio talk show host Mark Levin has long been outlining a framework for several changes he would like to see result from a convention, but his proposal clearly places no limitation on the potential meeting. We need only consider the possibility of a state that had not called for the convention proposing something the other states had not considered to understand the possibility of additional topicsonly 34 states are needed, leaving up to 16 states to possibly send delegates with no clear mandate.
(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...
ping
Judicial and legislative terms limits are in order.
But so are bureaucratic term limits. These unelected pricks (who aren’t even really answerable to the president — only kind of) need to have something along the lines of “up or out” as done in the military.
They should not be permitted to unionize.
There should be no government pensions, excepting military.
Good. So we can get all conservatives off the bench. Do you really think either party will put conservative judges on the bench going good forward? There is a huge number of left litmus tests now. The number of conservative judges out there now is as high as it’s everg’s going to be. So you are doing there work for them.
A Constitutional Convention should never happen. Amend it. Don’t kill it.
Congress already has the power to limit the purview of federal courts.
As a side note to this thread, please consider the following.
If the 17th Amendment had never been ratified then wed probably have a constitutionally required 2/3 majority of state sovereignty-respecting federal senators who would be willing to work with the House to remove impeached activist justices from the bench.
The 17th Amendment needs to disappear.
limiting perview is not limiting time in office, which is what I think is the point
The ill-conceived 17th Amendment effectively repealed the whole Constitution imo. That amendment needs to disappear.
“The 17th Amendment needs to disappear.”
And the Senate would NEVER vote to change how it is populated. Therefore, the people must, through the states, through a convention of states. It is the only way.
If we have to call a convention one issue at a time, let us do so.
Hear, hear!
If the judicial branch insists on legislating from the bench, then it is fair to impose on it the same check the voters have on the legislative branch- the ability to vote them out of office at regular intervals.
“If the judicial branch insists on legislating from the bench, then it is fair to impose on it the same check the voters have on the legislative branch- the ability to vote them out of office at regular intervals.”
That’s exactly right! The “lawmakers” should be directly answerable to the people!
A Constitutional Convention should never happen. Amend it. Dont kill it.
You prefer revolt?
An ineligible President voids the Constitution. A constitutional convention is all that is available to establish a national governing document. All options are on the table.
Term limits, mandatory balanced budgets, state’s rights, abortion is unlawful, marriage is between one man and one woman, etc ...
Damn straight. And also clearly define terms on how all judges and politicians can be removed from office. And be charged for felonies while in office, and thusly removed from said office.
That box should contain the 2nd amendment and appropriate tool of liberty inside. Preferably with extra ammo.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.