If there is one thing all conservatives can rally behind, it is our beloved United States Constitution. This document was crafted by some of the most intelligent and God-fearing men in history. It has stood the test of time and afforded our land an unprecedented measure of peace and prosperity. Through it, the natural spirit of innovation and freedom residing within all people has been unleashed for the betterment of society. This is a fact no conservative denies. However, there are some conservatives who are being lured into betraying this most fundamental principle of conservatism. The trap they are being lured into is called a “Convention of States.”
The Convention of States Project is an organization with dubious financial ties which seeks to convince conservatives to favor a constitutional convention through Article V of the U.S. Constitution. Article V gives two methods by which amendments can be introduced. The first method is where Congress proposes the amendments and then sends them off to the states for ratification. That method is the one we have used for the twenty-seven amendments we now have. The other method is where the states ask Congress to call a constitutional convention to propose amendments. That method has never been tried in all of American history.
The Conventional of States people make the convention method sound great by promising that the amendments from the convention will call for a balanced budget, fiscal restraint, and other such conservative favorites. However, the chances of that actually working would be remote. Many constitutional scholars, including former Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, have agreed that a convention could not be limited to only one conservative topic. To be fair, there are some lawyers who disagree on this, but what does that really mean? All that means is that there’s enough confusion about it that the Supreme Court will be called in to settle the dispute. Do we really want to bet our constitution on the will of the Supreme Court?
Don’t be fooled into gambling with our beloved founding document. Don’t fall for a convention of states!
